<p>You are correct, if you send your BTC out of coinbase to a private wallet coinbase will still have your BCH.  </p>

<p>If coinbase doesn't give you a way to access your BCH such as via their UI or direct access to the private key (which is unlikely since they would no longer be able to guarantee safety of the account) then it will be lost but they have already said they will eventually allow access...</p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2017-08-02T17:22:55.513Z
Yes, looking like a lot of angry customers! [Some suggesting legal trouble](http://fortune.com/2017/07/31/bitcoin-fork-coinbase/)
Steve Lorimer
CC BY-SA 3.0
2017-08-02T17:23:11.867Z
Thanks for the tip re multisig vault - will check it out
Steve Lorimer
CC BY-SA 3.0
2017-11-29T15:46:49.590Z
I wish I saw your link sooner (which now doesn't work). I now found: "Aug 09, 2017    
As Coinbase is a hosted wallet, it's not feasible to provide the private keys to individual wallet addresses; doing so would prevent us from taking advantage of our secure cold-storage technology to protect your funds. This not only ensures your security but it also allows us to reduce the cost of sending digital currency to another Coinbase account." https://support.coinbase.com/customer/portal/articles/1526452-where-can-i-find-the-private-keys-for-my-wallet-
Ryan
CC BY-SA 3.0
2017-11-29T18:23:02.607Z
I updated my comment.  It makes sense that they wouldn't allow users direct access to their private keys or else users could try to say blame coinbase when their private key gets stolen.
anthonybell
CC BY-SA 3.0
2017-08-02T17:18:40.193Z
2017-11-29T18:20:26.133Z
2017-11-29T18:20:26.133Z
anthonybell
<p>If you didn't move out your BTC before the fork, then your BitCoin Cash tokens remain with CoinBase. They are not really lost, but they might remain in their system for a while. Here is the explanation directly from CoinBase Support:</p>

<blockquote>
  <p>We are planning to have support for bitcoin cash by January 1, 2018, assuming no additional risks emerge during that time.</p>
  
  <p>Once supported, customers will be able to withdraw bitcoin cash. We'll make a determination at a later date about adding trading support. In the meantime, customer bitcoin cash will remain safely stored on Coinbase.</p>
  
  <p>Thank you,</p>
  
  <p>Coinbase Team</p>
</blockquote>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2017-08-08T00:21:57.443Z
2017-08-08T00:21:57.443Z
Rob
<p>I have BTC in an account with Coinbase.</p>

<p>Since Coinbase <a href="https://blog.coinbase.com/update-for-customers-with-bitcoin-stored-on-coinbase-99e2d4790a53" rel="nofollow noreferrer">doesn't support BCH</a>, they don't provide access to it.</p>

<p>In all honesty I don't know much about bitcoin and how to move my BTC from Coinbase to an offline wallet, so when I received the notification they wouldn't support the split, I didn't understand the ramifications.</p>

<p>From the little I understand at this point, I believe this is the situation I find myself in, and <strong>I am looking for verification that my points below are correct</strong> - hence this question:</p>

<ul>
<li><p>Coinbase owns the private key to my wallet with them.</p></li>
<li><p>If I now move my BTC to a different wallet, to which I own the private key, only the BTC will be moved.</p></li>
<li><p>As such, the BCH (which is technically mine), is held against the private key in my Coinbase wallet, and won't be moved.</p></li>
<li><p>Therefore, to all intents and purposes, unless Coinbase is somehow persuaded to release the BCH and/or private keys to their BTC customers, that BCH is lost to me.</p></li>
</ul>

<p><strong>Final question:</strong></p>

<p>Is there any way for me to obtain access to my BCH?</p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2017-08-02T16:40:03.907Z
Doesn't Coinbase allow you to withdraw your Bitcoins?
Nick ODell
CC BY-SA 3.0
2017-08-02T17:21:58.253Z
@NickODell yes I believe I can withdraw the BTC, but (in my limited understanding) that will only transfer the BTC value to a different wallet. The BCH will remain "tied" to the coinbase wallet
Steve Lorimer
CC BY-SA 3.0
2017-08-02T17:23:03.507Z
possibly duplicate https://bitcoin.stackexchange.com/questions/57441/how-to-transfer-bitcoin-cash-from-a-multi-sig-vault
amaclin
CC BY-SA 3.0
2017-08-10T22:17:21.840Z
could you please advice here too https://bitcoin.stackexchange.com/questions/57899/get-bch-from-blockchain-info-after-fork? Thanks
Gabe
<blockchain-fork><coinbase.com>
Can I claim my BCH if my BTC is held with Coinbase?
Steve Lorimer
# Can I claim my BCH if my BTC is held with Coinbase?

(Asked by: username_0 on 2017-08-02)

I have BTC in an account with Coinbase.

Since Coinbase [doesn't support BCH](https://blog.coinbase.com/update-for-customers-with-bitcoin-stored-on-coinbase-99e2d4790a53), they don't provide access to it.

In all honesty I don't know much about bitcoin and how to move my BTC from Coinbase to an offline wallet, so when I received the notification they wouldn't support the split, I didn't understand the ramifications.

From the little I understand at this point, I believe this is the situation I find myself in, and **I am looking for verification that my points below are correct** - hence this question:

* Coinbase owns the private key to my wallet with them.
* If I now move my BTC to a different wallet, to which I own the private key, only the BTC will be moved.
* As such, the BCH (which is technically mine), is held against the private key in my Coinbase wallet, and won't be moved.
* Therefore, to all intents and purposes, unless Coinbase is somehow persuaded to release the BCH and/or private keys to their BTC customers, that BCH is lost to me.

**Final question:**

Is there any way for me to obtain access to my BCH?

**Tags:** blockchain-fork, coinbase.com

> **Comments:**
> **username_1**: Doesn't Coinbase allow you to withdraw your Bitcoins?  
> **username_0**: @username_1 yes I believe I can withdraw the BTC, but (in my limited understanding) that will only transfer the BTC value to a different wallet. The BCH will remain "tied" to the coinbase wallet  
> **username_2**: possibly duplicate https://bitcoin.stackexchange.com/questions/57441/how-to-transfer-bitcoin-cash-from-a-multi-sig-vault  
> **username_3**: could you please advice here too https://bitcoin.stackexchange.com/questions/57899/get-bch-from-blockchain-info-after-fork? Thanks  

---

## 2 answers

### Answer by username_6 on 2017-08-08. Score: 7 | Accepted answer

If you didn't move out your BTC before the fork, then your BitCoin Cash tokens remain with CoinBase. They are not really lost, but they might remain in their system for a while. Here is the explanation directly from CoinBase Support:

> We are planning to have support for bitcoin cash by January 1, 2018, assuming no additional risks emerge during that time.
>
> Once supported, customers will be able to withdraw bitcoin cash. We'll make a determination at a later date about adding trading support. In the meantime, customer bitcoin cash will remain safely stored on Coinbase.
>
> Thank you,
>
> Coinbase Team


---

### Answer by username_4 on 2017-08-02. Score: 2

You are correct, if you send your BTC out of coinbase to a private wallet coinbase will still have your BCH.

If coinbase doesn't give you a way to access your BCH such as via their UI or direct access to the private key (which is unlikely since they would no longer be able to guarantee safety of the account) then it will be lost but they have already said they will eventually allow access...

> **Comments:**
> **username_0**: Yes, looking like a lot of angry customers! [Some suggesting legal trouble](http://fortune.com/2017/07/31/bitcoin-fork-coinbase/)  
> **username_0**: Thanks for the tip re multisig vault - will check it out  
> **username_5**: I wish I saw your link sooner (which now doesn't work). I now found: "Aug 09, 2017     As Coinbase is a hosted wallet, it's not feasible to provide the private keys to individual wallet addresses; doing so would prevent us from taking advantage of our secure cold-storage technology to protect your funds. This not only ensures your security but it also allows us to reduce the cost of sending digital currency to another Coinbase account." https://support.coinbase.com/customer/portal/articles/1526452-where-can-i-find-the-private-keys-for-my-wallet-  
> **username_4**: I updated my comment.  It makes sense that they wouldn't allow users direct access to their private keys or else users could try to say blame coinbase when their private key gets stolen.  

---

