Resume a Polygon PoS Withdrawal From Its Original Burn

To resume a Polygon PoS withdrawal, continue the Ethereum claim for the original Polygon burn transaction; do not burn the tokens again. The withdrawal has two on-chain stages: the PoS child token is burned on Polygon, then an exit transaction on Ethereum proves that burn and releases the escrowed asset. Closing the bridge page, changing browsers or waiting for a checkpoint does not undo the first stage.

Start with the Polygon transaction hash from the wallet or block explorer. It identifies the withdrawal the bridge must complete. The bridge’s transaction history may find it after you reconnect the wallet, but the chain record is the durable reference if the interface does not show it. For a fuller account of the waiting stages and costs, see this guide to Polygon Bridge timing and fees.

What does “resume withdrawal” mean?

It means submitting the exit step for a burn that has already happened. The Polygon burn removes the bridged representation from circulation. Polygon validators later commit a checkpoint to Ethereum that covers the Polygon block containing that burn. Once the checkpoint is available, the bridge can construct an inclusion proof and package the exit data for Ethereum.

The Ethereum-side RootChainManager verifies the proof against the checkpoint and invokes the relevant bridge predicate to release the corresponding asset from escrow. The proof ties the claim to the original burn. The bridge also tracks completed exits, so the same burn cannot be claimed twice.

This is why “pending” can describe different states. Before the checkpoint, the burn exists but cannot yet be exited. After the checkpoint, the transaction may be claimable even if the wallet disconnected or the bridge interface stopped displaying it. Neither state calls for another Polygon withdrawal transaction.

How do you find the claimable withdrawal?

Use the wallet address that initiated the withdrawal and locate its successful Polygon burn transaction. Confirm that the receipt succeeded and that the transaction is the withdrawal for the asset and amount you expect. A submitted transaction with no successful receipt is not a completed burn; there is nothing to resume until a successful burn exists.

Reconnect that wallet to the bridge interface and check its transaction history for the pending withdrawal or an action to continue. If the record is missing, use the bridge’s recovery or resume flow with the original Polygon transaction hash, where available. Do not enter a different transfer hash or submit a fresh withdrawal to make the record reappear. A missing interface entry does not by itself establish that the burn failed.

Before signing the Ethereum transaction, check that the claim refers to the same source burn, token, amount and destination address. The wallet must be on Ethereum for the exit and have ETH available for its network fee. A Polygon gas balance does not pay for Ethereum execution. The claim is a separate Ethereum transaction; it is not a second approval or a request to burn the Polygon tokens again.

What if the claim is still unavailable or fails?

If the original burn succeeded but no claim is offered, the checkpoint may not yet include its block. The bridge cannot produce a valid proof before that commitment reaches Ethereum. Wait, then revisit the same transaction using its original hash. Repeatedly refreshing or reopening the page is harmless; sending another burn is not a substitute for a checkpoint.

• No successful Polygon receipt: the burn did not complete. Check the wallet’s transaction status before deciding whether a new withdrawal is needed.
• Successful burn, no checkpointed proof: wait for the checkpoint and check the same burn again.
• Claim available, Ethereum transaction not sent: review the claim details, switch to Ethereum and submit it with enough ETH for gas.
• Ethereum claim reverted: inspect the failed transaction and its reason. If the exit was not recorded as completed, correct the cause and retry the claim for the same burn.

A failed Ethereum submission does not automatically mean the Polygon withdrawal must be repeated. The asset remains unclaimed unless an exit succeeds, while the bridge’s replay protection prevents a second successful exit for that burn. Confirm the Ethereum transaction’s final status before retrying; a wallet prompt that disappeared is not proof that the claim was mined.

The practical rule is simple: preserve and reuse the Polygon burn hash. A PoS withdrawal is resumed by proving that existing burn against a checkpoint and completing its Ethereum exit. The interface can help find that step, but it does not create a new withdrawal or replace the on-chain records that determine whether the claim is ready.