If the estate has already opened
- Take inventory. Exchange accounts (emails, apps, bank transfers to platforms), hardware wallets, seed phrases in papers and safes. Do not "try things" on wallets without a specialist: mistakes with a seed phrase are irreversible.
- Exchange accounts. The major platforms have inheritance procedures: a death certificate, grant of probate or equivalent, legalisation and translation. The exchange will release the funds to the heirs — it is a question of months and of the right documents.
- Wallets with no access credentials. A legal right to the assets does not give you technical access: without the keys, the funds cannot be reached. Which is why step 1 matters most.
Planning during your lifetime
- Access instructions kept separately from the will: a will is a public document and no seed phrase belongs in it.
- The transfer mechanism: from an envelope held by a notary to multisig with an heir as a signatory — it depends on the amount and on trust.
- Inheritance tax varies radically between jurisdictions — the residence of the deceased and of the heirs can change the bill by orders of magnitude.
Frequently asked questions
Will an exchange release funds to heirs?
Yes, the major platforms have a procedure: a death certificate plus legalised documents evidencing the right to inherit. It takes months.
What if the seed phrase cannot be found?
If the keys do not exist in any form, there is no technical access, whatever your legal rights. Check for custodial services: there, access can be restored through a formal procedure.
Should crypto be mentioned in a will?
The fact of ownership, yes; private keys, absolutely not — a will becomes available to third parties. Access instructions are kept separately.
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