Exchange accounts after a death

When cryptocurrency was held on an exchange, the estate usually does not need technical recovery, it needs the exchange’s official procedure for customers who have passed away. Exchanges have a defined process because they hold the assets and must protect them. For the administrative settlement, the platform applies its own estate procedure. Who is legally entitled or authorised follows from the applicable law; the platform assesses which documents and steps it requires for handling the account claim.

Exchange versus self-custody

On a custodial exchange, the company holds the private keys on the customer’s behalf; the customer holds an account with login details. After a death, there is a central party that decides the procedure. With self-custody or a non-custodial service there is none. That difference determines your first steps, see exchange account or self-custody?.

How the process typically works

1. Identify which exchange(s). Look for account emails, statements, bank-transfer records to the exchange, or the exchange app on a device.
2. Contact the exchange’s official support using only the address on its website (typed, not clicked from a message).
3. Provide the required documentation. This commonly includes a death certificate, proof of the lawful personal representative’s authority (probate, letters of administration or the local equivalent), and identification. Requirements differ per exchange and jurisdiction.
4. Follow their timeline. Exchanges are cautious by design; the process takes time and is normal.
5. Distribution. For an estate claim, both who is authorised to act and which procedure the provider applies must be established. Check the legal authority through the relevant local route, and follow the provider’s current official procedure for the technical and administrative handling.

What you can gather without logging in

Without logging in, much can already be collected:

• emails from the platform confirming an account existed;
• bank statements showing transfers to the platform;
• notes or documents with account details;
• app or extension entries on devices.

This information can help identify a possible account and start the official procedure. The provider then establishes whether an account in the deceased person’s name exists or existed.

What heirs should know

• Many exchanges do not offer a built-in pre-death beneficiary designation. Inheritance is handled through the estate process, not a “transfer on death” setting.
• Do not log into the account without lawful authority if it is not clear that you are entitled to do so. This can create legal, security or evidence problems and may breach the provider’s terms. Use the platform’s official estate procedure.
• Never bypass verification or KYC controls, and never give anyone your login, funds password or withdrawal codes, including people claiming to “help” with the claim.
• The exchange never asks for your password or for you to move funds to a “safe” wallet. That request is a warning sign.
• Not every message mentioning “your account” means crypto exists, that expectation is exactly what such messages rely on. Check senders and never use links from unexpected messages.

By exchange

Each platform runs its own official procedure. The specifics (documents, forms, timelines) are covered per exchange:

• Coinbase account after a death
• Kraken account after a death
• Binance account after a death
• Bitvavo account after a death

The same principle applies on every other platform: the estate follows that platform’s own official procedure, with documents and authority. This website covers the above in depth; First check whether the provider publishes an official procedure for deceased clients or estates. If it is not available, contact them only through the official support channel and ask which procedure and documents apply.

What if the platform no longer exists?

Exchanges sometimes close down, enter insolvency or are taken over. The account records you found are still evidence, they show what may have existed and where. What happens next depends on the platform’s official status:

• Acquired or continued by another company: first establish what happened to the original platform and its customer accounts and whether a successor took them over; then follow only the published migration, claim, insolvency or support procedure that applies to the specific situation.
• In insolvency or liquidation: customer claims run through the official administrator or liquidator appointed in the proceeding, not through anyone who contacts you offering to recover the funds.
• Completely gone: check whether an insolvency, curator, judicial, supervisory or other official claims procedure exists. If there is no verifiable official process, record the information found and seek local legal help if needed before providing money or personal data.

The rules do not change: establish authority first, keep the evidence, and verify every official contact on its own published domain. A request to first send crypto, pay an “unlock fee”, or move money to a “safe wallet” to release an estate is a serious red flag; that does not rule out a legitimate administrative or notarial cost in all circumstances.

Draft message to an exchange

When you are ready to contact a platform, a short written message with fields in square brackets keeps the process clear. Fill in only the bracketed fields (never include passwords, codes, recovery words or wallet files) and send it only through the exchange’s official support channel (typed by you, never a link from a message).

Dear [exchange] support,

I am writing about the account of [full name], who passed away on [date].

I am the [executor / personal representative / heir] of the estate and hold the authority document: [probate / letters of administration / certificate of inheritance / local equivalent], a copy of which is attached, together with the death certificate and my identification.

The account was associated with the email address [email address, if known].

Please confirm your official procedure for accounts of deceased customers and what you need from us. [Question: which settlement and transfer options are available for this estate, and what requirements must the possible destination account or wallet meet?]

Yours faithfully, [your name]

What this page is not

This page provides no paid services. For exchange-held assets, follow the provider’s official estate procedure for the administrative settlement as a rule. That procedure exists alongside the applicable rules on heirship and authority. If you have found a self-custody wallet instead (a device, paper words, a wallet file) that is a different route: exchange account or self-custody?.

Who to look for in your area

The exchange procedure is official. Follow the provider’s official channel for the platform procedure in the first instance. If it is unclear which authority, documents or tax or legal steps are needed, check this with the relevant official body or a competent local professional. If the platform asks for legal documents (a certificate of inheritance or the equivalent) a notary or estate lawyer in your area can prepare them.