Maltese Customs Office Recognizes Bitcoin as Legitimate Currency

Spotted on the Bitcointalk forums:

So I went to the customs office (in Malta) to get the merchandise I bought online with Bitcoin. They ask for a Paypal receipt (?!) or an invoice. I don't have either of them, but they say they'd accept a printout from the web site's order page. In a hurry I get a print out and hand it [to them]. They ask me what BTC is. I blabber something unintelligible to get it over with, but they go and check anyway. They tell me it's Bitcoin and the exchange rate is ~2.99. I pay my customs tax and get my box.

I'm pretty excited about this, and interested in others' similar experiences. Also, I don't know from which source they checked the exchange rate, so what do you think should be the authoritative source for government entities? Which generic sources publish BTC exchange rates?

Source.

When I started reading, I expected there would be more handcuffs and pepper spray involved, and maybe even a deportation, especially after what happened to Nefario. Perhaps some governments are willing to accept that Bitcoin is going to be a part of our future? Stay tuned!

Posted in: cross-border transactions,legal,legitimization