At there is good reduction, and the surjectivity of good reduction over a local field gives an exact sequence
The quotient has order and is consequently a cyclic group. For every odd integer , multiplication by is an automorphism of : its formal group law has multiplication series with unit linear coefficient, whose inverse formal power series has integral coefficients and converges on . This is the prime-to-residue-characteristic multiplication on a formal group.
Thus the odd-primary torsion subgroup injects into the order-five quotient. It also realizes that quotient: choose a lift of any reduced point, so . There is a unique with . Then is killed by five and has the prescribed reduction. This proves the prime-to-p torsion lifts uniquely at good reduction directly here. Therefore, for an odd prime ,
The five-primary subgroup consists of the unique five-torsion lifts of the five reduced points. These lifts need not be rational over ; the preceding answer about rational torsion points of an elliptic curve does not contradict their existence over the p-adic field.
Assume good reduction, and write . The surjectivity of good reduction over a local field and the formal group law determine the torsion as follows. If , multiplication by is an automorphism of , because its multiplication series has an integral compositional inverse with unit linear coefficient. Therefore reduction gives an isomorphism
To construct the inverse, lift a reduced point to , solve uniquely in , and use . This proves the prime-to-p torsion lifts uniquely at good reduction, including uniqueness, rather than merely comparing orders.
For residue-characteristic torsion, use a deep logarithm subgroup of a formal group. Take for odd , or at two. The formal logarithm identifies with , so has no torsion. The finite quotient group
therefore receives the torsion subgroup injectively. There is a complete test for which cosets actually contain torsion. For a coset of order , choose a lift . Then . Its coset has a torsion representative exactly when
When this condition holds, let be the unique point with . Then is killed by and represents . Conversely, any torsion representative has order precisely , since an element killed in the quotient would belong to the torsion-free group . It must therefore arise from this construction. Changing by changes by , so the test is independent of the chosen lift. This proves the torsion test using a deep formal logarithm subgroup and gives the full torsion by a finite list of cosets and a logarithmic divisibility test.
For odd , one has , so all torsion points of an elliptic curve inject into . Nevertheless a reduced -primary point need not lift to a torsion point: if its order is , the test is . For , the subgroup is torsion-free but has order two. Thus can have a two-torsion point, and one must use of order rather than assert that all torsion injects under reduction. The prime-two torsion bound for good reduction follows: the reduction kernel contributes at most a subgroup of order two. These distinctions are essential to a correct determination of local torsion subgroups.
Write for the points killed by some power of , rather than any notion of all points which are -divisible. On the reduction kernel, formal multiplication is
Since , its linear coefficient is a unit. Recursive inversion gives an integral inverse series, convergent on ; equivalently the Hensel lemma gives a unique solution to for every . Thus multiplication by is bijective on the kernel, proving that its -primary torsion is zero. The reduction group homomorphism is therefore injective on .
For surjectivity on this torsion, take a reduced point killed by . Lift it to using smooth reduction. Then belongs to the kernel, so choose its unique kernel division point with . The point is killed by and reduces to . This proves the prime-to-p torsion lifts uniquely at good reduction statement:
The right side is a subgroup of a finite group. Thus the left side is finite and has exactly the requested order. No claim that the whole formal kernel is torsion-free at is needed.
Let have good reduction, and choose an integer . Its filtration of elliptic-curve points over a local field has a torsion-free group identified by the formal logarithm with . The quotient group is finite. For of order of a group element , choose a lift . There is a torsion point of an elliptic curve in this coset exactly when the displayed condition holds. Indeed, it is equivalent to the existence of with . Then is killed by ; conversely every torsion representative has order , since is torsion-free. The logarithmic division and the formal group exponential give the unique such . Changing the lift changes the logarithm by an element of , so the criterion is well-defined. This finite-coset test includes residue-characteristic torsion; only the prime-to-p torsion lifts uniquely at good reduction are automatic.