Executor's Guide to Bitcoin Recovery After Death

When someone with Bitcoin holdings passes away, their executor faces a unique challenge: accessing assets that require technical knowledge most people don't have. This guide walks through the recovery process for executors handling an Evoke client's estate.

Step 1: Locate the Digital Asset Schedule

The first thing to find is the deceased's Digital Asset Schedule. This document should be stored with the will or other estate documents. If the deceased was an Evoke client, they may also have nominated contacts who receive automatic notifications through Evoke's liveness check escalation.

Step 2: Confirm legal authority

Before Evoke can provide recovery assistance, you'll need to establish legal authority to act on behalf of the estate. In the UK, this typically means:

A grant of probate (if there's a will)
Letters of administration (if there's no will)
Proof of your appointment as executor or administrator

Step 3: Contact Evoke support

With your Digital Asset Schedule in hand and legal authority confirmed, contact Evoke's support team. We'll guide you through the specific recovery process for the deceased's setup. What happens next depends on which Evoke products they used:

If the deceased used Evoke Vault

Evoke holds one of the three multisig keys and can co-sign recovery transactions with you once legal authority is established. Together with one of the deceased's hardware keys (identified in the Digital Asset Schedule), we can move funds to a new wallet under your control as executor.

If the deceased used Evoke Inheritance only

Evoke does not hold any keys to the client's funds. However, we can provide guidance, explain the Digital Asset Schedule, and help you understand how to use the technical information it contains. The actual key handling will be done by you, family members, or a nominated technical contact.

Step 4: Transfer funds to beneficiaries

Once you've secured access to the Bitcoin, you can distribute it according to the will and Digital Asset Schedule. Work with a cryptocurrency-experienced tax advisor to handle any inheritance tax implications, which can be complex with volatile assets.

Important for executors: Never share the deceased's seed phrases or private keys in emails, over the phone, or in any documents. If you need to handle these directly, use secure physical procedures with witnesses, just as you would with traditional bearer assets.