Crypto estate documents explained

Paperwork is the part of an estate that worries people most, partly because the documents have different names in every country. This page is a plain-language map: what each document is, who issues it, and when you need it. It is not a list you must collect; it is a reference you consult when a person or platform asks for something.

The document table

Document	What it is	Who provides it	When you need it
Death certificate	Official record of the death	The civil registrar or equivalent in the country of death	From day one: every platform and institution asks for it
Will / testament	The instructions the person who passed away left for the estate	Written and signed by the person who passed away, often notarised	When it exists; it determines who inherits and who administers
Probate / letters of administration / certificate of inheritance	The document proving who may act on the estate	A court or notary, depending on the country	Before anyone can act on accounts, sell assets or contact institutions as the estate
Heirship certificate	Proof of who the heirs are	A notary or court, in countries that use it	When institutions require proof of entitlement rather than an executor’s authority
Executor appointment document	Proof that a specific person administers the estate	The will or the court	When the executor acts: opening accounts, contacting platforms, transferring assets
Estate inventory	The list of assets and their locations	Built by the executor, administrator or heirs	Early, and kept updated; it is the backbone of every later step
Bank and exchange statements	Records of accounts and transactions	The banks and platforms themselves	To prove an account existed and to value positions
Tax returns and inheritance-tax declarations	The reporting of the estate for tax purposes	Filed by the estate with the tax authority; often prepared with a professional	Per the deadlines of the relevant country, they vary widely
Exchange forms after a death	The platform’s own claim process for an account after a death	Each exchange or platform	When you contact a platform; each has its own form and document list
Identity documents	Proof of who the applicant is	Government-issued	Always, for any official step
Powers of attorney or notarised declarations	Authority granted for a specific act	A notary or lawyer	Only in the situations where local law requires them
Chain-of-custody log	Who handled which device or document, and when	Kept by the estate itself	From the first day; it protects the estate against disputes

How the documents relate

The documents form a sequence rather than a pile:

1. The death certificate starts everything.
2. The authority document (probate, letters of administration, certificate of inheritance or the local equivalent) lets one person act for the estate. Nothing can be transferred or closed before this exists.
3. The inventory and statements describe what exists, so the estate can be valued and reported.
4. Platform forms and tax declarations complete each individual process.

If you are told you need a document you have never heard of, the first question is always: who issues it in this country, and which authority recognises it? Names differ (“probate”, “letters of administration”, “certificate of inheritance”, “Erbschein”, “certificat d’hérédité”) but the role is the same.

What you do not need

• No passwords, seed phrases or private keys, no official process asks for them in a document.
• No notarised copies of everything, only what each institution explicitly asks for.
• No documents in a language the institution does not accept, check whether official translations are required before paying for them.

Where to keep the file

• Keep originals of authority documents safe and certified copies for daily use.
• Keep the inventory and statements with the estate file.
• Never keep secrets in the document file. The file should be safe to show to any professional.

Next steps

For how to build the inventory itself, continue to crypto estate inventory. For who acts when, see the executor’s guide to a crypto estate and legal authority vs technical access.

Rules and deadlines can change, and this page may not yet reflect the latest position, have the current rules confirmed by a local lawyer, notary or tax adviser before acting. Spotted something that no longer matches? Contact us and we will correct it.