> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://developers.circle.com/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

> ## Agent Instructions
> Before reading these docs, install the relevant Circle Skill to get pre-loaded context — skills are LLM-optimized and cover architecture decisions, correct flows, and common pitfalls. In Claude Code: run /plugin marketplace add circlefin/skills then /plugin install circle-skills@circle. With Vercel Skills CLI: run npx skills add circlefin/skills. Available skills: use-usdc https://github.com/circlefin/skills/blob/master/plugins/circle/skills/use-usdc/SKILL.md (balances, transfers, approvals on EVM and Solana); EURC has no skill — see https://developers.circle.com/stablecoins/what-is-eurc.md; bridge-stablecoin https://github.com/circlefin/skills/blob/master/plugins/circle/skills/bridge-stablecoin/SKILL.md (crosschain transfers via CCTP, USDC, EURC, and third-party assets); use-arc https://github.com/circlefin/skills/blob/master/plugins/circle/skills/use-arc/SKILL.md (Arc chain config, contract deployment, USDC bridging — Arc docs: https://docs.arc.io/llms.txt); use-circle-wallets https://github.com/circlefin/skills/blob/master/plugins/circle/skills/use-circle-wallets/SKILL.md (choose wallet type); use-developer-controlled-wallets https://github.com/circlefin/skills/blob/master/plugins/circle/skills/use-developer-controlled-wallets/SKILL.md (custodial wallets for payouts and treasury); use-user-controlled-wallets https://github.com/circlefin/skills/blob/master/plugins/circle/skills/use-user-controlled-wallets/SKILL.md (embedded wallets with Web2 login); use-modular-wallets https://github.com/circlefin/skills/blob/master/plugins/circle/skills/use-modular-wallets/SKILL.md (smart contract wallets with passkeys and ERC-4337); use-gateway https://github.com/circlefin/skills/blob/master/plugins/circle/skills/use-gateway/SKILL.md (unified USDC balance, nanopayments); use-smart-contract-platform https://github.com/circlefin/skills/blob/master/plugins/circle/skills/use-smart-contract-platform/SKILL.md (deploy, interact, monitor contracts). Pair any skill with the Circle MCP server for live SDK signatures, contract addresses, and chain IDs: {"mcpServers":{"circle":{"url":"https://api.circle.com/v1/codegen/mcp"}}}.
> Read the product overview first. Each product has an overview explaining when and why to use it. Read it before quickstarts.
> Pick the right wallet type. Developer-controlled (you hold keys), user-controlled (end user holds keys via PIN/social login), or modular (smart contract wallets with passkeys). See https://developers.circle.com/wallets.md.
> Use CCTP V2 for crosschain transfers. CCTP natively transfers USDC and EURC via burn-and-mint, and supports permissionless wrapping of third-party assets via lock-and-mint. V1 is legacy; always use V2 unless V1 is specified or the chain requires it (Noble, Sui, and Aptos still require V1). Migration guide: https://developers.circle.com/cctp/migration-from-v1-to-v2.md.
> Use Bridge Kit for frontend bridging. Wraps CCTP with a simpler SDK for user-facing apps. Use CCTP directly for backend transfers.
> Gas Station vs Paymaster. Gas Station sponsors gas for Circle Wallet transactions. Paymaster lets users pay gas in USDC. Different use cases — read both overviews.
> Gateway Nanopayments for sub-cent payments. Gasless USDC micropayments down to $0.000001 via x402 and batched settlement. For pay-per-request APIs, AI agent payments, streaming.
> Look up USDC addresses per chain. Never hardcode — use https://developers.circle.com/stablecoins/usdc-contract-addresses.md.
> Prefer SDKs over raw API calls. Node.js and Python SDKs handle auth, retries, and errors.
> API key required. Bearer token in Authorization header. Testnet and mainnet use separate keys and may use different base URLs depending on the product.
> Set up webhooks when available. Most operations are async. Webhooks deliver transaction confirmations and state changes.
> When calling list endpoints, paginate using pageSize and pageAfter until no nextPageAfter cursor is returned—stopping at the first page silently misses records.
> Building an AI agent? Start with the Agent Stack—Circle CLI, agent wallets, and nanopayments built for autonomous use cases: https://developers.circle.com/agent-stack.md.

# Compare crosschain transfer fees

> Compare CCTP and Gateway fees for USDC, EURC, and cirBTC, and get the fee for a specific route.

CCTP and Gateway both move USDC, EURC, and cirBTC between blockchains. Use this
table to compare what each service charges, then use the selector at the bottom
of the page to get the fee for a specific route.

| Service | Circle-issued assets | Optional forwarding | Reduced fees on Arc |
| - | - | - | - |
| CCTP Standard | USDC: no transfer fee cirBTC: no transfer fee EURC: \$0.25 per transfer. See [EURC fees](https://developers.circle.com/cctp/expanded-assets/references/fees.md#eurc). | Adds a forwarding fee that covers destination gas and a service fee, paid in USDC for USDC transfers and in the source blockchain's native gas token for EURC and cirBTC. See [CCTP Forwarding Service fees](https://developers.circle.com/cctp/concepts/forwarding-service.md#fees-and-execution). | EURC transfer fees are waived to and from Arc. USDC and cirBTC already have no transfer fee. |
| CCTP Fast | USDC: 1-2 bps on most blockchains. The fee varies by route. See [Fast Transfer fees by blockchain](https://developers.circle.com/cctp/concepts/fees.md#fee-tables). cirBTC: varies by route. See [cirBTC fees](https://developers.circle.com/cctp/expanded-assets/references/fees.md#cirbtc). EURC: varies by source blockchain. See [EURC fees](https://developers.circle.com/cctp/expanded-assets/references/fees.md#eurc). | Adds a forwarding fee that covers destination gas and a service fee, paid in USDC for USDC transfers and in the source blockchain's native gas token for EURC and cirBTC. See [CCTP Forwarding Service fees](https://developers.circle.com/cctp/concepts/forwarding-service.md#fees-and-execution). | 75% lower Fast Transfer fees into Arc. |
| Gateway | USDC: 0.5 bps cirBTC: 1 bp EURC: 1 bp | Adds a forwarding fee that covers destination gas and a service fee, charged in the asset you transfer. Gateway also charges a flat fee to cover the burn on the source blockchain. See [Gateway forwarding fees](https://developers.circle.com/gateway/references/fees.md#forwarding-fees). | Transfer fees are waived to and from Arc for all supported assets. |

One basis point (bp) is 0.01%. Forwarding means that Circle submits the mint on
the destination blockchain for you. Without forwarding, you pay native gas on
the destination blockchain yourself. Fees vary by route, so use the selector or
the fee APIs for the amount on your route. To transfer a third-party asset,
[reach out to Circle](mailto:sales@circle.com) for pricing and availability.

## Get the fee for your route

Choose a service, an asset, and a route to get the fee for that transfer.

The most up-to-date fees come from the API, so get the fees for a route from
both services. For CCTP, send a `GET` request to
[`/v2/burn/USDC/fees/{sourceDomain}/{destinationDomain}?forward=true`](https://developers.circle.com/api-reference/cctp/all/get-burn-usdc-fees).
For Gateway, send a `POST` request to
[`/v1/estimate?enableForwarder=true`](https://developers.circle.com/api-reference/gateway/all/estimate-transfer)
with a burn intent for the route and amount. The CCTP fee API returns fees for
USDC only. For EURC and cirBTC, see
[CCTP for non-USDC fees](https://developers.circle.com/cctp/expanded-assets/references/fees.md). Gateway
supports different blockchains for each asset, so check the
[supported blockchains](https://developers.circle.com/gateway/references/supported-blockchains.md) before you
request an estimate.

For CCTP, read `minimumFee` in basis points from the entry where
`finalityThreshold` is `1000` for Fast Transfer, or `2000` for Standard
Transfer. When you send `forward=true`, read `forwardFee.med` in USDC minor
units (6 decimals) for the Forwarding Service fee. Fast Transfer fees apply only
to source blockchains that offer Fast Transfer. Compute each total as follows:

* CCTP Standard Transfer: `amount * minimumFee / 10000`, using the `2000`
  entry's `minimumFee`.
* CCTP Fast Transfer: `amount * minimumFee / 10000`, using the `1000` entry's
  `minimumFee`.
* CCTP Standard Transfer with the Forwarding Service: the Standard Transfer fee
  plus `forwardFee.med`.
* CCTP Fast Transfer with the Forwarding Service: the Fast Transfer fee plus
  `forwardFee.med`.

The API returns an HTTP 400 for `forward=true` on destinations that don't
support the Forwarding Service, so omit it for those destinations. For Solana
destinations, also pass `includeRecipientSetup=true` with `forward=true` when
the recipient needs an Associated Token Account. See
[Forwarding Service](https://developers.circle.com/cctp/concepts/forwarding-service.md) for details.

For Gateway, read `fees.perIntent[].baseFee` for the flat fee that covers the
source burn, `fees.perIntent[].transferFee` for the transfer fee (omitted when
Arc is the source or destination blockchain, so treat it as `0`), and
`fees.forwardingFee` for the forwarding fee. Gateway fees are in the asset's own
units. Compute each total as follows:

* Gateway: `baseFee + transferFee`.
* Gateway with the Forwarding Service: `baseFee + transferFee + forwardingFee`.

For EURC and cirBTC on CCTP, send a `POST` request to
`/v2/quote/cctpx/{tokenId}/{sourceDomain}/{destinationDomain}` with the amount
in the asset's smallest unit, a `feeToken` set to the source blockchain's USDC
address so the quote returns USDC minor units (6 decimals), and a `requests`
array with `PRE_FINALITY` and, for the Forwarding Service, `FORWARD`. Read the
items in the response: `PROTOCOL` is the transfer fee, `PRE_FINALITY` is the
Fast Transfer fee, and `FORWARD` is the Forwarding Service fee. The amounts are
in USD for the amount you send, and the Fast Transfer fee scales with it.

CCTP transfers also need native gas on the source blockchain for the burn.
Transfers without the Forwarding Service, on CCTP or Gateway, also need native
gas on the destination blockchain for the mint. Gateway charges a flat fee for
the source burn, so you don't pay native gas for it. Native gas varies by
blockchain and isn't included in these totals.