How to Set Up and Use Foundation Passport Prime
Passport Prime is set up together with the Envoy app on your phone, and the two talk over a channel that Foundation calls QuantumLink. This guide follows the standard method, which uses Magic Backup: the key is split across NFC cards instead of being written as words on paper. It takes about 15 minutes.
Before you start
- Passport Prime, charged, and the Keycards from the box
- A phone with the Envoy app installed and Bluetooth switched on
- About 15 minutes, somewhere nobody can see your screen
- Paper and a pen for writing down your PIN
One rule to remember: Your Master Key and recovery phrase are the only things that give access to your assets. SIAMBC and Foundation will never ask to see them, whatever the reason given: a warranty claim, identity verification, a firmware update or account recovery. Anyone who asks is a scammer, with no exceptions.
Unbox and check the contents
Passport Prime ships in a plain outer box. Inside is the product box, wrapped in a layer of bubble wrap and then shrink wrap. The box contains the Passport Prime device, a getting-started card, three Keycards with a Faraday sleeve, and a USB-C cable for charging.
If the box or device shows signs of tampering, stop first. Do not start setup and do not send any assets to it. Contact SIAMBC with photos of the box and seals. This model also runs a software authenticity check during setup, which catches a device that has been modified, but a visual check first is still worth two minutes.
Connect the device to the Envoy app
1. Switch on for the first time
Switch the device on. The first screen is the welcome screen, Welcome to Passport Prime. Tap Get Started, read the terms on the Terms of Use screen, and you reach the Scan to Start screen with a QR code.
Open your phone's camera, point it at that QR code and tap the link that appears. If you already have the Envoy app, it opens by itself. If not, the link takes you to the app's page in the store.
2. Tap Connect with QuantumLink in the app
In the Envoy app, tap Continue, then tap Connect with QuantumLink. Then allow the app to use Bluetooth, and the app's camera opens.
3. Scan the QR codes on the device screen
The Passport Prime screen changes to a sequence of rotating QR codes under the heading Scan to Continue. Point the Envoy camera at that screen. Once it scans, the QuantumLink channel connects and both devices go through the remaining steps together.
If you get stuck along the way, you can start again. If it stalls anywhere, press the home button on the device to start setup again from the beginning. If the QR code will not scan, the device screen tells you what to try next.
4. The device checks its own authenticity
The screen shows Setting Up, then ticks off each item in turn: Connected to Envoy, connected to the app; Security Check Passed, the authenticity check passed; and Checking for Updates, checking whether there is new firmware.
The authenticity check works like this. During manufacturing, each device has a private key embedded in its secure element, and the matching public key is kept by Foundation. During setup, the device signs a message that is sent through Envoy to be checked, confirming that the device is genuine and was not swapped in transit.
If the check fails, stop immediately. It means the device may have been modified or swapped during shipping. Do not continue setup and do not send any assets to it. Take a photo of the screen, then contact SIAMBC. We handle product exchanges in Thailand.
5. Update the firmware
The device checks by itself whether there is a new firmware version. If there is, it shows Update Available, along with the current and new versions. Tap Install Update, and the device downloads, verifies and installs it over QuantumLink by itself. When it finishes, it restarts and shows Update Successful
Set a PIN
The Create PIN screen tells you that a Passport Prime PIN is 6 to 12 digits. Tap Continue, enter the digits you want, at least six, then tap Done. Next, the Verify PIN screen asks you to enter it again to confirm. When it is done, it shows PIN Set Successfully
If you want a code longer than digits only, tap Switch to Password on the same screen. It changes to a full keyboard so you can set a password that mixes letters and numbers. Tap Switch to PIN to go back to digits only. Avoid easy-to-guess numbers like 123456, and write the code down somewhere safe, as the screen reminds you.
After 10 wrong attempts, the device wipes the Master Key. The device erases the key from itself as soon as the tenth wrong attempt is reached. After that, you must set up the device again and restore the Master Key from your backup. This is why the backup step that comes next is the most important part of this guide.
Create the Master Key
On the Master Key Set Up screen, tap Create Master Key. The device generates a new key by itself, drawing randomness from several sources in its own hardware: the main processor, the secure element and an analog noise generator inside the device. Wait until it shows Master Key Created, then tap Continue
If you want to restore an existing key instead of creating a new one
Tap Restore instead. There are four options: scan a Seed QR, type a BIP39 recovery phrase, import an encrypted backup file from Passport Core, which uses a microSD card together with a 20-digit code, or restore from the Keycards of this device or of another Passport Prime.
Make a Magic Backup with Keycards
This step backs up the Master Key, the only thing that can restore your wallet. Magic Backup splits the key into three parts using Shamir Secret Sharing. Two parts are stored on the Keycards from the box, and the third is kept in Envoy, encrypted, and backed up to your Apple or Google account.
To recover, you only need two of the three parts: either one Keycard together with Envoy, or two Keycards
If you do not want to use Magic Backup: the Magic Backup screen has an Advanced button in the top right corner. Tapping it switches to the traditional backup of writing the recovery phrase on paper, which is stored fully offline with no reliance on any cloud account. This guide follows the standard method that uses Magic Backup.
Tap the Keycards one at a time
When the screen asks you to tap a Keycard, do this: lay the card crosswise over the camera area on the back of the device so they form a T shape. Hold the card by its edges between your thumb and index finger. Do not hold it in your palm and do not put your hand behind the card, because that interferes with the NFC signal. Hold it still until the screen confirms. If the device is in a case, take it out of the case first.
Repeat until both cards are done, and the screen shows that the Magic Backup has been created.
What is stored where
This diagram sums up the whole system in one picture. The Master Key is on the device and is split between two Keycards and Envoy. The settings and app data are a separate file, encrypted with the Master Key and stored alongside the shares on the Keycards.
Keep the Keycards in separate places. Anyone who wants to recover your Master Key needs two parts at once: two Keycards, or one Keycard plus a phone logged in to your cloud account. Keeping both Keycards in the same place is therefore like handing the key to whoever finds that box. The device comes with three Keycards but uses two. Keep the third as a spare in case one is damaged.
All done, you can start using it
In the final step, the device creates the first Bitcoin account from the Master Key and sends that account's public information to Envoy over QuantumLink. The screen shows Account Connected Successfully. Tap Finish
You then reach the device's home screen, and the Envoy app shows the same account with its balance. Setup is complete.
After setup, do four more things
- Keep the two Keycards you use in separate places, and keep the third in another place as a spare.
- Write down your PIN and keep it somewhere safe, separate from the Keycards.
- Receive a small amount once first and check that the balance shows correctly before you send a large amount.
- Every time you send, read the destination address and amount on the device screen before you confirm, rather than trusting only what the phone shows.
Frequently asked questions
How is Magic Backup different from writing down a recovery phrase?
Writing down a recovery phrase means writing words on paper and storing them yourself. Magic Backup splits the key into three parts, stored on two Keycards and in Envoy, encrypted, and uses two of the three parts to recover. The advantage is that there is no paper for anyone to find and read. The trade-off is that one part is tied to a cloud account. If you are not comfortable with that, tap Advanced to switch to a written backup.
I lost one Keycard. Can I still recover?
Yes, because recovery only needs two of the three parts. If you still have one Keycard and can still get into Envoy, you can recover. The device comes with three cards and uses two, so the third is there precisely to replace a lost one.
I tap the Keycard but the device does not read it
Lay the card crosswise over the camera area on the back so they form a T shape, holding it by the edges with two fingers. Do not hold it in your palm and do not put your hand behind the card. If the device is in a case, take it out, then hold still until the screen confirms.
What happens if I enter the wrong PIN several times?
After 10 wrong attempts, the device immediately erases the Master Key from itself. You must set up the device again and restore from your backup, which is either two Keycards or one Keycard together with Envoy.
I have a recovery phrase from my old wallet. Can I move it to Passport Prime?
Yes. On the Restore screen, choose to type a BIP39 recovery phrase or scan a Seed QR. If you used Passport Core, you can also import its encrypted backup file from the microSD card.
What is QuantumLink, and is it safe?
It is the channel the device and the Envoy app use to talk to each other. It starts with a QR scan that creates an encrypted channel, then sends data over Bluetooth. What travels through this channel is not the key but account information and transactions to be signed. The key always stays in the device's secure element.
Will SIAMBC or Foundation ask for my Master Key or recovery phrase?
Neither of them will, under any circumstances, and nobody has any reason to know your key or PIN. Anyone who asks is a scammer, with no exceptions, whether they claim to be SIAMBC staff, use Foundation's name, or say it is for a warranty claim, identity verification, a firmware update or account recovery.
Summary
There are three things you must not get wrong with Passport Prime: do not skip past the authenticity check result during setup, keep the two Keycards in separate places, and remember that after 10 wrong PIN attempts the device wipes the Master Key, which can then only be restored from your backup.
If setup fails or you get stuck anywhere, contact SIAMBC directly for help with using the device, warranty and product exchanges in Thailand.
See the product at Foundation Passport Prime, or compare with other brands in the Hardware Wallet comparison table
Last checked: 29 August 2026. On-screen text may change with new versions of the firmware and the Envoy app.
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