Choose an integral Weierstrass equation of an elliptic curve with unit elliptic-curve discriminant. For , choose homogeneous coordinates in with at least one unit by multiplying all three coordinates by a common power of . Define
Two primitive integral representatives differ by a unit, so this is well-defined. Every point of the reduced cubic is a nonsingular point of an algebraic curve, and the identity reduces to . This definition includes points whose affine coordinates are nonintegral.
To prove the good-reduction map respects elliptic addition, use the smooth proper integral model. The elliptic curve group law is a morphism on this model, constructed by addition of degree-zero divisor classes; it is defined even where an affine chord formula has a vanishing denominator. Passing to the residue field commutes with this morphism. Hence
so reduction is a homomorphism of abelian groups.
For surjectivity, the simple-root Hensel lemma says that if , and , then there is a unique with and . The point at infinity lifts to . At an affine point of the reduced equation , being a nonsingular point of an algebraic curve means at least one partial derivative is nonzero. If , fix any integral lift of and apply the Hensel lemma to to lift . If , fix and lift instead. This proves the surjectivity of good reduction over a local field and gives