Bridge to Citrea

This guide explains how to bridge assets to Citrea from Bitcoin and Ethereum.

Bridge from Bitcoin

Citrea offers two bridging options depending on your deposit amount.

Option 1: Clementine (10 BTC or multiples, Web App or CLI)

For deposits of 10 BTC, use Clementine—Citrea's canonical, trust-minimized Bitcoin bridge. To use it, follow the Using Clementine guide (Clementine Web App or command-line tool).

Clementine is the canonical bridge of Citrea. It provides the highest security guarantees by leveraging BitVM-based verification on Bitcoin.

Clementine only supports 10 BTC per transaction. To bridge larger amounts (e.g., 40 BTC), you must perform multiple separate deposits of 10 BTC each.

Steps:

1. Open the Clementine Web App or install the Clementine CLI; see the Using Clementine guide for details

2. Follow the deposit instructions in the app or in the CLI documentation

3. Repeat the process for each additional 10 BTC you wish to bridge

Option 2: Symbiosis (Best for Smaller Transactions)

For deposits less than 10 BTC, use Symbiosis.

Steps:

1. Go to Symbiosis Swap page

2. Set Bitcoin as the source chain and Citrea as the destination

3. Select cBTC as token

4. Enter the amount you want to bridge

5. Enter a BTC refund address

6. Enter your Citrea address or connect your wallet

Symbiosis functions as a cross-chain swap. The amount of BTC received is subject to swapping quotes, which depend on the cBTC-syBTC liquidity pool.

Option 3: Atomiq Exchange (Supports Bitcoin and Lightning routes)

For deposits less than 10 BTC or deposits via the Bitcoin Lightning network use atomiq.exchange

Steps:

1. Go to app.atomiq.exchange

2. Bitcoin on-chain is pre-selected as the source, if you wish to swap from Bitcoin Lightning Network, select the Bitcoin (lightning L2) asset in the "You pay" section

3. Enter the amount you want to bridge (you can specify either input or output amounts)

4. Connect your Citrea wallet or type in the destination Citrea address

5. Connect your Bitcoin wallet (e.g. UniSat, Xverse or Magic Eden), not required for swap from Bitcoin Lightning Network

6. Click Initiate swap and confirm the transaction in your Bitcoin wallet, or send over the funds to the presented lightning network invoice (in case of Bitcoin Lightning Network)

7. The swap settles automatically after the bitcoin transaction gets confirmed (2 confirmations take on average 20 minutes), this is instant for Bitcoin Lightning Network

Atomiq

Bridge from Ethereum and other chains

Citrea supports multiple bridging options from Ethereum and other chains. LayerZero and Hyperlane are integrated directly into Bridge Hub, you can complete the entire bridging process without leaving the site.

LayerZero Bridge (via Bridge Hub)

Bridge USDT, USDC, or WBTC from Ethereum, powered by LayerZero.

Destination Asset
USDT.e
USDC.e
WBTC.e

Assets are bridged at a 1:1 ratio.

Steps:

1. Go to Bridge Hub and select Ethereum

2. Choose your source asset

3. Connect your wallet

4. Optionally enable Refuel Gas for gas drop on Citrea

5. Complete the transaction

Bridge via Bridge Hub with LayerZero

This route supports gas refuel which allows you to send native gas (cBTC) to the Citrea to cover transaction fees. The equivalent amount is deducted from your source chain balance. Note that this is only available for LayerZero-supported routes where the input and output assets are the same (e.g., USDC → USDC.e, USDT → USDT.e, WBTC → WBTC.e).

Hyperlane and Swaps (via Bridge Hub)

Bridge USDC or USDT from Ethereum to ctUSD, powered by Hyperlane and Swaps.

Steps:

1. Go to Bridge Hub and select Ethereum

2. Choose USDC or USDT as the source

3. Choose ctUSD as destination

4. Connect your wallet

5. Complete the transaction

This route does not support gas refuel at this time.

Squid Router

You can also use Squid Router to bridge between Ethereum and Citrea.

Steps:

1. Go to Squid’s app

2. Connect your wallet

3. Choose the token you want to pay with

4. Choose the token on Citrea you want to receive.

5. Submit and sign with your wallet

6. All bridges should take less than 20 seconds

Squid Router Bridge

Citrea Fast Bridge by Avail

Bridge your unified USDC or USDT, across several chains, to USDC.e or USDT.e on Citrea, in one click.

Steps:

1. Go to the Citrea Fast Bridge

2. Connect your wallet.

3. Select the asset on Citrea you want to bridge to (USDC or USDT)

4. Check your unified balance and break up across chains

5. Enter the amount and click Bridge

6. Verify and Confirm the route (sources to be used and fees)

Avail Citrea Bridge

Citrea only maintains Clementine and USDT.e, USDC.e, WBTC.e bridges natively.

Stargate Bridge by LayerZero

You can also use LayerZero's Stargate Bridge.

Steps:

1. Connect Wallet

2. Select source chain and token

3. Select Citrea as the destination chain and select token

4. Enter amounts

5. Optionally Click advanced settings on the top right corner, select Medium for Gas on Destination to get your 2.5$ worth of gas drop

6. Click transfer to bridge

This route supports gas refuel which allows you to send native gas (cBTC) to the Citrea to cover transaction fees. The equivalent amount is deducted from your source chain balance. Note that this is only available for LayerZero-supported routes where the input and output assets are the same (e.g., USDC → USDC.e, USDT → USDT.e, WBTC → WBTC.e).