Want to set up a new business or pay a Bureau of Motor Vehicles fee? You might soon be able to pay in Bitcoin or other cryptocurrency

• Ohio may accept cryptocurrency for state fees and services as early as this fall.
• Businesses and individuals would pay a transaction fee, similar to credit card transactions, for cryptocurrency conversion.
• Ohio Secretary of State Frank LaRose aims to be the first adopter, accepting Bitcoin for business filings.
• This move follows increased cryptocurrency popularity and aligns with other proposed Ohio legislation regarding digital assets.

Want to set up a new business or pay another fee? You might be able to pay in Bitcoin or other cryptocurrency as soon as this fall.

Ohio Treasurer Robert Sprague and Ohio Secretary of State Frank LaRose will ask a state panel next month to approve the use of cryptocurrency, such as Bitcoin, to pay for state fees and services.

If approved, the state would find a company to convert cryptocurrency into cash that the state can use. Customers would pay a fee for the transaction, similar to when they use a credit card.

Then, each agency and department would decide whether to accept cryptocurrency. That process could take months, but LaRose wants to be the state’s first adopter, accepting Bitcoin to pay for business filing fees.

“I don’t anticipate that there will be hundreds of thousands of Ohioans that are immediately starting to pay their fees on the Ohio Secretary of State’s website in Bitcoin, but there will be some,” said LaRose, who said he owns about $10,000 in Bitcoin. “What this does is signal that Ohio is near the forefront of embracing this financial technology.”

The move comes as the popularity of cryptocurrency, especially among Republicans, is increasing.

During Vivek Ramaswamy’s presidential bid, the Ohio governor candidate was bullish on cryptocurrency, introducing a policy to curb the overregulation of it. Both Sprague and LaRose have endorsed Ramaswamy’s 2026 bid to replace Gov. Mike DeWine.

Meanwhile, Ohio lawmakers are pitching the Ohio Blockchain Basics Act, also known as House Bill 116. The proposed law would prevent state and local governments from charging additional taxes and fees on cryptocurrency, among other changes.