First steps after a death

You do not have to do all of this today. When someone passes away and cryptocurrency may exist, the first steps decide much of what remains possible later. The core advice is short: preserve everything, change nothing, and establish who is authorised before any access, transfer or other action with the crypto. These steps apply to all crypto, bitcoin, ether and every other coin and token.

PDF: The first 48 hours, download the one-page preservation checklist.

For the full process in one printable checklist, use the complete crypto inheritance checklist. For how long each stage realistically takes, see the crypto estate timeline. Why access can fail after a death, and the most common causes, is covered in the most common reasons crypto can become unreachable.

The correct order

1. Preserve. Leave devices, paper notes, wallets (software or hardware that manages keys and signing authority; the assets themselves are recorded on the blockchain), documents and packaging exactly as they are. Do not change the power or network state of a potentially relevant device unnecessarily; both powering off and leaving it connected can affect data or access in certain situations. If a device is powered on, unlocked or potentially important for access, have the appropriate preservation approach assessed before powering off, connecting, unlocking or changing anything. Do not update devices, do not guess PINs, do not “check” anything.
2. Record. Note the date, the location and who found or handled each item. This record can matter later.
3. Establish authority (the legal right to act on the estate). Who is authorised depends on the applicable law, any estate-planning documents or appointments, and the stage of administration; which documents are needed to show that authority varies by jurisdiction and institution. Possession of a device or a sheet of words is not authority; have the relevant documents confirmed by the competent body or professional where applicable.
4. Identify what was found. A hardware wallet, an exchange account, a list of words, a wallet file, a QR code, each has different rules. See what did you find.
5. Classify: exchange or self-custody (a company holds the crypto for you, or you hold it yourself). An account with a company follows the exchange’s official procedure. Self-custody depends on the keys, devices and files that exist.
6. Only then act. Official procedures, valuation and division come after the first five steps.

What never to do

• Do not enter, photograph or send any recovery words, keys or passwords anywhere, not by email, message or form. Enter it only within a pre-verified and suitable recovery environment: compatible wallet software or hardware from a trusted official channel, or a controlled offline environment when specialist recovery is needed.
• Do not reset, wipe or reinstall any device, however tempting with a locked one.
• Do not log into accounts of the person who passed away without authority.
• Do not scan secrets into a cloud service or photograph them with an online phone.
• Do not throw away or sell old devices.
• Do not move any crypto before the authority situation is assessed.
• Never respond to unsolicited offers of help. A request to pay extra money to “unlock” or “release” funds is an important warning sign. Network or gas fees, and costs for unstaking or withdrawing, can occur in a genuine transaction. Always verify such costs through the official website, app or wallet, and do not pay to a random address someone sends you by message.

Why this caution

Access to crypto usually consists of several components: a device, a password, a seed phrase (the list of words that restores the wallet), possibly a passphrase, the right software version. A single action can destroy components irreversibly, an update that old wallet software can no longer open, a reset that wipes the PIN and the device together. Careless handling can also create evidence problems for the settlement later.

Who is authorised

Crypto generally falls into the estate. Who is legally entitled depends on succession law: who the heirs are, whether an executor was appointed, and which document can evidence it (probate, letters of administration or the local equivalent). Holding a device is not enough to act on behalf of the estate.

If there is no will, the intestacy rules decide, see who inherits crypto without a will.

What is fact and what is an assumption

Keep two lists: what you know for certain (a hardware wallet is in the safe) and what you suspect (an exchange account may exist). A visible balance or a screenshot is not sufficient proof of ownership, access or legal title. A will that mentions crypto is a fact that crypto was considered; a will that does not mention it is not proof that no crypto exists.

When professional help is needed

In simple situations, specialist technical help may not be needed; official platform procedures and normal restoration can be enough. Specialist technical recovery or actual access to a wallet takes place only after it is clear who is authorised for that. A technical assessment aimed solely at safely preserving a vulnerable device or data may be needed earlier, for example with a powered-on or unlocked device. Limit such an early assessment to preserving the existing state and do not perform any substantive wallet access, recovery or movement of crypto. It starts with an inventory, not with guessing passwords.