How to bridge Ethereum to Base Network using Coinbase Wallet?

Prerequisites for Bridging ETH to Base

1. A Coinbase Wallet extension or mobile app must be installed and set up with a secured recovery phrase.

2. The wallet must hold sufficient ETH to cover both the bridging amount and Layer 1 gas fees on Ethereum Mainnet.

3. Base Network must be manually added to the wallet if not auto-detected—its RPC URL is https://mainnet.base.org, chain ID 8453, and currency symbol BASE.

4. Users must ensure they are connected to Ethereum Mainnet before initiating the bridge transaction.

5. Browser extensions should be disabled that interfere with wallet injection, such as ad blockers or script managers.

Navigating the Coinbase Wallet Bridge Interface

1. Open Coinbase Wallet and tap the “Bridge” icon located at the bottom navigation bar.

2. Select Ethereum (ETH) as the source asset and confirm the network is Ethereum Mainnet.

3. Choose Base as the destination network from the dropdown list of supported chains.

4. Enter the exact amount of ETH to transfer—note that only ETH is natively supported for direct bridging to Base via this interface.

5. Review the displayed estimated time, fee breakdown, and destination address preview before proceeding.

Transaction Confirmation and On-Chain Verification

1. After tapping “Continue”, the wallet prompts a signature request for the Ethereum transaction.

2. Users must approve two sequential transactions: one to approve the token allowance (if bridging wrapped assets later), and another to execute the bridge.

3. Once confirmed, the Ethereum transaction hash appears—this can be copied and pasted into Etherscan for real-time tracking.

4. Upon finality on Ethereum, the bridge relayer mints equivalent ETH on Base; users should switch networks in the wallet to see the balance update.

5. The Base block explorer (basescan.org) displays the corresponding deposit event under the user’s address with status “Success”.

Security Considerations During Bridging

1. Never share your seed phrase during any step—even if a pop-up claims urgent verification is required.

2. Double-check the contract address of the bridge endpoint; official Coinbase Wallet bridges use verified contracts deployed by Coinbase.

3. Avoid using public Wi-Fi when signing bridge transactions—network interception could expose pending signatures.

4. Confirm the destination network identifier matches exactly: Base Network (chain ID 8453), not Base Goerli or testnet variants.

5. If the balance does not appear on Base within 15 minutes, verify whether the Ethereum transaction succeeded—not just submitted—and check for stuck mempool status.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: Can I bridge ERC-20 tokens like USDC directly from Ethereum to Base using Coinbase Wallet? A: No. Coinbase Wallet’s built-in bridge currently supports only native ETH transfers. ERC-20 tokens require third-party bridges or manual swapping post-arrival on Base.

Q: Why does my ETH balance on Base show zero even after the Ethereum transaction was confirmed? A: This typically occurs when the wallet remains connected to Ethereum Mainnet instead of Base. Manually switch networks inside Coinbase Wallet settings to view Base balances.

Q: Is there a minimum ETH amount required to initiate a bridge to Base? A: There is no protocol-enforced minimum, but users must retain enough ETH to pay for the initial L1 gas fee—usually above 0.003 ETH depending on network congestion.

Q: What happens if I send ETH to the Base deposit contract address manually via a non-Coinbase Wallet interface? A: Funds may become irretrievable. Only officially integrated bridge paths validate deposits and trigger minting on Base. Manual sends bypass relay logic and are not recognized by the system.