The Avalanche Bridge™ protocol can be used to transfer BTC or ERC-20s from the Bitcoin or Ethereum networks to the Avalanche® C-Chain and vice versa. This document answers common questions about converting funds between these networks. If there are additional questions, please contact the Ava Labs team on the Avalanche support website, Discord, or Telegram.
General
What if the gas price is more than the amount I am transferring?
What if the gas price is more than the amount I am transferring?
The bridge UI does not allow transfers of less than the gas price/fee amount.
What token do I need to pay for transaction fees on the Avalanche® Network?
What token do I need to pay for transaction fees on the Avalanche® Network?
Transaction fees on the Avalanche network are paid in AVAX. Users will want to acquire AVAX for future transactions and can do so directly in Core by swapping for AVAX or purchasing AVAX directly.
Is there an airdrop provided for transactions on the Avalanche Bridge™?
Is there an airdrop provided for transactions on the Avalanche Bridge™?
When users bridge $75 or more of assets from the Ethereum or Bitcoin network to the Avalanche network, a portion of AVAX will be airdropped to help pay for initial swaps. There is no airdrop when offboarding tokens from the Avalanche network.
How long does an Avalanche Bridge™ transfer take on each network?
How long does an Avalanche Bridge™ transfer take on each network?
The Ethereum network transaction will typically take approximately 20 minutes (96 confirmations).
The Bitcoin network transaction will typically take approximately 1 hour.
The Avalanche network transaction will typically take a few seconds.
What if my transaction is not visible in the Explorer?
What if my transaction is not visible in the Explorer?
To view the Avalanche network transaction, please enter the TXID on the Avalanche Explorer.
For Ethereum network transactions, please enter the TXID on Etherscan.
For Bitcoin network transactions, please enter the TXID on Blockchain.com.
To view recent Avalanche Bridge transactions, please check one of the following explorer links:
What happens if my transaction takes longer than the expected processing time?
What happens if my transaction takes longer than the expected processing time?
Please reach out to Product Support for more information. Due to the sensitivity around the privacy and security of user information, please email [email protected] with your inquiry. The Product Support team will respond as soon as possible.
Can I send tokens created on the Avalanche® network to the Ethereum or Bitcoin networks?
Can I send tokens created on the Avalanche® network to the Ethereum or Bitcoin networks?
No. The Avalanche Bridge™ currently only supports the transfer of ERC-20 tokens created on Ethereum or Bitcoin networks to the Avalanche network and back. These tokens will have a “.e” or “.b” designation on the Avalanche network.
Can I send tokens to a different address on the other network?
Can I send tokens to a different address on the other network?
For Ethereum transactions, the Avalanche Bridge™ only allows transfers to the same address on the other network.
For Bitcoin transactions, the Avalanche Bridge will only send funds to the Bitcoin or Avalanche network address associated with the Core wallet that initiated the transaction.
Who may use the Avalanche Bridge?
Who may use the Avalanche Bridge?
As noted in the FAQs and Terms of Use, do not use the Avalanche Bridge if you are on the Specially Designated Nationals (SDN) List of the Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) or any other sanctions list or if you are otherwise a sanctioned person or from a sanctioned jurisdiction. Those engaged in unlawful conduct, including money laundering, are also prohibited from using the Avalanche Bridge.
FAQs for the Ethereum network:
What are the onboarding and offboarding fees for the Avalanche Bridge™?
What are the onboarding and offboarding fees for the Avalanche Bridge™?
WBTC and WETH:
$3 from Ethereum to Avalanche. $20 from Avalanche to Ethereum.
USDC:
When bridging from Ethereum to Avalanche: a fee of 0.02% of the bridged amount will apply, subject to a minimum fee of $3 and a maximum fee of $250.
All other tokens follow the below fee structure:
When bridging from Ethereum to Avalanche®, a fee of 0.025% of the bridged amount will apply, subject to a minimum fee of $3 and a maximum fee of $250.
When bridging from Avalanche® to Ethereum, a fee of 0.1% of the bridged amount will apply, subject to a minimum fee of $12 and a maximum fee of $1,000.
What does the .e suffix in the token name mean?
What does the .e suffix in the token name mean?
When bridging assets from Ethereum to Avalanche, they will arrive on the Avalanche network with the “.e” designation, indicating that they are a bridgeable asset.
When bridging the assets back to the Ethereum network, the “.e” designation is removed.
USDC: Recent additions of CCTP remove the “.e” designation when bridging USDC to and from the Ethereum network.
What are the Avalanche Bridge™ addresses on the Ethereum and Avalanche® networks?
What are the Avalanche Bridge™ addresses on the Ethereum and Avalanche® networks?
Avalanche: 0xeb1bb70123b2f43419d070d7fde5618971cc2f8f
Note: Do not send tokens directly to these addresses.
Can I speed up my Ethereum transaction on the Avalanche Bridge™?
Can I speed up my Ethereum transaction on the Avalanche Bridge™?
Yes, transactions can be sped up in MetaMask by clicking the “Speed Up” button on MetaMask. “Speeding up” a transaction through MetaMask issues a new transaction on Ethereum that has a higher gas price than the transaction that was originally sent. Since the new transaction has a higher gas price, it is more likely to be included in a block. Only one of the transactions (the original and/or the "sped up") will be accepted.
Speeding up a transaction that is transferring funds to the bridge is safe. However, the user interface will not be aware of the new transaction, meaning it may not see the confirmations in the user interface. Once the new transaction has 96 confirmations on Ethereum, check the MetaMask wallet on the Avalanche® Network to see the wrapped funds.
FAQs for the Bitcoin network:
What is the minimum amount of BTC for a successful transaction?
What is the minimum amount of BTC for a successful transaction?
From Bitcoin to Avalanche: The larger value between the following: Three times the bridge toll value of $3 (3 x $3 = $9) OR .00125 BTC.
From Avalanche to Bitcoin: Three times the bridge toll value of $20 combined with the estimated BTC transaction fee (3 x [$20 + est. tx fee]).
Where can I bridge BTC with the Avalanche Bridge?
Where can I bridge BTC with the Avalanche Bridge?
Users can convert BTC into BTC.b in Core extension, Core mobile, or Core web with the Core extension connected.
What is the BTC.B token contract address?
What is the BTC.B token contract address?
BTC.b Contract Address: 0x152b9d0fdc40c096757f570a51e494bd4b943e50
What are the Avalanche Bridge™ addresses on the Bitcoin and Avalanche networks?
What are the Avalanche Bridge™ addresses on the Bitcoin and Avalanche networks?
Avalanche: 0xF5163f69F97B221d50347Dd79382F11c6401f1a1
Note: Never directly transfer tokens to these addresses.
What does the .b suffix in the token name mean?
What does the .b suffix in the token name mean?
When bridging Bitcoin to Avalanche, it will arrive on the Avalanche network with the “.b” designation, indicating that it is a bridgeable asset.
When bridging the BTC.b back to the Bitcoin network, the “.b” designation is removed.
How is my BTC address linked to my Avalanche® C-Chain address?
How is my BTC address linked to my Avalanche® C-Chain address?
The Avalanche Bridge Nodes identify the public key of the user’s wallet that signed the transaction and will use it to derive the receiving address for the bridge transaction.
What types of BTC withdrawal addresses are supported?
What types of BTC withdrawal addresses are supported?
Core supports the following types of addresses for withdrawals:
Native Segwit (bc1q)
Legacy (1...)
Pay to Script Hash (3...)
Taproot (bc1p)
For more information on the types of BTC addresses please visit thislink.
What type of Bitcoin address does Core derive?
What type of Bitcoin address does Core derive?
Core derives a Native Segwit address "bc1q". When sending BTC funds to Core, please make sure the sending account supports Native Segwit addresses.
Important Information
To ensure the safety of users and the protection of their funds, the Avalanche Bridge™ should only be accessed and used through the UI, located here. Any other use of the Avalanche Bridge could result in the permanent loss of funds. The non-exhaustive list below enumerates possible ways to permanently lose funds by attempting to use the Avalanche Bridge through sources that are not recommended. Funds lost in the examples listed below will be permanently lost, and are not recoverable by Ava Labs, the Bridge Nodes, or the Avalanche Bridge.
USERS MUST NOT SEND FUNDS DIRECTLY TO ANY OF THE AVALANCHE BRIDGE CONTRACT ADDRESSES. The Avalanche Bridge should only be accessed through the Avalanche Bridge UI, located here. Any funds sent directly to the Avalanche Bridge contract addresses will be permanently lost, and are not recoverable.
USERS MUST NOT SEND FUNDS DIRECTLY TO ANY OF THE AVALANCHE BRIDGE WALLET ADDRESSES. The Avalanche Bridge should only be accessed through the Avalanche Bridge UI, located here. Any funds sent directly to the Avalanche Bridge wallet addresses will be permanently lost and not recoverable.
DO NOT ATTEMPT TO USE ANY SMART-CONTRACT WALLET WITH THE AVALANCHE BRIDGE. The Avalanche Bridge is currently not compatible with smart contract wallets because smart contracts are currently not supported by the Avalanche Bridge. Using the Avalanche Bridge with a smart contract wallet or smart contract will result in the permanent loss of funds. Users should not use smart contracts with the Avalanche Bridge at this time because no one can retrieve tokens lost when smart contract wallets try to use the Avalanche Bridge. This is not a statement against smart contract wallets or the below list of smart contract wallet projects, which is not an exhaustive list. This is to make users aware of the current technical architecture. WE CAN NOT RETRIEVE YOUR TOKENS.
User Notes
For a more in-depth read on how the Avalanche Bridge works, please read the following articles.
By accessing or using the Avalanche Bridge, you agree to be bound by the Terms of Use. IF YOU DO NOT AGREE WITH SUCH TERMS, THEN YOU ARE EXPRESSLY PROHIBITED FROM USING THE AVALANCHE BRIDGE AND YOU MUST DISCONTINUE USE IMMEDIATELY.
For any additional questions, please view our other knowledge base articles or contact a support team member via the chat button. Examples are for illustrative purposes only.