Appendix C
Traveling with Bitcoin
Let's briefly discuss traveling with Bitcoin through an airport. You have unknown rights on airport land. The government can ask you to unlock your phone. If you resist they'll copy the disk and decrypt it later (if your password was less than 7-words). You shouldn't travel with your level-3 wallet or with both halves of your level-4 wallet. You should travel with your level-1 and level-2 wallets, the daily use ones.
Here are the steps you should take before flying to be secure:
- Move funds you need for traveling from your level-3/level-4 wallet to your level-2 wallet on your daily use phone.
- Generate this password by creating a new wallet on your level-3/level-4A cold phone Bluewallet app.
- Tap add wallet. Name it "temporary password". Keep other defaults. Tap create.
- Write down the first 7-words on paper to practice before you fly.
- Tap OK, I wrote it down.
- Never send funds to this wallet you just created.
- Set a temporary password inside the level-2 Bluewallet.
- In the Bluewallet app on your level-2 daily use phone tap the 3-dot menu at the top right.
- Tap Security.
- Turn on the Encrypted and Password Protected toggle. You will be prompted to enter a password.
- Enter the first 7-words from above with a single space between each word and no space at the end.
- Memorize the first 7-words. Leave the paper at home.
- Fly feeling secure.
Optionally: Use a password manager to store the password. Remember you could be asked to open your password manager. Optionally: Use a less secure shorter 3-word memorized password.
If the government copies the phone contents you will need to make a new wallet (ideally on a new phone) immediately and move your funds to the new Bluewallet on the new phone. If they didn't copy your phone then when you get home you can remove this Bluewallet password encryption, especially if it's a memorized password.