Bitcoin Forum

Hello guys,
I am 16 years old and I have been wanting to buy some Bitcoin or ethereum for some time but I cant find a way to actually do this. Sites either need profile verification or are a scam. I would really like to Invest some of my savings into Bitcoin and to learn better how the market works, especially now, when more and more people are trying to fight the worsening inflation in economically hard covid-times. It is quite obvious that fe. Btc will be significantly rising in a long run (lets hope it breaks through around 19000, then it will be chilly). I am also open for some trades but i would rather stay anonymous and I don't wanna get scammed. Have a nice day!  ;D

I think it's difficult trying to do that and you might want to familiarise yourself with the risks and only trade with what you don't NEED.

You could take a look at a service like bisq that'll allow you to buy up to 250 of your currency afaik for a certain time period but it might not be 100% secure (if your balk accepts reversing bank transfers which you ought want to check).

I think age could not be an issue since there are a lot of exchanges that offer no KYC and for sure you could definitely start in that exchange like buying some bitcoin.

Even bitcoin wallets don't require it, so you are still anonymous while investing in it. Also depending on your country, you could find the most reliable wallet that is available where you could withdraw your investment.

It's possible in my country since there are ways to cash-in on a store using fiat money, the best thing to do is just to make your research first before going on investing.

You can freely purchase bitcoin/ether through no-KYC peer-to-peer exchanges. Just make sure to transact with people with decent reputation, and don't go 100% in one single trade.

https://hodlhodl.com/
https://localcryptos.com/
https://bisq.network/

Use your parent's Identification to the sites that need profile verification and buy from that exchange but make sure this exchange is legit. It's much safer compared to the peer-to-peer transaction if you are avoiding getting scammed.

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You should inform and get your parent's approval before using their Personal Documents.

Depending on where you live, there might be a bitcoin ATM near you. Even though they have high fees they are also anonymous and need no identity verification to use.


It’s a bad idea to use someone else’s ID, even your parents’, to register for a service you yourself will mainly use because should any dispute happen or you travel somewhere without them, they will assume they are dealing with the person you provided the ID of. And that’ll require them to follow up on issues because you can’t reply pretending to be someone else, else it will raise suspicion on the exchange’s end.

OP would be all clear if he can convince his parents to do the bitcoin buying for him.

It is a good thing having plans for investment at a young age but you should be aware of the risks also. In the case of verifications with age, there are numerous exchanges which does not require KYC process as other users have mentioned. You may also use third party apps to invest and I never heard there are issues regarding investments concerning the age of the person, unless if you are wanting to engage in gambling platforms  wherein everyone is aware of the age restriction.

the best thing for you is to learn more about the BTC. so when the time comes you can start with such a power that you can make an impact on your life. the best thing is to learn about everything. Binance, BTC, ETH, and all of them.   

KYC verification also includes submitting a selfie with that ID and probably holding a piece of paper with a date and name of the exchange. He is gonna have to get his parents to do that as well.

@The_future_is_now
Where are you from? Your country probably has local crypto forums where you can make a deal with people face to face. Since you are a minor, you can't have your own credit/debit cards.
Check the local forums  (https://bitcointalk.org/index.php#5) of Bitcointalk and make a post in your country's subforum, and ask the lads to suggest local crypto forums and ways that people buy Bitcoin around you. 

If you use sites such as https://localcryptos.com/ you can also suggest the seller to meet them in person. They might be interested as you are both cutting out the middleman by trading directly. 

You started great, but you didn't continue it well  :D
Depending on the country and the bank/institution minors can have debit cards; both my bank and Revolut allows that. However, the parents are the ones requesting the card for the child and they can control how much funds are allowed there (which is imho good). But the card is on the minor's name.

OP: one step would be to get your parent make you a junior card, then buy with that.
If this is not possible, depending on your country, Bitcoin ATMs can be an option. Also in certain countries general purpose utility bills machines may also offer Bitcoin for sale. Here you can use plain cash.
In-person I'd go only as 3rd option.

;D

I was suggesting ways he could get Bitcoin if his parents were against the idea. Like you mentioned, the parents have to give their consent for the child to have a bank account or card. Since we don't know, we should ask OP. What do your parents think of the idea of you buying Bitcoin? Would they support and help you purchase some? Whether they are pro or against will greatly affect the options you have. Something tells me they are against the idea, parents usually are. 8)

Yupp i think there's some exchanges set certain limit for those who doesn’t want a KYC , binance offers a transaction below 1 btc for an account without KYC , so do with bittrex i think.
But when it comes to cash the bitcoin out to your local currency  it's  always best to Finding someone you know around your local area, find it through the forum ask them if it's okay to make a deal face to face or simply find it here in this forum a person with a high reputation doing trade in the last few months at least.

Other than that i think yeah age restrictions always become a problem and that rules come with a reason though.

I think it would be hard for 16 years old to buy bitcoin because most of the exchanges require KYC but it wouldn't be a problem if you are going to use the Identity of you parents to create an account in exchange so that you could create an account, that is what my friend always does when he wants to try some exchange and casino gambling that requires KYC, he always uses the identity of his father, so far, everything is fine.
Really? I haven't tried using a bitcoin ATM, I really thought that it requires KYC or a valid ID, before you can access the ATM.

Well, if they are against the idea it may be tough. On the other hand he can make some bargain with them and get to something where he can do whatever with his pocket money as long as it's not a too big amount (where "too big" differs from family to family). And if they make him a card they can at least see what is the money spent onto. Some parents may even encourage investing (no matter it has ROI or not) since on long term makes the child more responsible. Spending on Bitcoin is better than spending on booze  ;)

What my parents think now it's irrelevant, since I have children of my own. But I can tell that in my high school years my pocket money was fixed and with no questions asked. (But oh, boy, how small the amounts were).



You have to check the ATM's website. In my country under certain amount no KYC is necessary. But you have to read also if that amount is per transaction or it somehow adds up during the year.

Actually, I also thought Bitcoin ATMs are requiring identity informations because that's how it works in normal banks. Never have tried using it tho. But I guess things would still be fine despite of the KYC process because I am not aware there are regulations prohibiting age when investing to something. There will be verifications but will age be a hindrance? I think OP is just concerned with his identity which is a common issue for many users and investors. There are exchanges which do not require KYC process as far as I know. I am using exchanges with KYC so I am not exactly familiar with those exchanges. But if OP has left no other choice, I suggest undergoing KYC, did not encounter any issue so far except from quite of a hassle doing the process.

Hi welcome to the forum it's really great to know that some young users are getting interested to Cryptocurrency. I don't actually sure which website is the safest one maybe you can find one on the comments I just want to tell you that you need to be aware of the risk of buying or trading Bitcoins since they are decentralized=volatile not because you invest doesn't mean you will gain a profit.

Yes, you can buy bitcoin in this forum, check out the currency exchange's board: https://bitcointalk.org/index.php?board=53.0
There are some offers from trusted people to buy-sell bitcoin with some payment modes such as Skrill, PayPal, Payoneer, Perfect money, etc.
However, do not trade with a newbie or untrusted people, you can always use escrow to avoid scams.

Allright so first of all, thank you all for answering, I didn't actually expect such a good response from here. I will clarify all of your questions:
1) I am from Poland
2) I have a credit card, legally it belongs to my parents but It is created on my name. I basically have full control over my funds, because I earned the money, but with some exceptions. My parents are not really so familiar with technology,  that is why they see all cryptocurrencies as a big scam or something. If it was very easy to buy them, they would not mind it, but at the same time they wouldnt let me use their ID for such things and I fully understand it.
3) I did some research on ways on buying crypto and basically ATM's were a really great opportunity but not for now when there is COVID and legally I can go out alone only after 4pm (also COVID). Peer to peer transactions also seem as a  good way to get BTC/ETH so in the end I will probably try it. Online exchanges are not a good go because they neeed ID verification.
4) There are trading sites that dont require verification, for example binecon and at the same time it is one of the best sites out there.
5) Wallets are also not a problem, I have tried wasabi, exodus and electra (although they are empty yet  ;D)
6) So in the end I might try doing a trade with a reliable user over here or on another forum. Bitcoin ATM's will be a good option when covid calms down.
Once again thainks for all of your suggestions!

There are so many trading sites that doesn't need KYC you could just use them to buy and sell crypto.
And also try to look if your country have a local crypto wallet it could really help a lot to make it easier to buy and sell crypto.
I haven't used any P2P sites but I heard that it is also a good way to buy or sell if you don't want to use any exchange but you should also be aware that it also means a higher risk.

For buying small amounts of bitcoin < $1000 you can use sites such as Localbitcoins and Paxful, what these sites do is basically charge your credit card to put the equivalent amount of BTC in a temporary wallet, then you install your own wallet software on your device and send the bitcoins to your address. As long as you buy below the limits, you will not be asked for an ID.

I assume you already learned crypto a lot, and you know how to use crypto, especially bitcoin. Maybe you can try to buy bitcoin from Binance. If Binance doesn't block the access from your country, you can buy bitcoin without any problem. Or I suggest you find local sellers from your country and ask him to meet personally with you. You can send the money from your digital money or login into your bank account, while the sellers can send the bitcoin directly to your wallet. After that, you can send the bitcoin to the exchange. In this case, you can try to use Binance.

If you want to trade with a reliable user here, make sure that a person has a reputation for helping other people who need bitcoin, so you don't get any problem. Good lucks.

Because you are under age or not already 18, you should try to find a person that they sell their bitcoin but make sure do this P2P for the safety of your money also. Because it's hard to trust online unless you make a meet and the deal will become successful.

There is also other ways that you can possible to try if you have relatives or family who is legal age use their identification for you to be able to buy a bitcoin or ethereum to the sites or to the wallet that is what I do when I was not 18 but now Im legal age do I use my own account in wallet purchasing and sell the bitcoin.

Actually age doesn't matter when you want to buy BTC or ETH, but some exchange rules require users to confirm their identity and of course those who have identities must be over 18 years old. If you still don't have an official government identity, you can rely on the identity of your parents yourself as that would be the best way out.
Or buy BTC and ETH on the p2p market without the need for KYC or on a Decentralized Exchange like Binance DEX which can be used for free to buy and sell lots of altcoins.

I was impressed when you came and understood cryptocurrency at the age of 16. Even at that age, I still didn't understand cryptocurrency.

Myself too thought of the same. It is a good thing OP has known much about bitcoin before 18. Interesting thing, even the tech people weren't aware of bitcoin and cryptocurrencies. At the age of 16 buying bitcoin is possible, but for the same you require a banking account. Almost every bank gives access to create their own minor bank account under their parents. One such account can be created and used for the purpose of buying bitcoin.

Actually, there are some exchanges that do not need any KYC or need KYC for a certain amount. If you want to buy some Bitcoin, you can visit Binance and trading there. I think that Binance will only require KYC if you want to withdraw or make transaction in further ways, in more way to do. There are also some exchanges or P2P platform that require no KYC so that you can still do transactions there.
In this case, BTC is very worthy to invest, but be careful the time for buying. You need to trade or event investing the funds into BTC, but not for hurry cashing out.

I don't think you have try peer to peer exchange to see how good  and risk it is in the area of exchange market. Getting profit from your trade is not by age or loosing in a particular trade is not because you are still a child or adult.
Many people are still finding it difficult to know some ways to buy bitcoin and Ethereum in the market. Ethereum this is the season to buy and hold for future benefit since the price is decreasing over some months now in the market. Bitcoin is not too good to buy now because of the way the price is keep rising when the year is very close to end. If you can be able to understand those market key,supply and demand in the market you will not find it difficult to trade your and make a good profit.

Definitely wouldn't recommend you to do this. There are a lot of exchanges and wallet that doesn't require KYC which you can use. But never ever use any information that it isn't yours whether it is your parents or friends. That will give you a hard time for sure if there will be some problems that you will encounter.

If you are really sure and knows all the risks of investing in cryptocurrency then you can just wait paypal to accept buying and selling bitcoin. You said you have your credit card under your parent's name, perhaps after paypal launched their new protocol, you can connect your credit card to paypal and you can easily buy and own bitcoin.

Or, if you can't find exchanges that has no kyc required  (which I doubt because there are existing exchanges that has no kyc), you can just convince your parents to create an account under their name and do the kyc to start making transactions. But make sure to have your own wallet/exchange under your name if you reach your legal age. Few more suggestion was to buy to any trusted person you know so you can still own btc.

 There are so many ways, mate. As long as you are aware all the possible disadvantage/advantage of this volatile market in crypto industry.