How to use Wormhole bridge for a token transfer

If you need a token on another blockchain, Wormhole bridge moves it using a signed cross-chain message. To make the transfer, use Wormhole bridge to move tokens or messages between Solana, Ethereum, and other connected chains. Before you bridge tokens with Wormhole, check which token version your destination app accepts.

Which chains and tokens can you use?

Wormhole connects chains including Solana, Ethereum, and Base. A connected chain does not mean every token can travel to every other chain. The available route depends on the token, the two chains, and the way that token is issued.

Check the asset your task or app needs on the destination chain. A token with the same name can have different contract addresses there. The address identifies the exact token, so matching its name alone is not enough.

The Wormhole bridge route may deliver a wrapped token: a token on the destination chain backed by one held on its original chain. Some transfers deliver a native version instead. If your app accepts only one version, that difference decides which route you should use.

How do you make the transfer?

Check the receiving token first, then prepare both wallets and review the route before signing. Follow these steps for a token transfer between connected chains.

1. Identify the token your app accepts. Check its destination chain and contract address in the app or its published information. This gives you a precise result to look for when choosing a route.

2. Choose the source chain, destination chain, and token. For example, you might hold a token on Ethereum and need it on Base. Check that the offered route delivers the token version from step one; if it does not, choose another supported route or asset.

3. Prepare a wallet for each chain. The source wallet must hold the tokens and enough of that chain’s coin for the transaction fee, called gas. A manual transfer also needs gas in the destination wallet to finish there. Ethereum and Base can use an Ethereum-compatible wallet; Solana needs a Solana wallet.

4. Check the receiving address. Use an address you control on the destination chain, unless your app gives you a specific deposit address and confirms it accepts bridged tokens. A valid address can still be unsuitable if its owner cannot receive or use that token.

5. Review the amount and delivery method. An automatic route pays a relayer, a service that completes the destination transaction. A manual route leaves that transaction to you. Say you send 100 token units and the quote deducts 0.4 for delivery: expect about 99.6 units, with source gas charged separately. Use the actual quote before signing.

6. Sign and submit the source transaction. A token may first require an approval, which permits the transfer contract to use the amount you specify. Read that request as carefully as the transfer itself. Save the source transaction ID so you can check its progress.

7. Finish and verify the destination transfer. On a manual route, wait for the signed message and submit the destination transaction. On an automatic route, wait for the relayer. Then check the destination transaction and the exact token balance before using the asset in your app.

What happens between the two chains?

The Wormhole token bridge uses Wrapped Token Transfers (WTT) for many assets. For a token on its original chain, the source contract locks it. A contract on the destination chain then creates the wrapped version. Sending it home burns that wrapped version and releases the original.

The source contract also publishes a message through Wormhole Core. The Guardian Network observes it; at least 13 of its 19 members sign a record called a VAA. The destination contract checks those signatures before it releases or creates tokens. The relayer carries that record on an automatic route; you submit it on a manual one.

Some tokens use Native Token Transfers (NTT), where the token issuer sets up native versions across chains. That can avoid receiving a wrapped version, but only for tokens whose issuers support that route. If you need to send an app instruction rather than tokens, the receiving app must support Wormhole messages; a token transfer cannot deliver an arbitrary instruction.

What will it cost, and how long will it take?

The cost comes from source gas, possible destination gas, and any quoted delivery or route charge. Gas changes with chain activity. An automatic route may include destination work in its quote, while a manual route needs you to pay for that work yourself.

Completion depends on the source chain reaching the required level of confirmation, the Guardians signing, and the destination transaction finishing. A transfer can take minutes; Ethereum finality can make a route take around 20 minutes. A fast source transaction therefore does not mean the tokens have arrived.

If the source transaction succeeded but the balance is missing, check the destination transaction before sending again. A manual transfer may still need its final claim. Keep the source transaction ID: it is the starting point for checking the signed message or recovering an unfinished transfer.

• Confirm the destination chain and exact token version.
• Fund gas, check the quote and address, then sign.
• Complete the destination transaction and verify the balance.