In short
Every major exchange has a process for accounts of people who have died. You’ll need a death certificate, a document proving you can act for the estate, your own ID and a signed instruction. Expect weeks to months. Always start from the exchange’s own website, never from a link someone sends you.
How it works
Crypto on an exchange is held by the exchange, like money in a bank. The exchange can release it to the estate once it’s satisfied that the account holder has died and that you’re entitled to act. You don’t need the person’s password, and you shouldn’t try to log in as them.
The big exchanges we checked (Coinbase, Kraken and Gemini) don’t let customers name a beneficiary on a personal account, so the claim goes through the estate.
The documents they usually ask for
- An official death certificate. A colour scan or clear photo of the whole document. Kraken, for example, says certificates issued by funeral homes aren’t accepted.
- Proof that you can act for the estate. In the US: letters testamentary, letters of administration or, for small estates, an affidavit for collection. In the UK: a grant of probate or letters of administration. Elsewhere: whatever the local court or notary issues, such as a certificate of inheritance or a European Certificate of Succession.
- Your own government photo ID.
- A signed letter confirming the death and saying where the assets should go.
- Sometimes: the will, and an account of your own at the same exchange to receive the funds.
Exchanges can ask for more than this, and requirements differ per country.
Exchange by exchange
| Exchange | Where to start | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Coinbase | Help: deceased family member’s account | Sign in to (or create) your own account and use the “Executor Services” form. Assets are transferred to an account the executor names. |
| Kraken | Deceased client account claims | Claim form handled by the compliance team; additional documents may be requested. |
| Binance | Inheritance appeal | The heir needs their own verified account; start under Support, Self Service, Legacy Inheritance. Binance says it takes about one to two months. |
| Binance.US | Collecting funds from a deceased user’s account | A separate company from Binance; also asks for a short video of the claimant. |
For other exchanges, search their help centre for “deceased”, “estate” or “inheritance”, and contact support through the website or app, not through an email address someone gives you.
Tips
- Start early. The paperwork is the slow part. Once the executor has the court or notary document, send claims to all exchanges at once.
- Keep copies of everything you send, and a log of dates and ticket numbers.
- Check the money isn’t frozen for another reason. An account can also be restricted because of an unfinished identity check or a sanctions rule. Support will tell the executor.
- Mind the value date. For tax, the estate usually needs the value on the date of death. Ask the exchange for a statement showing the balance on that date.
- Decide what to do with it. Most exchanges will either transfer the crypto to an heir’s account or sell it and pay out money. Talk to the estate’s adviser about which is better for tax.
Fake support is common
Scammers pose as exchange support on social media, in search ads and by email. Real support never asks for a password, a seed phrase or remote access to your computer, and never asks you to send crypto to “verify” or “unlock” an account.