---
updatedAt: 2026-10-14T04:24:20.000Z
agentTools:
  projectIndex: https://docs.mavan.bitminetech.io/llms.txt
---

# Requesting Pre-Signed Withdrawal Messages

Understand when you can request a pre-signed withdrawal message.

<Image align="center" src="https://files.readme.io/97175b8f670333557b6c830105a4a61dac678bf48187eefa8918e4a0701db0ba-Requesting_Pre-signed_withdrawal_messages.png" />

## Deposit

* After you send your transaction to the [Beacon Deposit contract](https://etherscan.io/address/0x00000000219ab540356cBB839Cbe05303d7705Fa), the consensus layer processes it and it enters the entry queue.

## Entry queue

* 2-3 epochs after the execution layer processes your deposit, your validators enter the entry queue to await index assignment.
* Once a validator has an index, you can generate a pre-signed withdrawal message.
* A maximum of 16 validators can be assigned an index per epoch, with a churn limit of 256 ETH per epoch. With no queue, after the 2-3 epoch delay:
  * Your validator will be assigned an index in 1 epoch (if the validator deposit is less than 256 ETH).
  * If you send 16 x 16 ETH deposits you will wait 1 epoch before the validators are assigned an index.
  * If you deposit a 2048 ETH validator, you must wait 8 epochs to be assigned a validator index.

## Activation

* Your validator becomes active and starts earning ETH 9 epochs after receiving an index.

## Post-activation

* You can broadcast your pre-signed withdrawal message 256 epochs after your validator activates.