Bitvavo 2FA: how to set up an authenticator app
By the Novaz team · Updated October 29, 2026
Novaz steps checked against version 1.0.5
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Bitvavo is a European crypto exchange, and two-factor authentication (2FA) there isn't optional: every account must keep at least one method switched on (Bitvavo). You can choose push approvals in the Bitvavo app, codes from an authenticator app, or both. Only the authenticator app lets you withdraw crypto, and Bitvavo doesn't offer text-message codes at all (Bitvavo).
This guide sets up the authenticator option with Authenticator App - Novaz on iPhone. Any authenticator app works the same way.
How we checked this guide: the Bitvavo steps come from Bitvavo's own help center, linked below, which we read on October 21, 2026. Its web pages refused our plain requests, so we read the same articles through the help center's public article feed on Bitvavo's own support domain. We haven't tested the steps on a Bitvavo account, so a label may differ slightly. The Novaz steps are checked against the app, version 1.0.5.
Why the authenticator app is worth turning on
Push 2FA alone gets you signed in, but two things depend on the authenticator app:
- Crypto withdrawals. They only work while authenticator app 2FA is on. Turn it off and withdrawals stay blocked until you turn it back on (Bitvavo).
- The Bitvavo Account Guarantee. To be eligible, authenticator app 2FA must have been on for at least 30 days before an incident. Push 2FA doesn't count (Bitvavo).
Turn on 2FA with an authenticator app
Install Novaz first. On the Bitvavo website (Bitvavo):
- Sign in at account.bitvavo.com.
- Select your name in the top menu, then Security.
- Next to Two-Factor Authentication (2FA), click Enable 2FA.
- Enter your Bitvavo password.
- Bitvavo shows a QR code. In Novaz, tap +, then Scan QR code, and point the camera at it. If the code is on the same iPhone, take a screenshot and use Choose a photo instead. See scanning a QR code on the same iPhone.
- If you can't scan, Bitvavo lets you enter the code manually; its help doesn't say what the text key is called on screen. In Novaz, tap +, then Enter key manually, and paste it as the Setup key. See What is a 2FA setup key?
- Type the 6-digit code from Novaz into Bitvavo.
- Bitvavo shows a 2FA recovery code. Save it (see below), then click Continue.
In the Bitvavo app the flow is the same: go to Security in your settings, tap Enable 2FA, enter your password, scan the QR code, store the recovery code, and confirm with a code from Novaz. If the app seems stuck afterwards, Bitvavo's fix is to tap Forgot your PIN? and sign in again with your email, password and a 2FA code.
Bitvavo's codes are six digits and change every 30 seconds, the same settings Novaz uses for a typed key, so scanning or typing both work.
Keep the recovery code
Bitvavo shows the recovery code during setup and says to store it offline and not share it (Bitvavo). According to its reset article, the recovery code lets you add your Bitvavo 2FA to another phone, or restore it after the authenticator app was reset (Bitvavo). The authenticator article doesn't walk through those steps.
If you lose the phone with no Novaz backup, this code is your way back in. Keep it on paper or in a password manager, away from the phone. More in 2FA backup codes.
When Bitvavo asks for a code
On the website, you enter a code each time you sign in with your password. In the Bitvavo app, you only need one when you've fully logged out or are signing in on a new device; after that, a PIN or Face ID opens the app (Bitvavo). Bitvavo also asks for 2FA for important actions (Bitvavo).
If Bitvavo rejects your code
Bitvavo names two causes (Bitvavo):
- The wrong account. If you have several accounts in Novaz, check that you're reading the Bitvavo one.
- The phone's time. Set date and time to automatic and check the time zone. On iPhone: Settings > General > Date & Time > Set Automatically. Novaz warns you when the clock is 15 seconds or more off.
If neither helps, Bitvavo points you to the 2FA reset below. Other causes are in Authenticator code not working?
Changing phones
While you still have the old phone, sign in with a code from it, go to Security, click Disable 2FA next to Two-Factor Authentication, then click Enable 2FA and scan the new QR code with the new phone (Bitvavo). Crypto withdrawals are blocked between those two steps. If you have a Novaz iCloud backup or backup file, you can restore your accounts on the new iPhone instead. See How to transfer your authenticator app to a new iPhone.
If you lose your authenticator
Try the recovery code first. Without it, Bitvavo has a self-service reset that removes 2FA so you can sign in with just your email and password (Bitvavo):
- Go to account.bitvavo.com/reset/2fa and enter your email address and password. The button is 2FA Reset in one article and Reset 2FA in another.
- Click the confirmation link in the email Bitvavo sends.
- Enter the code Bitvavo texts to your phone number and confirm.
This needs the phone number on your account. If you've lost that too, go to account.bitvavo.com/access and choose Lost access to your phone?. Bitvavo then asks for your email address and phone number, the IBAN linked to your account, and a short video of yourself that it compares with your ID. If that fails, Bitvavo says to send customer support a selfie holding your ID and a paper with today's date.
After any reset, withdrawals are blocked for 24 hours. Turn 2FA back on as soon as you're in, since Bitvavo requires it.
Watch for scam texts about 2FA resets. Bitvavo says, "We do not send unsolicited SMS with phone numbers to call" (Bitvavo). More in Lost the phone with your authenticator app?
Turning it off
Use Disable 2FA under Security. Because Bitvavo requires at least one active method, keep push 2FA on if you turn off the authenticator app, and expect crypto withdrawals to stop until you turn it back on (Bitvavo).
