# BitValve review: KYC policy, privacy and safety grades

> BitValve is a P2P exchange. Its terms put it at KYC level 3 of 4: ID on risk flag. NoKYC Score grades it 1.5/10 for privacy (poor) and 4.3/10 for safety (caution). In its favour: company named. To watch: it may ask for ID, screens deposits and holds your funds while you use it. No incidents are on record.

Source: NoKYC Score, "BitValve review", reviewed 22 Oct 2026, https://nokycscore.com/service/bitvalve

## Key facts
- **Category:** P2P Exchanges
- **KYC level:** 3 of 4: ID on risk flag
- **Grades:** Privacy 1.5/10, Safety 4.3/10
- **Sign-up:** Email required
- **Custody:** custodial
- **Limits:** Email only: $1,000 per year. ID plus liveness selfie: $15,000 per year. Proof of address: unlimited.
- **Jurisdiction:** Costa Rica
- **Incidents on record:** 0
- **Last reviewed:** 22 Oct 2026
- **Official website:** https://www.bitvalve.com

## What it is
BitValve is a peer-to-peer marketplace where trades run through an operator-held escrow and each user gets a custodial wallet for Bitcoin, Litecoin, Ethereum, Tether and the platform token. The terms (effective 1 July 2026) are issued by 3-102-966440 S.R.L, a company incorporated in Costa Rica. Its AML policy sets three levels: email verification alone allows $1,000 of trade volume per year, a government ID with a liveness selfie raises this to $15,000 per year, and proof of address removes the cap. The terms add that verification may be required when creating offers, during disputes and investigations, and is mandatory to fully use the custodial wallet; deposits and withdrawals are screened against sanctions lists.

## What the terms say about ID
AML policy: Level 1 (email verification) is limited to $1,000 per year; Level 2 requires a national ID, driving licence, passport or residence permit plus a liveness selfie.

## Features and warnings
- **Identity:** ID never required: no; No account needed: no; No email needed: no; No phone number: not stated
- **Payment:** Accepts Monero: not stated; Accepts Lightning: not stated; Accepts cash: not stated
- **Access:** Tor onion address: not stated; Works without JavaScript: not stated
- **Trust:** Never holds your funds: no; Refund without ID: not stated; Escrow it cannot spend alone: not stated; Open source: not stated; Independent audit: not stated; Company named: yes; 5+ years operating: not stated
- **Warnings:** May ask for ID: yes; Screens deposits: yes; Holds your funds: yes; Email required: yes; Phone number required: not in terms; Closed source: not in terms; Nobody accountable: not in terms

## Questions
### Does BitValve require KYC?
BitValve is rated KYC level 3 of 4 on this site: ID on risk flag. AML policy: Level 1 (email verification) is limited to $1,000 per year; Level 2 requires a national ID, driving licence, passport or residence permit plus a liveness selfie.

### Is BitValve safe to use?
BitValve has a Safety grade of 4.3 out of 10 and a Privacy grade of 1.5 out of 10. No incidents are on record. Evidence level: documentation reviewed.

### Is BitValve legit?
BitValve is a working P2P exchange. It publishes the company that runs it, in Costa Rica. Being real is not the same as being safe: its Safety grade here is 4.3 out of 10, built from custody, liquidity, track record and incidents.

### Is BitValve a scam?
NoKYC Score does not label services as scams; it records documented incidents with their sources and outcomes. No incidents are on record for BitValve. Its terms also allow it to hold a flagged deposit and ask for identity documents.

### Do I need an account or email to use BitValve?
Email required.

### What are BitValve's limits?
Email only: $1,000 per year. ID plus liveness selfie: $15,000 per year. Proof of address: unlimited.

### Does BitValve have a Tor onion address?
No official onion address was found on BitValve's own pages.

### Which cryptocurrencies does BitValve support?
BitValve supports BTC, LTC, ETH, USDT.

### Is BitValve custodial?
Yes. BitValve holds funds during a trade, which means it is able to delay or freeze them.

### Can I use BitValve over Tor?
BitValve does not publish an official onion address.

## Sources
- https://www.bitvalve.com
- https://www.bitvalve.com/terms
- https://www.bitvalve.com/aml

How grades are calculated: https://nokycscore.com/methodology