Welcome to Passport! This guide walks you through setting up your device. If you have any questions, please email us at hello@foundationdevices.com
Let’s first unbox your Passport! Passport includes two layers of tamper-evident packaging to ensure your device is genuine.
The outer box has a blue security seal with a unique alphanumeric code. We don’t save these codes except for the first few characters, which identify each batch of Passports. Founder's Edition batches begin with the following:
The security seal cannot be removed without leaving behind a residue that says “Void” and “Opened”. We recommend cutting through it with a knife or scissors.
Inside you will find:
The device box is sealed with a white security label with red text that reads "Void if Broken". This label is designed to break off into tiny pieces with any attempt to remove it, and we recommend using a knife or scissors.
The device box contains the following:
If your Passport has a few scuffs or dust on the clear plastic covering the screen, we apologize that this compromise on quality standards affected your device. Our plastic supplier faced difficulties over the past year, but we'll make sure this never happens again. Scruffs should not be visible during operation, but please do not hesitate to let us know if you have any questions or concerns.
Remove the magnetically attached white rear cover and insert the AAA batteries. Then hold the bottom left button for half a second to power Passport on.
Please read the Terms of Use at the link below.
When you've finished, you can acknowledge and accept the Terms of Use on Passport.
Passport stores a supply chain private key in the Secure Element, which enables Supply Chain Validation to verify your device is genuine when you receive Passport.
Supply Chain Validation is critical to adding an encrypted layer of assurance that your device is genuine. If your device fails Supply Chain Validation, it may have been been tampered with or swapped out with a malicious device before it got to you. In the unlikely event that this occurs, please contact us via email.
To complete Supply Chain Validation, click the link below.
Now you’ll need to set up a PIN number for Passport, which will be required whenever you unlock the device and sign transactions.
There is no way to recover your PIN. We recommend that you write it down during this step and store it in a safe, secure location. If you choose to commit it to memory, make sure it is a combination of 6-12 digits that you will not forget.
When you enter the first 4 digits of your PIN, Passport will pause and present you with two Security Words. These words are intended to ensure no one is able to tamper with or swap out your device during your use of Passport.
In addition to remembering these words, we recommend that you write them down and store them with your PIN. You will see these words every time you enter your PIN and should not use your device if you do not.
After confirming your words, enter the rest of your PIN.
Before proceeding with setting up your seed, we recommend checking whether your Passport is running the most recent version of firmware. As a security feature, Passport will only install firmware signed by 2 out of a possible 4 Foundation developer keys. Without this, the device will not install any firmware update.
Advanced users that wish to build their own firmware can add their own public key after initial setup.
Go to Settings > Firmware > Firmware Version to see your current firmware version.
To update firmware, simply save the downloaded .bin file to a microSD card. You may need an adapter for this step if the device you wish to use does not have a microSD slot.
Insert the microSD card into Passport and go to Settings > Firmware > Update Firmware. Select the file and install the latest update, which should take about two minutes.
When inserting a microSD card into Passport, position it so the gold contacts face you (microSD logo facing away). When fully inserted, half of the microSD card should be visible from the top of the device.
Now you’re ready to add a seed to Passport, also known as a recovery phrase. We recommend creating a new seed, but you can always restore a 12 or 24-word seed onto Passport.
To create a new seed, click Create New Seed. Passport uses an open source true random number generator (TRNG), called an avalanche noise source, in combination with other sources of randomness to generate a 24-word seed.
Passport will then prompt you to back up your seed to the microSD cards included with your device. To do this securely, Passport creates an encrypted backup file and saves it on each microSD card. The backup is encrypted with your Backup Password, which we recommend storing in a password manager or cloud storage.
To recover your Passport in the future, you will need (1) the Backup Password and (2) a microSD card containing your encrypted backup file.
When creating an encrypted microSD backup, you will be prompted to record a 6-word phrase for your Backup Password. Note that this phrase is different from a 12, 18, or 24-word mnemonic phrase for Bitcoin private keys. MicroSD backup is designed to protect your private keys through a 2FA setup requiring both the Backup Password and a microSD card.
We recommend keeping one microSD card at home near your Passport, and storing the other in a separate, secure location.
Users who wish to record their 24-word seed on paper or metal can do so at any time in Settings > Advanced > View Seed Words.
Experienced users who wish to insert their own entropy, such as with dice rolls, can manually create an offline seed and then restore it on Passport (see below). Support for inputting the results of dice rolls directly into Passport will be added in a future firmware release.
To restore from a 12, 18, or 24-word seed, click Restore From Seed. Passport uses predictive text entry to make this process as fast as possible.
For instance, to enter “car”, simply type 2-2-7. Passport will display all words associated with that key combination.
When restoring from a seed, Passport will not prompt you to make a microSD backup. If you’d like to backup Passport to one or more microSD cards, you can always go to Settings > Backup.
Passport is an offline key storage and signing device. To use Passport, you must pair it with a software wallet of your choosing.
You can pair Passport with a software wallet using QR codes or a microSD card. Currently, only BlueWallet and Specter support both, while others like Electrum and Wasabi need to be used with microSD.
We are actively working to ensure we are always compatible with the most popular wallets, see here for a full list of compatible software wallets. Is your wallet not on the list? Let us know!
For beginners, we recommend downloading the BlueWallet app. It’s the easiest and best way to set up and use Passport.
Go to Pair Wallet > BlueWallet > Single Sig > Export By > QR Code to to pair with BlueWallet and use Passport for single-signature transactions.
Open BlueWallet and tap the Scan button to scan the QR codes displayed on Passport (if scanning doesn't work, make sure you're using the latest version of BlueWallet).
Passport will want to verify that BlueWallet has been correctly paired with. Tap the Receive button on BlueWallet and scan the address QR code with Passport to confirm that addresses created on BlueWallet are controlled by Passport's private keys.
For more detailed instructions on how to use BlueWallet with Passport, see the above video tutorial and look out for guides we put out on multisig with Passport!
That’s it! Now that you’ve set up Passport and paired it with a software wallet, you're ready to sign your first transactions, add multisig configurations, and more.
About Batteries: Passport includes two Energizer AAA Lithium batteries and is designed to support only Energizer Lithium batteries or lithium rechargeable batteries (like these. Passport should last for 3-4 hours of continuous use on Energizer Lithium batteries. We will strive to increase battery life with software updates.
Questions? Email us at hello@foundationdevices.com