Welcome to Passport! This guide walks you through setting up your device. If you have any questions, please email us at hello@foundation.xyz

Step 1: Unboxing

Let’s unbox your Passport!

Outer Box


This video covers:

  • Checking the box and seal integrity
  • Verifying the seal number
  • Checking the device box integrity

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. Batch 2 Passports begin with the following:

  • B799
  • B862
  • B863
  • B1026
  • B1032
  • B1269

The security seal cannot be removed without leaving behind a residue that says “Void” and “Opened” that will provide evidence of potential tampering during shipment. We recommend cutting through the seal with a knife or scissors when opening.

Inside the outer box you will find:

  • A shrink-wrapped device box covered in bubble wrap

Device Box


This video covers:

  • Device box contents and uses
  • Device features

The device box is sealed with a layer of adhesive bubble wrap followed by a layer of shrink wrap. It contains:

  • Passport
  • Setup guide card
  • 2x Foundation stickers
  • Backup card
  • Industrial-grade microSD card in a case
  • USB-C charge cable
  • Lightning microSD card adapter (Apple phones)
  • USB-C microSD card adapter (Android phones)

Should your device or outer boxes or device appear in any way different to those shown in the video, please do not hesitate to contact us with any questions or concerns. hello@foundation.xyz


Step 2: Passport Setup

Users wanting to set up Passport manually without Envoy should follow this link at this stage.


This video covers:


Downloading Envoy

Envoy is our Passport mobile companion app. Envoy was designed from the ground up to make everything you do on Passport simple and intuitive. Envoy walks you through everything from device setup to firmware updates and, of course, transacting securely with Passport.


Supply Chain Validation

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 without using Envoy, click here This method only works for users completing the manual Passport setup.


Setting a PIN

A 6-12 character PIN is used to protect unauthorized physical access to your device. Your PIN can be any combination of numbers and lower or upper case letters.

Please ensure you do not set a PIN that is easily guessable (eg 123456). We recommend that you write it down during this step and store it in a safe, secure location as there is no way to recover a lost/forgotten PIN.

Passport will be permanently disabled after 21 incorrect PIN attempts. If you choose to commit it to memory, make sure it is a combination of 6-12 characters that you will not forget.

For an extra layer of security, advanced users may choose to enable the Security Words feature as an extra layer of protection against a device tampering attack.


Step 3: Firmware Update


This video covers:

  • Updating Passport’s Firmware from Envoy

Whilst this step is not mandatory, it is good practice to ensure your device is running up to date firmware to benefit from the latest features and security updates. 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 manually download, verify and install the firmware updates can learn how to do so on our Firmware Updates page. Advanced users that wish to build their own firmware can also add their own public key after initial setup.


Step 4: Seed Setup


This video covers:

  • Creating a new secure seed on Passport
  • Writing down the Backup Code
  • Verifying the Backup Code
  • Creating an encrypted microSD card backup
  • Writing down your seed words

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. 12 word seed generation is now an option from firmware version 2.3.0 and above.

Passport will then prompt you to back up your seed to the microSD card included with the device. To do this securely, Passport creates an encrypted backup file and saves it onto a microSD card. The backup is encrypted with your Backup Code which we recommend writing down on the card provided with the device. This code can also be stored securely in a password manager or cloud storage.

To recover your Passport in the future, you will need (1) the Backup Code and (2) a microSD card containing your encrypted backup file. You can create as many encrypted backups as you’d like and all will be protected by the same Backup Code. We recommend keeping one microSD card at home near your Passport, and storing any others created at separate, secure location(s).

When creating an encrypted microSD backup, you will be prompted to record a 20 digit code that acts as the password to your Backups. This microSD backup is designed to protect your private keys through a Two Factor Authentication (2FA) setup requiring both the Backup Code and a microSD card.

Users who wish to record their seed words on the card provided can do so immediately after creating their encrypted backup. These seed words can also be viewed at any time in Settings > Advanced > View Seed Words. These seed words allow you to recover your Bitcoin into any BIP39 compatible wallet, should you want to move to another storage solution in the future. NEVER take a photo of these words.

Experienced users who wish to insert their own entropy should check out the Import step that follows.


Import an Existing Seed

To restore from an existing seed, click Import Seed. You’ll then have the option to restore via:

  • 12 words
  • 24 words
  • Compact SeedQR
  • SeedQR

To restore via either the Compact or SeedQR options, simply scan your existing QR backup when prompted and confirm the seed words displayed on the following page.

When restoring via seed word input, 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.

From firmware version 2.3.0, Passport can now help advanced users generate their own seed by picking random words from the BIP39 list. After entering the first 11 or 23 words, Passport shows a Generate Final Word option. This tells Passport to perform the calculations required to generate a valid final word and complete your seed. This feature should be used with extreme caution. Non-random seed generation can result in complete loss of funds.

Video tutorial for restoring via seed words.


Restoring Backup File

To restore from an existing Passport backup file, choose Restore Backup, insert the microSD card containing the backup file, then select the backup to be restored. Passport will then ask how you would like to decrypt the backup, this will be either:

  1. Backup Code (20 digits)
  2. Backup Password (6 words)

After successfully entering the Backup Code or Password, Passport will automatically restore the seed and all associated wallet metadata, such as multisig configurations and accounts. Watch a video of this here .


Step 5: Connect with Envoy


This video covers:

  • Connecting Passport with Envoy
  • Verifying a receive address
  • Receiving a transaction
  • Sending a transaction
  • A brief tour of Envoy’s features

Passport is an offline key storage and signing device. To use Passport, you must pair it with a software wallet of your choosing. The software wallet will monitor Passport’s receive addresses for incoming transactions and construct send transactions for Passport to authorize.

Envoy is the easiest way to achieve this, but we’ll always ensure Passport is compatible with all of the other great Open Source wallets available. Is your wallet not on the list? Let us know!


You’re All Set!

That’s it! Now that you’ve set up Passport and paired it Envoy and sent and received your first transactions, feel free to dive into our detailed documentation to get the most from your new device. If you’d like to see how the Passport menu is structured, click here .

Stay tuned for more Envoy features and video tutorials featuring Passport being used in both single and multi-signature setups with various software wallets.


Questions? Email us at hello@foundation.xyz