What to Do When Your OKX Lightning Network Deposit Invoice Expires
A Lightning Network deposit invoice expires automatically and cannot be extended or renewed. You need to go back to the OKX deposit page, generate a new invoice, and then initiate the transfer from the sending platform.
Invoice expiration is a built-in mechanism of the Lightning Network — each invoice has a default validity of 60 minutes. Once expired, it becomes invalid to prevent reuse or accidental actions.
Prerequisites
Your previously generated OKX Lightning invoice has expired (showing "expired" or "Invoice invalid").
You can still access your OKX account and the sending platform (wallet or exchange).
You have not yet initiated the transfer from the sending side — if you already submitted the transfer but the invoice expired, see "Case B" below.
Step 1: Confirm whether the invoice has actually expired
Case A: You haven't initiated the transfer yet, and the invoice was just sitting idle.
Open the OKX app or web deposit page and check the invoice you generated. If the page shows "Expired" or prompts that the invoice is invalid, go directly to Step 2.
Case B: You already submitted the withdrawal on the sending platform using that invoice, but it now shows as expired.
This situation is trickier. If the invoice expired while the transfer was in progress, the sending platform may have already deducted funds but the transaction is stuck. In this case:
First, check the withdrawal status on the sending platform.
If it shows "Processing" or "Pending", contact the sending platform's support, explain that the invoice has expired, and ask if the withdrawal can be cancelled.
If the sending platform shows "Completed" but OKX has not received the funds, contact OKX support with the invoice and transaction details for manual investigation — but success depends on whether the sending platform actually broadcast this payment.
Completion criteria: You have confirmed that the current invoice is expired and you have not initiated a transfer (or you have contacted the sending platform to cancel it).
Step 2: Generate a new invoice on OKX
On the app:
Open OKX app → go to Deposit (on-chain) on the home screen → select BTC.
Choose the network Lightning.
Enter the amount you want to deposit (recommended range 0.000001–0.1 BTC).
Tap Generate Invoice or Create Invoice.
Copy the newly generated invoice (a long string starting with "lnbc").
On the web:
Log in to the OKX website → go to Assets > Deposit from the top right.
Select BTC → choose the network Lightning.
Enter the amount → click Create Invoice.
Copy the new invoice.
(Source: OKX Help Center, updated from 2023-08-22 to 2025-09-03)
Completion criteria: Successfully generated and copied a new invoice, and the page displays the validity period (usually 60 minutes).
Step 3: Use the new invoice to re-initiate the transfer from the sending platform
Open your sending wallet or exchange, and on the Lightning Network withdrawal page:
Paste the new invoice from Step 2 into the "Invoice" or "Lightning invoice" input field.
The system will automatically detect the amount; confirm it is correct and submit.
Wait for the Lightning Network to process — usually it takes a few seconds to a few minutes.
Completion criteria: The OKX deposit history shows the BTC has been credited and your balance has been updated.
Common failure reason
The sending platform is still using the old invoice
Some withdrawal platforms may "lock" the invoice once you submit a withdrawal. Even if the invoice expires, the system might still attempt to pay it. In this case, you need to contact the sending platform to cancel that withdrawal and resubmit it using the new invoice — their support usually cannot "refresh" the invoice; they can only cancel and have you create a new one.
Risk reminders
Never reuse an old invoice: An expired invoice will be rejected by the Lightning Network node even if submitted again (returning an "expired" error). Repeated attempts will only waste time.
Use the invoice as soon as possible during its validity: Some wallets or exchanges have their own processing time limits. Ideally complete the transfer within 30 minutes after generating the invoice to leave a buffer.
Generating an invoice does not charge a fee: Creating an invoice on OKX is free. Only the actual transfer incurs Lightning Network routing fees.
How to confirm the operation is complete
Go back to the OKX Assets page and check if your BTC balance has increased. Also go to Deposit History; when the Lightning deposit status shows "Completed" or "Credited," the operation was successful. If it takes longer than 10 minutes, you can copy the payment hash from the new invoice and contact OKX support for a manual inquiry.
