Polkadot (DOT) Staking: A Step-by-Step Tutorial

Staking your DOT allows you to help secure and maintain the Polkadot blockchain, while earning regular passive income. Here's how to stake your DOT in just a few simple steps.

Step 1: Install a wallet compatible with Polkadot

To begin, you’ll need a wallet that supports Polkadot and staking.

🔗 Here is the list of official Polkadot wallets

With your wallet, you’ll be able to:
• Manage your DOT ;
• Stake via official interfaces ;
• Interact with Polkadot ecosystem dApps ;
• Connect with Ledger for added security ;

Once your wallet is set up and funded with DOT, you're ready to stake.

Step 2: Choose a validator to delegate your tokens

Polkadot uses a Nominated Proof-of-Stake (NPoS) system, where each nominator selects multiple validators to spread risk and maximize returns.

💡 Once your wallet is configured and your DOT available, you can nominate validators directly:
• From staking interfaces
• From wallets like Subwallet
• Or through dashboards like Ledger Live using their widget

🌐 You can also check your rewards, monitor your validators, view your transactions, and analyze account activity directly from the official Polkadot explorer

Stake your DOT with our Meria validator : find our validator in the pool list and select it to generate rewards while supporting our infrastructure.

Step 3: Delegate your DOT

Once you've selected your validators using a compatible interface, you can enter the amount of DOT you want to nominate.

💡 Here are the minimum amounts:
• For direct nomination: about 250 DOT (varies depending on network saturation)
• For nomination via a pool: from just 1 DOT

From the validator page or platform of your choice:
• Click “Nominate” or “Join pool” depending on your option
• Connect your wallet (Subwallet, Ledger, etc.)
• Choose your desired validator(s)
• Enter the amount of DOT to nominate
• Confirm the transaction from your wallet

Once the transaction is confirmed:
• Your DOT is automatically locked for staking
• It remains visible in your wallet and can be tracked via the explorer
• Rewards start accumulating from the next cycle (called an "era" on Polkadot)

⏱️ One "era" lasts about 24 hours, and your rewards are calculated daily based on the performance of your chosen validators.

📖 For more details on Polkadot staking

Step 4: Accumulate your rewards

Once your nomination is active, your DOT starts earning rewards from the next era.

Rewards are:
• Calculated based on your delegated amount, the commission taken by your validator(s), and their network performance
• To be claimed manually: they are not distributed automatically and must be withdrawn via a manual transaction
• Subject to expiration: if they are not claimed within 84 eras (about 84 days), they expire permanently

Step 5: Monitor or withdraw your staking

To check your active nominations:
• Log into your wallet or a staking interface compatible with Polkadot
• Go to the “Staking” section to see your validators, staked DOT, and rewards

To unstake:
• Go to your staking interface, then select the “Unbond” or “Withdraw” option to start unlocking your DOT
• Approve the transaction in your wallet

🕒 Lockup period: Once unbonding is initiated, your DOT is locked for about 28 days — it won’t earn rewards, can’t be used for nominations, and remains unavailable until the period ends.

The advantages of staking on Polkadot

Liquidity: Thanks to nomination-based staking, you can choose to withdraw your funds anytime after the 28-day unlocking period. Alternatives like liquid staking solutions offer even more flexibility.

Security: Your DOT stays under your control in a non-custodial wallet, with the option to stake securely through hardware wallets like Ledger.

Participation in the ecosystem: You directly help secure and decentralize the Polkadot network while earning rewards based on your contribution.

Validator diversity: You can split your DOT between multiple validators, allowing you to spread risk and support a variety of operators in the ecosystem.

Access to DeFi and LSTs: With protocols like Bifrost (a Meria partner), you can convert staked DOT into vDOT — a liquid token that continues to earn rewards while being usable in Polkadot DeFi apps (liquidity pools, lending, etc.).

🔗 Learn more at Bifrost

About Polkadot

Polkadot is a Layer 0 blockchain launched in 2020. It connects parachains — independent blockchains designed for specific use cases — through a central chain called the Relay Chain. This setup allows different chains to communicate while sharing security.

The Polkadot blockchain uses the Nominated Proof of Stake (NPoS) consensus algorithm, which lets DOT holders nominate validators to secure the network. Polkadot is particularly well-suited for Web3 projects that need custom infrastructure but want to integrate into a shared ecosystem.

The Polkadot blockchain is used in various fields such as Decentralized Finance (DeFi), digital identity, gaming, and decentralized enterprise infrastructure.

The DOT token has several key roles:
🔹 Paying transaction fees on the network
🔹 Staking to secure the relay chain and help with validation
🔹 Governance, allowing DOT holders to propose and vote on protocol updates

By delegating your DOT, you contribute to the security of the Polkadot network while supporting a decentralized, multi-chain ecosystem that continues to grow.

🔎 For more information on Polkadot news, check out our On Chain On Air podcast episode or the written summary of the interview

Meria X Polkadot

Meria has supported Polkadot for several years. We now work with the Polkadot Foundation teams as a partner validator. This means you can benefit from both custodian and non-custodian solutions to invest in DOT, no matter your investor profile.