Topic: travelling internationally with a hard wallet (Read 367 times)

Yes, as far as I know hard wallets have never been checked. especially when I go on vacation it's safe, unless you carry sharp weapons and you terrorists can be caught anywhere.

OWNR user here and yeah , Best wallet for travelling ..

it can be actually look like USB or something similar .

Best thing to do is not to travel with any wallets. Only with the mnemonics that can safely accessed when you land and settle somewhere else. That's what I did before the pandemic hit, I realy on software wallets where I'm in control of the keys (with HD wallets is much easier).
I'd never cross a border with an hardware wallet, that's stupid.

On the one hand, it seems like a smart move - everyone today has a smartphone or laptop to carry with them, and this will not cause additional suspicion at customs. But in some countries, customs staff can easily request an inspection of such devices - and I wonder how some would react if they asked for your PIN or password for your crypto wallet. If you say no, or you don't know, you immediately become suspicious - and if you open the wallet and have a larger amount of coins, you better have proof of how you came into possession of them.

Such things may not be a priority yet, but they will definitely come into the focus of the authorities - because the fight against terrorism and money laundering never stops. And who is easier to blame than Bitcoin and its users.

Assuming what you mean by "hard wallet" is electronic wallet , I would be more careful because of the fragile nature of many electronic devices. I actually would prefer to store my keys in simple memory devices, like mcard, or I will just write the keys on some hard surface and hide it safely somewhere I can easily identify when I come back to use the keys.
I can always carry around my mobile internet devices (with full node) to use Bitcoin/crypto when I get to places where my keys are safely hidden.

In regards to question on "evil crypto hardwallet", I will simply use good/safe cryptocurrency hard wallet.

I don't see any danger on it but depending on the country you are traveling to anyways,but instead of been scared why not save them on soft wallet when you get there you can download it back using your login details

I don't know about luggages but I think if it is the size of your phone, I don't think that you have to worry about that kind of thing since they will probably dismiss as just another tech device.

its safe probably. And to be honest ever since before i don't see any cases about that when it comes travelling in other countries even though crypto currency is not yet accepted all around the world. . Indeed if they see it on you perhaps they don't have any idea what is that for.. Wherein only where we usually used it such storing files and etc because of its looks.

The list behind the link you provided merely shows the items one cannot take on the plane. It's a completely different thing from what one can bring to another country.

However, only a small portion of countries actually prohibit cryptocurrencies. Many countries don't have them legalized and some activities that might be associated with cryptocurrencies are illegal, but not the crypto itself.

The list of the countries that have banned cryptocurrencies is as follows (correct me if I'm wrong and/or missed something):
1. China
2. Egypt (illegal without a proper license)
3. Morocco
4. Algeria
5. Saudi Arabia
6. Bolivia
7. Ecuador
8. Nepal
9. North Macedonia

If you intend to visit any of these countries you might want to rethink taking the hard wallet with you, just in case. In other circumstances, you have nothing to worry about.

You should definitely look into the laws of the country you are visiting. There are some countries that might deny you access and send you on a return flight back home if you refuse to give full access to your electronic devices, who knows what might be downloaded if they decide to take it into a back office. They're even going to the extend of demanding usernames and passwords for certain sites. It would make sense to leave your hard wallet in a safe and secure place, maybe transfer the amount you will need over to a more easily accessible "travel wallet" so only a portion of your crypto will ever be at risk. There are plenty of exchanges out there as well, it just depends the sort of sums we are talking about - thousands of dollars? Probably won't get any hassle. Tens or hundreds of thousands of dollars? Take every precaution you can.

Yeah, there were guidelines on what are the things which are prohibited, there might be some alterations or add up on some particular countries but its none really that included on anything which doesnt do any harm.

For a small usb-like type of thing then it wont really be an issue and that wont really be confiscated.Unless if someone does have that evil intent then they would surely be doing something fishy into your belongings.

So for this question then i wont really be worrying about this manner, you can bring all the things you do like as long it is included on the things which are allowed.

Is there country where crypto is illegal? But you know what you right. You need to do background check about it first before you flew in that specific country. If that country didn't allowed crypto it's best to bring your atm or that country own cash/bill. It's always best idea to bring cash so no matter what happen or need you are ready. I wish crypto can be allowed nationwide sooner or later.

Well i do not think so that you may have fallen problems in airport. But you might have to face problem those countries where crypto is illegal. You might got caught as money laundering case. They might arrest you as a case of you are selling or using bitcoin in that country where bitcoin is illegal and you are from another country and you are money laundering and you might lose your wallet. And do not think that you can access your wallet through seed because they will transfer all yout amount from that wallet. I hope you understand . Let me clear 1 thing those country where crypto is illegal then why you need to take this there because you can't use it there for any product purchase or expenses. But in any country you visited Where crypto legal you might not have to face any problem. Its my opinion others can be different.

There's no way they'll be able to know your 'evil' intent. In fact, I don't think they will care as long as you leave it with the rest of the electronic devices.

You could access your crypto from any other wallet (as long as it is compatible and supports your crypto) using your key phrase. So, yes, you could buy another same wallet transfer and then recover on a second wallet using the key. Totally fine as the crypto is kept safe and stored by your key not the wallet itself.

You cannot be deny into entry just because you hold an hardware wallet. It is not a spying tools neither is it a device that is prone to hazard. It does not fall into any of the item listed in the category listed in the following link https://www.homeaffairs.gov.au/travelsecure-subsite/Pages/Items-you-cannot-take-on-plane.aspx

I don't think there would be any problem carrying your hard wallet while travelling in another country and it's not like you possess dangerous tools or weapons in your wallet for them to view it as a threat. Moreover, not all countries are aware of the existence of cryptocurrency and hard wallet as well. It might be subjected to confiscation, but if they don't find any threats, it will be released as soon as possible.

It's just like traveling internationally with a gadget. Nothing to worry. I think the countries that banned crypto isn't prohibited you from owning crypto, they just take a law action if you use crypto as a payment method in their country.

Hardware wallets can only be detected as a normal electronic gadget, I guess. So, personnel won't really bother check it.

But, you refer it as an "evil cryptocurrency" inside your wallet. Did it come from an illegal activity? If yes, you might be under a surveillance.

As long as other people have no access on your hardware wallet and your place is safe then you coins is also safe.

Just don't let other people have an idea on where you store your hardware wallet and also don't forget where you place it.

Maximize having multiple hardware wallet as long as you can afford them and you can manage them properly especially when you go in many places.

This thread can be related to what you are looking / Asking ..

https://bitcointalksearch.org/topic/m.56921244


Yeah and i find it exaggerated to Make it too much issue when you can just pretend to be having a Flash drive .

I think you have reasons to be over cautious of traveling with your hardware wallet, because a lot of custom officials will confiscate it due to misinformation and a lack of knowledge on the use of these wallets. (be more cautious when you cross international borders)

On the other hand, some officials in some countries might think it is just a memory stick and they will let you go through customs without noticing it. (I put my Ledger Nano in my wallet and it goes through without any problems) 

I don't think if they catch people in the airport and check their hardware wallets. They are not allowed to do such thing and they can't do such thing but to be more secure you can easily write the recovery seeds in a peace of paper and take it with you. However, I only travel once while I had lager nano with me and the officers didn't say anything about the hardware wallet. So, I guess it's alright if you do travel internationally with a hard wallet.

This issue has been discussed in the forum and the idea of traveling to a non-crypto friendly country with a hardware wallet is not advisable but instead buying another hardware wallet in the country you are going, I think it better to download a mobile wallet which you will load with some few coins you're going to make use in the country you're travelling to while you keep the hardware wallet safe back at home.

Before you will move into other countries, have research first if they have Bitcoin legalities and this link might helpful for you.
Legality of bitcoin by country or territory

I suggest, don't travel bringing all your cryptocurrency, just only what you need, always separate your cold wallet and your hot wallet.  As much as possible,  remove all recoverable details or information in your hardware wallets such as contains with password or passphrase.  Once it will be lost, you can still recover using other wallets.

I don't see any problem bringing a hardware wallet while on travel but our safety while traveling ultimately depends on us, don't be stupid of being irresponsible of your asset.

Anyway, you might enjoy reading this from Ledger article, Traveling with Crypto.

I don't have experience yet traveling in another country with my hardware wallet because even me I haven't seen in person a kind of hardware wallet, but I don't think that there would be a problem once you have your hardware wallet on you, I don't think as well if they're familiar with it just like me. Don't worry about that., just make sure that you will keep it safe as you travel.

There is no dangerous threat when you have a hardware wallet and then take it to travel abroad for vacation. But it should be noted that every country has regulations related to the current existence of cryptocurrency, where in Indonesia, which is famous for its Bali Island, it prohibits the use of cryptocurrency to make buying and selling transactions in the jurisdiction of the country. You and the seller or cafe or shop will be subject to penalties that apply in accordance with the law.

The Indonesian state implies that there is only one FIAT currency that can be used for transactions, namely only IDR. Apart from IDR or Rupiah, the transaction can be withdrawn to legal channels by the prosecutor.
It will be safer if you don't violate the regulations that apply in each country so that your assets are truly safe.

The danger of traveling with the hard wallet is that you could loose the product and if you are leaving for another country all you need is get a locker from a reputable bank and make sure you have another back up as well. Never travel with it unless necessary and it is not about anyone confiscating because no one will notice until you say that to anyone else.

I guess there will be no problem if you do so travel across different nations in the globe while bringing a hardware wallet passing through immigration for it have not been declared to be illegal by having one upon entering across border of other country for travel. The only thing you might get concern is that if you might lost it along the way while you travel which will make you aware that you might have waste money for having hardware wallet may cause you money to buy another one. Just be aware before taking travel to know policies of the country you are going to better assess if you must bring your hardware wallet with you or not.

Why bringing it if you knew that the hw will be confiscated on the airport, though you can buy it only for +70$ as ledger nano s. I know I can still recover it but I would not waste my money for such reason, I'd better use mobile wallet with smaller amount just enough for what I need when I arrive on the particular place I want to travel.

Well, I don't see any danger there --hardware wallet is just like a USB stick that no one will be suspected that it is a bitcoin wallet.
Okay, let say, the customs are aware of it and in the airport, they are going to confiscate it. But you can still recover your bitcoin from another wallet, just simply recover it from the seeds that you have saved. However, if in your country bitcoin is not strictly prohibited, perhaps the hardware wallet too. You can do your own research for this and make sure that you are buying from the official distributor's store of the hardware wallet.

I don't think they are allowed to confiscate your property and I don't think that they are aware or they will know everything in your bag or something, I guess you could just hide it.

I mean if it is not allowed maybe they will look for it or something that is similar about it, just like for example a knife or a gun right?

Didn't see any cases similar to this one so I guess it is still safe, but I guess it is more like something that they could not stop like if it is illegal to buy bitcoin in a country or something, people can still buy bitcoin at that country you just need to do some work or I guess it is just a bit difficult than if it is not illegal.

Has there even been a case where a person couldn't enter a country or was asked hey what is this hardware wallet etc?  Only thing i could see is it getting stopped at customs when its shipped to a country... i read a thread on this.


But it looks like usb stick unless you get those trezors.


But again, what about your seed though?  I mean if you going to travel for a while, you going to leave your seed in your house/apartment if say you are gone for months?

If you're a normal person, why the government wanted to plant anything just to detain you? But that is a different story here.

There's nothing to worry about, but first, before you will go to on that country, just seek first if bitcoin is allowed in that place. If they allow, of course also having a hardware wallet is allowed. You can hide anywhere your hardware wallet that visible to them, that is a small thing that easy to hide and I guess that is not a problem here.

There's nothing wrong that unless you are caught doing funny things in the airport in any national airport in the world. once they suspected you of something they will go through your things and might ask you about your hard wallet. You just need to extra careful and act as if nothing is different because depends on the country you are going some have their own propaganda to detain you just by having 1 bullet in your bag.

Cryptocurrencies are more convenient than fiat, precisely because they are virtual and can be used and stored without any physical manipulation. It allows you to travel all around the world if you want it without having to bring your funds with you neither to use a trusted third party. It let you being your "own bank". So yes you can use a BIP39 HD wallet generated from an hardware wallet to store your funds, then you will be able to recover them  "just" with your BIP39 seed(and eventually the derivation paths used)

Looking around for cases with issues derived from carrying a hardware wallet barely seems to return anything significant, if at all, so it doesn’t seem to be a currently running issue.

It does have a potential though, and that is whether they will interpret, at some point, that carrying a value in BTC above a certain threshold might qualify for the need to fill-in the corresponding declaration form. The US Customs for example, requires you to explicitly declare if you are carrying in or out of the country an equivalent of >= 10K$ in currency or other monetary instruments.
Bitcoin is currently not considered technically as such in most places, but it doesn’t seem far-fetching to envision its inclusion (securities and stocks are on the list provided below for example, which one might not have expected).

Of course there’s all the debate around the fact that you’re not actually carrying bitcoins, but rather keys to access them. Even so, I would not be the least surprised to see cryptocurrency explicitly listed in the years to come. Then everyone would shift to using passphrases just in case ...

See: https://www.cbp.gov/sites/default/files/documents/currency_reporting.pdf
  

Why would anyone think of a hard wallet as some form of doomsday-inducing device from the future? It's not like nobody knows about bitcoin nowadays even if it's second-hand knowledge. Besides, the newer version hard wallets are much lighter and much more appealing to the eyes so you don't have to worry about people thinking you're carrying a bomb on the airport. Not unless you buy the ones that weigh a lot however, that will definitely get you screwed. So it's not about how bitcoin is accepted in the country, it is what are the means you will use to keep it with you where ever you are. If you chose hard wallets, that's good. Pick the best based on your need and preference and stick from there.

I had thread on this as well a while back.  But to those of you who travel with hardware wallet, do you carry your seed as well with you?  That seem to be a huge concern because let say they flag you for some reason even though you have nothing on you and ask you to take everything out, well you seed will be there.  So imagine you have it in your wallet or carry on or whatnot and they look at it, well assuming they know about crypto, im sure they would easily be able to get your coins right?  Also x ray see everything but could they see words as well?  Imagine you have piece of paper in your carry on and as the person checks the xrays, they see a bunch of words and then go... hey that looks like a seed phrase.  Then couldn't they just rescan while taking a pen and paper and write it down etc?  Or is that very extreme paranoia etc.



I also heard of cases where people were told to unlock their phones and maybe laptops such as if they are suspicious of them traveling... but could they say hey put your pin in to open your hardware wallet?  That would be very bad if they could do that but zero case of that ever happening right?  I mean if you are a criminal or things like that... could they even do that to them?



Someone mentioned about traveling with the crypto debit card instead.  Im not familiar with those cards but when you use it... you still need to type a pin though right?  If so, how is that any safe than a hardware wallet?
Im guessing it look like credit cards so its not like they confiscate it and use it etc?

You can use the wallet like wazirx ,it was a sub wallet of binance and trusted one.Because I had using over a week,it was easy to withdrew crypto into the your fiat.Because many exchanges and website charging huge money to withdrew crypto into fiat.So it will be the good option to use such wallet instead of caring the funds in hand.We don't know,how the new environment will be.

@jakesun64, I'm sure that you'll be fine, but even if you want to be hundred percent sure for your safety on your international traveling, then simply:  Don't use hardware wallets. Use a computer software instead. There are plenty of useful non-custodial wallets. My favourites are electrum and wasabi.

Although, you must ensure that the laptop you're travelling doesn't contain anything malicious. Keep in mind that the difference with software wallets is that your keys can be found on your hard drive. If you're not sure about your computer's security ^{(you are probably not)}, don't risk your funds. Carry the device with you.

How can you really propose such solution to someone? Since when storing your bitcoins on a hardware wallet is the same thing with visa card or any other single authority?

No, it wouldn't. You would then have to trust your mobile, which usually runs on a closed-source environment. Besides the operating system, you have to be careful of the apk you'll install. Not to mention that you have to be sure about your phone's security. There are just so many victims that lost funds from a mobile wallet... That's because there are many intermediates.

A person that isn't familiar with technology will have to trust:

• The operating system's developers.
• The developer of the wallet.
• The app store he/she will download it from.
• Every other application he/she has installed.

I understand, as the previous comments, that nowadays, if you are not a suspicious person, you can travel with your hardware wallet that will surely go unnoticed and no one will ask you for your password if they see it or anything.

But wouldn't it be better to transfer part of your funds to a wallet on your mobile, uninstall it and install it again when you arrive at your destination? I ask this from a complete lack of knowledge, as I have never used a wallet on my mobile, but I imagine that you can uninstall it, and with the seeds written down somewhere, reinstall it later.

This was in the news about New Zealand and their customs 3 years ago.


There are several countries who can legally search you digitally and they demand for your password and much worse do a back up on your phone as well as your laptop. Keep in mind that they didn't mention anything about hardware wallets but the thing is they might suspect it as a usb storage device and they might even plugged it in their computer and ask for your passwords. So this things are the dangers on bringing a hardware wallet IMO and for me its safe to have a web wallet where you can just sign in after you have arrived and been cleared by the customs as you may never know what will happen in this kinds of searches.

Store your money carefully. Putting money in a hardware wallet is risky if you lose it. I assume that electronic devices such as cell phones, laptops, and USB-like devices will be accepted.
When traveling, carry a variety of cash from the countries you go to as it is not always possible to use your cryptocurrency easily.

I've thought of it before if I'll be staying for long in another country, I won't bring a hardware wallet but instead I'll bring my passphrase but I won't make it look like that it's really a passphrase. I'll put some hidden code or any sequence and pattern that only me can understand it.

What you're thinking OP is doable and I think safer. You just leave the hardware itself when you're done using and transferring but never leave the recovery passphrases.

If you are that conscious about carrying hardware wallet. Why not use crypto visa card like Crypto.com or Swipe wallet card. You can still store your crypto on your visa card without worrying that airport personnel will deny you during luggage checking. But as many said above, there's no such country that will deny you for carrying hardware wallet since they are not aware of it.

No never heard any law that is against bringing a hard ware wallet with you.
For me the only problem is losing it but since you're not afraid of it then there is nothing to worry about.

I have not heard of any news of a person who is barred from entering a certain country simply because he is carrying a hardware wallet. It is a small gadget which would definitely not arouse any suspicion. If somebody in the airport, port, train station, terminal, etc asks what it is then you just tell him it is a USB.


You can also do this. But for me this is totally unnecessary. But if it is what will make your paranoia go away, then by all means do it.

Have a general sensing on the local laws first. If the jurisdiction that you're visiting explicitly bans cryptocurrency and/or deems any activities related to it as being illegal, I would advice you to err on the side of caution and leave it at home. Especially if you're a person of interest, something like this is probably an excuse that they can use. Might just be unnecessary paranoia but I personally wouldn't leave it to chances.

Hardware wallets are not completely safe from physical attacks as well, exposing it unnecessary like this would bring about a huge risk.

If you are an average person who has no problems with the law, and you are not on a list of people of special interest, I do not see that customs will cause you problems with a device that looks like a regular USB stick or maybe an MP3 player. Again, it all depends on which country you are traveling from and where you are going, because some countries have much stricter controls on passenger entry than others.

A lot of people ask similar questions and there are many discussions on this topic - so I would recommend everyone to do a little research into the regulations of the country they are traveling to. Let’s say it’s very interesting what the US customs powers are for their citizens returning to the country.

For this to happen, you will have to carry your seed phrase along with you, which comes with it's extra risks;
It can be discovered at the airport and confiscated and there's also the risk of you getting jumped and losing access to your belongings.

If you plan on traveling and you are not sure of the laws governing hardware wallets, you can try plausible deniability; use an additional passphrase to create a new wallet and send a tiny bit of Bitcoins to it. If you are asked to open up your wallet by authorities or find yourself in a $5 wrench attack, open the second address with little amount in it and shoe whoever is requesting.

^ I don't see any danger on it, because you can hide it anywhere in your personal belongings or even put it as a necklace pendant. It could be like a USB flash drive that no one even knows is your hardware wallet. No one will suspect if you have a cryptocurrency hardware wallet in your traveling bag or your pouch, unless if you shout it that you bring it. When buying a hardware wallet, it is pretty good if you will go to the official hardware wallet distributor not anywhere that will probably you can be bought a tampered one.

I have experience traveling locally and overseas while bringing my hardware wallet without any issues at all. I didn’t declare to the personnel or immigration officers about my hardware wallet which is Ledger Nano S. Of course, I store my 24 seed phrases somewhere safe, especially if it’s going to be the last resort if worse case scenario happens.

I doubt we're in a time where airport personnel are totally aware of what hardware wallets are, but as a paranoid person as I am, I wouldn't risk it. You'd 95% likely to be totally fine though.

Yes of course. That's what the 12-24 word backup is for.

There is no real danger of traveling with your hardware wallet and they can't deny you entry in country (not happened so far) if you have passphrase and if you don't carry seed phrase together with your wallet, but they can always confiscate anything from you if they think you are suspicious.
You can however get attacked by random people, get robbed resulting in stolen wallets but that is something different and not related to customs.


You can do that, by importing backup seed or passphrase from any place in the world, and paper is much safer to hide and carry with yourself.
Remember that private key or seed phrase is more important to protect than actual hardware wallet device.

Is there any danger in travelling internationally with a hard wallet? I am not afraid of confiscation, because it can be recovered with the passphrase, but what about the chance of them denying you entry into the country because you have an evil cryptocurrency hard wallet on you? Could I buy a hard wallet in my country, transfer crypto to it, then leave it behind in a safe place, then buy another same hard wallet in another country and using my passphrase get access to my crypto again?