Foundation Passport Prime

Passport Prime is Foundation’s touchscreen security device: a Bitcoin hardware wallet that also holds 2FA codes, FIDO security keys and an encrypted file vault, running Foundation’s own KeyOS operating system. Foundation says it began shipping to pre-order customers in March 2026 and opened general availability on 21 May 2026. It was listed at $349 on Foundation’s product page on 14 October 2026, and Foundation says it is assembled in the USA. This page is built from Foundation’s documentation; we have not used the device.

Is Passport Prime the same as the Foundation Passport?

No. In March 2025 Foundation renamed its earlier Passport to Passport Core, which it describes as “fully air-gapped” with a power-only USB-C port. Passport Prime is a separate device with a wireless link, a touchscreen and NFC keycard backups; this page covers Prime only.

Who is Passport Prime for?

It fits Bitcoin holders who want to read and approve transactions on a 3.5-inch IPS touchscreen, and who would use the extra apps. Foundation’s FAQ says a touch keyboard appears for text entry, so a passphrase is typed on the device. For multisig it points to established coordinators such as Sparrow, Nunchuk, Specter, Electrum and BlueWallet, because Foundation’s own Envoy app handles single-signature wallets only.

It is a weaker fit if you:

• want no Bluetooth at all: Foundation’s manual setup guide runs pairing and firmware updates through Envoy over Bluetooth;
• want a microSD slot: the FAQ says there is none, though a USB-C card adapter works;
• want something small: Foundation lists 55.5 x 104.8 x 11 mm and 93 g;
• need many coins today (see below).

Can Passport Prime be used air-gapped?

Partly. It has a camera for QR codes, and the FAQ says Bluetooth and NFC “can be disabled from the device control center at any time, but this will limit device functionality”, and that you can use the device only to sign by QR code. Setup is the exception: Foundation’s setup guides establish a QuantumLink connection with Envoy before the device is ready, and the FAQ says this would be required at launch for setup and firmware updates, with other methods planned for later in 2026. QuantumLink is Foundation’s name for its Bluetooth link, which the product page says uses “post-quantum encryption” on a dedicated Bluetooth chip. See our air-gapped wallets guide.

Is Passport Prime secure?

The product page lists a Microchip SAMA5D2 “Security Processor” plus a secure element it does not name; Foundation’s October 2025 audit summary refers to “the ATECC608C secure element” among the components reviewed. Foundation also lists active tamper protection and an automatic erase after 10 wrong PIN attempts.

Before shipping, Foundation commissioned Keylabs to audit the firmware and hardware. Foundation reports no critical or high-severity findings: “All observations were low severity, requiring physical access and advanced tooling to attempt exploitation.” In response it randomised PIN-check timing, cleared memory more thoroughly on boot and after failed PIN attempts, wiped temporary Shamir shares right after use, and said future hardware revisions would reduce exposed debug pads. The summary is Foundation’s own; we have not seen the full report.

Is Passport Prime open source?

Foundation’s product page says “Hardware + Software”. The KeyOS repository on GitHub holds the operating system, Foundation’s apps and its build tools. Licences are set file by file: many files are GPL-3.0-or-later, others use permissive licences, and the repository also carries a Microchip licence that limits that code to use with Microchip products. Foundation’s reproducibility document explains how to rebuild a release and compare hashes, and notes that the encrypted bootloader cannot be matched byte for byte. It also says there is “no public self-service archive” of release binaries, so outside reviewers must obtain them from Foundation before comparing. We did not find published hardware design files for Prime.

How do Passport Prime backups work?

Foundation’s backup documentation describes two setups:

• Magic Backups (default): the master key is split 2-of-3 with Shamir’s scheme. One share each goes on two of the three supplied NFC keycards; the third sits on your phone and is backed up to iCloud Keychain or Android Auto-Backup through Envoy. An encrypted settings file is stored on Foundation’s server. Foundation says it never stores or has access to any part of the private key.
• Manual: chosen through “Advanced” during onboarding. The master key is split across all three keycards, and any two restore it. You export the settings file yourself to a microSD card or USB drive.

You can also export the master key as BIP39 seed words from settings at any time. Restoring them in another wallet needs a matching derivation path, and our seed phrase guide explains why. We could not verify whether the keycard Shamir shares follow SLIP-39, and contents of the Files app are not part of the settings backup.

The docs record one open problem: restoring existing seed words during onboarding skips the opt-out screen, so Magic Backups stay enabled. Foundation calls it “a known issue and a fix is planned” and suggests contacting support before setup if you want to avoid it.

What coins does Passport Prime support?

Bitcoin is the native app, with multisig, Taproot and message signing listed. On 15 September 2026 Foundation launched Legacy Mode in beta, an optional manual install whose first supported app families are Ethereum and Solana. It connects to software wallets over USB, testers checked Rabby and Phantom, and Foundation’s post describes Ledger users entering their Ledger recovery phrase on the device. Our dataset counts only the Bitcoin app as verified support.

What we could not verify

• How many words the BIP39 export uses.
• A certification level for the secure element. The product page’s “Certificate pending” label sits under splash resistance, not the secure element.
• Whether the keycard backups are compatible with SLIP-39.
• Whether a setup path without Envoy and Bluetooth exists yet.
• Published hardware design files.
• The first shipping date: the October 2025 audit post speaks of the device beginning to ship, while Foundation’s May 2026 post dates pre-order shipping to March.

Other Bitcoin signers on this site include the COLDCARD Mk5 and Blockstream Jade Plus; our methodology explains the sourcing.