Nova BTM · Paper wallets
Moving Bitcoin from your paper wallet into a digital app
If you chose to have your bitcoin sent to a paper wallet, your Bitcoin is real and it is yours — but it lives on that piece of paper until you move it. Here is how to move it, in about five minutes.
What is printed on your paper wallet
There are two codes. Only one of them is secret.
Before you start
Four things to have ready.
- Install the BitPay app from the App Store or Google Play.
- Open it and create a Bitcoin wallet. The app needs somewhere to put the funds, so this has to exist before you scan.
- Write down the recovery phrase BitPay gives you and keep it somewhere safe and offline.
- Find a private spot. No one should be able to see your screen or your paper wallet.
The five steps
Illustrations are simplified. Your app may look a little different.
-
Open the BitPay app.
Make sure your Bitcoin wallet from the checklist above is already set up.
-
Tap the arrows icon, then tap Scan.
This will pull up your camera.
-
Scan the private key QR code on your paper wallet.
Make sure you are scanning the private key, not the public key.
-
Choose “Sweep paper wallet.”
Sweeping moves the full balance to a brand new address that only your phone controls. This is safer than importing, which would leave the printed key able to spend your funds.
-
Pick the wallet that receives the funds.
Select your Bitcoin wallet and confirm.
Confirming it worked
What you should see next.
The transfer appears in your BitPay wallet right away as pending, then settles once the network confirms it. That usually takes about 5–10 minutes, occasionally longer when the network is busy. Keep the paper wallet until you see the confirmed balance — after that it is empty.
If something goes wrong
Tap a problem to see the fix.
The app says “invalid QR code.”
You most likely scanned the public address instead of the private key. Check that the code you are scanning sits next to text beginning with 5, K, or L.
“Sweep paper wallet” never appears as an option.
You do not have a Bitcoin wallet created in the app yet. Go back, create one, then scan again.
The camera will not read the code.
Faded thermal print is the usual cause. Try brighter, indirect light, hold the paper flat, and move the phone slowly. Your paper wallet also prints the key as text, which you can type in by hand — carefully, since it is case sensitive.
Still stuck?
Call or text us and we will walk you through it.
We will never ask for your private key, your recovery phrase, or remote access to your phone. If someone claiming to be from Nova BTM asks for any of those, hang up and call the number on this page.
Nova Machines Inc. does not endorse, recommend, or warrant any third-party wallet application. Any reference to wallets is provided solely as an example of a wallet that includes a private-key import feature and is for informational purposes only. Customers who choose to download, install, or use any third-party software—do so entirely at their own risk.
Nova Machines Inc., including its employees, officers, and affiliates, assumes no responsibility or liability for any loss, damages, security breach, or other issues arising from or related to the use of any third-party wallet application. Nothing herein shall create any warranty, obligation, or guarantee, whether express or implied, regarding the performance, safety, or suitability of any external software.
By using any third-party wallet, customers acknowledge that they are solely responsible for safeguarding their private keys and digital assets. Nova Machines Inc. reserves the right to update or modify this disclaimer at any time.
Updated: 08/10/2026