Inheritance · Paperwork
Crypto inheritance: what is needed to be able to recover
In an ordinary recovery it is enough to prove the wallet is yours. In an inheritance you must prove two things: that the wallet belonged to the deceased, and that you have the right to inherit it. Without the second, a serious professional cannot help you, however much material you have in front of you.
Why it is asked for
It isn’t distrust or bureaucracy. Recovering access to a wallet means giving someone control of money that cannot be reversed or reclaimed afterwards. If that person had no right to it, the damage is irreparable and whoever enabled it took part. That is why proof of entitlement is a precondition, not a closing formality.
What documentation is usually needed
- The death certificate.
- A document proving you are an heir: a will, a declaration of heirs or the equivalent in your country.
- Your own identification.
- If there are several heirs, the agreement or authorisation of the others, or a formalised division.
- Something linking the wallet to the deceased: emails from the platform where they bought, bank statements of the transfer, the device found among their belongings.
If there are several heirs
It is best resolved before starting, not after. A recovery can’t be undone: the moment the wallet opens, somebody has control. If the division isn’t agreed, the prudent thing is to wait until it is, or to carry out the process with everyone’s knowledge. Mixing a technical recovery with an open family dispute is the worst possible combination.
The two routes, again
| Where the money was | Who resolves it |
|---|---|
| On an exchange | The company itself, through its succession procedure |
| In a self-custody wallet with a phrase | You, if you find the phrase |
| In a self-custody wallet without the phrase | Technical recovery, if there is material and entitlement |
| On a hardware device with no phrase and no PIN | Nobody: there is no way out |
The first row isn’t my job and I don’t charge for it: it is a process with the company, usually with a death certificate and probate documents. No outside service can speed it up.