Your Bitfinex account
is blocked?
Bitfinex will lift a five-day withdrawal hold early — but only for accounts that were already verified before the hold started. Whether that applies to you was decided before anything went wrong.
We are not employees of Bitfinex. Independent consulting.
Your account has been temporarily restricted due to unusual activity. Withdrawal and trading functions are currently unavailable.
Triggered: Terms of Use violation
Case ID: #BNX-2847-QRST
Last updated: 2 minutes ago
cases reviewed
average first response time
supported exchanges
24h Volume
—
Jurisdiction
British Virgin Islands
Year established
2012
Select what matches your situation
Five days, and the withdrawal screen is not saying much else.
Withdrawal hold
A recent password reset has placed this account on hold.
What it means
Bitfinex places a five-day withdrawal hold on the account after a password reset, to protect funds where the email account itself may have been compromised.
What Bitfinex requires
Either the five days, or an early lift — which is only available to accounts already verified at Intermediate level or above before the hold was triggered.
Your first step
Check what level the account was at last week, not today. Verifying now does not make an early lift possible.
Can't find your case? Click 'Analyze my case' — we'll review the wording together.
What stops a Bitfinex withdrawal
Bitfinex separates a security hold from a verification ceiling. One is a clock; the other is a level the account never reached.
A password reset
Requesting a password reset places the account on a five-day withdrawal hold. Bitfinex explains why: an attacker with access to the email account would otherwise reset the password and withdraw within moments of getting in.
Other security setting changes
Bitfinex applies the same five-day hold after specific changes to account security settings, not only to a password reset.
The verification level does not cover what you are withdrawing
Bitfinex states certain Basic Access accounts can withdraw cryptocurrency below one thousand US dollars equivalent, and that an upgrade is required for fiat and stablecoins and for larger amounts.
A fiat withdrawal from an account that is not fully verified
To withdraw fiat currencies such as US dollars, euros, pounds or yen, Bitfinex requires the account to be at the Full Verified level.
A compliance request triggered by account activity
Bitfinex's terms reserve the right to ask for KYC information at any point in time where account activity raises flags — independently of the level the account already holds.
The hold behaves differently from most: Bitfinex states that during a withdrawal hold no withdrawals can be processed and a withdrawal that is submitted will be automatically cancelled. A cancelled withdrawal is therefore not a rejection.
5 things that will make the situation worse
Do not resubmit a withdrawal during a hold
Bitfinex states that a withdrawal submitted while a hold is active is automatically cancelled. Repeating it produces the same cancellation.
Do not verify the account expecting the hold to lift
The early lift depends on the level the account held before the hold was triggered, so verifying afterwards does not create the option.
Do not reset the password a second time
The reset is what starts the five days. Doing it again restarts them.
Do not treat a cancelled withdrawal as a rejection
It is the documented behaviour of the hold, not a decision about the transaction or the destination.
Do not pay anyone to shorten the five days
Bitfinex publishes exactly one way to shorten it — its own support, for accounts that were already verified — and it involves no payment.
Bitfinex can only lift a withdrawal hold prior to expiry if your account was intermediate/fully verified before the hold was triggered.
— Bitfinex Help Centre, Why do I have a withdrawal hold
What to check first on Bitfinex
Establish whether a hold is running
A five-day hold follows a password reset and certain other security changes, and it cancels submitted withdrawals rather than queueing them.
Check what level the account held before the hold
An early lift is only available where the account was Intermediate or fully verified before the hold was triggered.
Match the level to the asset you are moving
Crypto under one thousand dollars equivalent, fiat and stablecoins, and larger amounts each sit at different levels.
Contact support for an early lift, with identification ready
Bitfinex states its team will request relevant ID verification information to confirm you are the legitimate owner of the account.
What Bitfinex may ask you for
Bitfinex's requests fall into two groups — proving who you are to lift a hold, and proving who you are to hold a level. They are not interchangeable.
ID verification information to lift a hold early
Bitfinex states its team requests it specifically to make sure you are the legitimate owner of the account before lifting a hold before expiry.
The individual account verification package
Bitfinex publishes a separate procedure for verifying an individual account, distinct from the corporate one.
Whatever a flagged-activity request specifies
Bitfinex reserves the right to ask for KYC information at any point in time if account activity raises flags.
Full verification for fiat
Required to withdraw US dollars, euros, pounds or yen, and a different bar from the crypto ceiling.
One condition on the early lift is worth repeating because it cannot be fixed after the fact: Bitfinex states it can only lift a withdrawal hold prior to expiry if the account was already Intermediate or fully verified before the hold was triggered.
Block risk assessment
Answer 8 questions — we'll show the block type and recommendations for Bitfinex.
#Q1 of 8
When was your account blocked?
What we actually do
Establish which of the two problems you have
A timed hold and a verification ceiling look identical at the withdrawal screen and are solved in opposite directions.
From: compliance@bitfinex.com
Your account flagged for suspicious activity. Please complete KYC verification.
Fix the sequence of events
The date the account reached its verification level relative to the date the hold started decides whether an early lift exists at all.
Prepare the identification for an early lift
Bitfinex asks for ID verification information to confirm ownership. Having it ready is the difference between one exchange of messages and three.
DO
Clear facts
Documents
DON'T
Emotions
Threats
Answer a flagged-activity request properly
This is the one request that is about your account's behaviour rather than your identity, and it deserves a considered reply.
Say when the five days simply have to pass
If the account was not verified before the hold, waiting is the answer, and we would rather say so than take the case.
The decision is always the exchange's. What we control is that your case reaches it complete, correct and on time.
Frequently asked questions
Why does Bitfinex put a five-day hold on withdrawals?
today 14:23
A withdrawal hold of five days follows specific security setting changes, including a password reset. Bitfinex explains the reason: if an email account is compromised, an attacker could confirm a password reset through the mailbox and withdraw funds moments after entering the account.
unblock.exchange · today 14:23
Can a Bitfinex withdrawal hold be lifted early?
today 14:30
Only for accounts verified at Intermediate level or above. Bitfinex states you can request an early lift by contacting its support, and that its team will request relevant ID verification information to confirm you are the legitimate owner — but it can only lift a hold prior to expiry if the account was intermediate or fully verified before the hold was triggered.
unblock.exchange · today 14:30
Why did Bitfinex cancel my withdrawal automatically?
today 14:37
Bitfinex states that during a withdrawal hold no withdrawals can be processed and any withdrawal submitted will be automatically cancelled. The cancellation is the hold, not a rejection of the transaction.
unblock.exchange · today 14:37
What can a Basic Access account withdraw on Bitfinex?
today 14:44
Bitfinex states certain Basic Access accounts can withdraw cryptocurrency for amounts less than one thousand US dollars equivalent, and that an upgrade is required for fiat and stablecoins and for larger amounts. Fiat withdrawals in US dollars, euros, pounds or yen require the Full Verified level.
unblock.exchange · today 14:44
Can Bitfinex ask for KYC after the account is already open?
today 14:51
Yes. Its terms reserve the right to ask for KYC information at any point in time if account activity raises flags.
unblock.exchange · today 14:51
Other exchanges
The same block scenarios play out on other platforms.
Tell us what happened
Tell us what happened with your Bitfinex account, attach email screenshots. We'll review the situation, assess risks, and suggest a course of action.
Fully confidential. No account credentials required.