Self custody has no customer service and no court order that can unlock a key. Without a plan, bitcoin can be lost when its owner dies, even if the heirs know it exists.
What heirs need
- To know the bitcoin exists and roughly where.
- Access to the keys or seeds, and to any passphrase.
- Clear, step by step instructions written for someone who is not an expert.
- Contacts of one or two people they can trust to help.
Common approaches
- A letter of instructions kept with a lawyer or in a safe, separate from the seeds.
- A multisig where heirs, a trusted friend or a professional each hold a key.
- Timelocked setups where a backup key can only spend after a long period without activity.
Never write a seed in a will: wills can become public documents. The plan should balance two risks, theft while you are alive and loss after you are gone, and be tested and updated over time.