To use the Polygon bridge, connect your wallet to Polygon Portal, set Ethereum and Polygon as source and destination, pick a token and confirm. Deposits arrive within minutes. Withdrawals wait for a checkpoint, roughly every 30 minutes, then need a claim paid in Ethereum gas.
What the bridge does to your tokens
According to Polygon’s bridge documentation, a deposit locks your tokens on Ethereum and mints the same number on Polygon as a pegged token, 1:1.
A withdrawal reverses it: tokens are burned on Polygon and the locked originals are released on Ethereum.
Step by step: Ethereum to Polygon and back
- Open portal.polygon.technology and click Connect Wallet. MetaMask, Coinbase, OKX and any WalletConnect wallet are supported.
- Choose Bridge, then set the source and destination chains.
- Pick the token and enter an amount, or a percentage of your balance.
- Check the receiving address, then confirm in your wallet. The Portal shows an estimated arrival time.
- Track progress under Transactions in the sidebar.
- For a withdrawal, select Initiate Claim once the transaction is ready, approve it, then select Claim Tokens.
Send a small test amount first, especially if you use the option to bridge to a different wallet address. A wrong address on a bridge transfer is not something you can reverse, and the test costs you one extra round of gas.
Keep ETH on the Ethereum side before you start a withdrawal, not after. Topping up a wallet while a checkpoint timer runs is how people end up with a claim they cannot pay for.
Video: Uttam Singh
The video dates from 2022, so the Portal screens may look different today.
Deposit versus withdrawal at a glance
| Direction | What happens to tokens | Timing in the docs | What you must do |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ethereum to Polygon | Locked on Ethereum, minted 1:1 on Polygon | State sync relays within about 16 blocks, a few minutes | Confirm the deposit in your wallet |
| Polygon to Ethereum | Burned on Polygon, released on Ethereum | Checkpoint to Ethereum roughly every 30 minutes | Burn, wait, then submit the exit on Ethereum |
Source: Polygon Developer Docs, Polygon Portal and State Transfer pages, read 29 October 2026.
What the Ethereum side costs you
Polygon’s documentation gives no fixed fee, so any dollar figure elsewhere is a snapshot. It does show where gas is spent: the deposit and the final claim are Ethereum transactions.
That makes the claim the expensive surprise. When mainnet is congested, as covered in trading meme coins on Ethereum when gas spikes, you may want to wait for fees to calm down before claiming, since the claim is a separate step you trigger yourself.
Where funds get stuck
The common failure is stopping after the burn. Your tokens are gone from Polygon, but they are not in your Ethereum wallet until you claim, so the balance looks like it vanished. Open Transactions and look for the Claim button.
The claim also needs ETH for gas, so an empty Ethereum wallet cannot finish the exit.
Tokens also have to be mapped to the PoS bridge. Polygon’s docs route standard ERC-20 tokens through a mapping request, so a token that has not been mapped cannot use the bridge contracts.
The Portal also lists third-party bridges, and only the native route is described as trustless. Check the route before you sign, and keep larger balances in a cold wallet rather than a hot one.
The Arbitrum bridge works differently and takes days, so the two are not interchangeable. This is not financial advice.
Polygon bridge FAQ
How long does a Polygon bridge withdrawal take?
Polygon’s documentation says checkpoints reach Ethereum roughly every 30 minutes, and you cannot claim until yours lands. Plan for at least that, plus the claim transaction.
Do I pay gas on both networks?
Yes. Deposits and claims are Ethereum transactions, the withdrawal burn is a Polygon transaction, and each needs its own native token. Read your wallet’s quote before confirming.
Is the official Polygon bridge safe to use?
Polygon describes the Portal bridge as trustless, with no third-party risk. The same interface also lists third-party bridges and swap tools, which carry their own risks.
