What to do when a Amazon account holder dies
Amazon.com, Inc. has a formal process for transferring accounts after an account holder dies
Amazon Customer Service
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Amazon Bereavement Support (Sellers)
Timeline
Amazon does not publish a response time for bereavement requests. AWS accounts have a 90-day post-closure recovery window. Amazon Pay balances move to state escheatment after the dormancy period required under the applicable state's unclaimed-property law and Amazon's notification window. Amazon does not publish a consumer-account inactivity deletion policy; Twitch accounts inactive for 6 or more months may have their usernames reclaimed by Twitch.
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Verified Apr 2026
Amazon has a formal Bereavement Support process handled through its Help Center. When the requester does not have access to the account, Amazon asks for a death certificate, a document authorizing the requester to act for the estate (such as letters testamentary), the email address or phone number associated with the Amazon account, and a photo ID. When the requester has access to the account email, Amazon directs them to sign in with "Forgot password" rather than going through the bereavement process. Seller-account cases route to [bereavement-support-cs@amazon.com](mailto:bereavement-support-cs@amazon.com). Amazon's Conditions of Use grant only a "limited, non-exclusive, non-transferable, non-sublicensable license" for digital content, so Kindle books, Prime Video purchases, Amazon Music purchases, Audible audiobooks, apps, and games cannot be inherited or transferred to another account.
How to request a transfer
To request a transfer of Amazon accounts after an account holder's death, follow these steps:
1
If you have access to the account email: use "Forgot password" at amazon.com to reset the password and sign in directly. This avoids the formal bereavement process and gives you full account access while you download content, cancel subscriptions, and use up balances.
2
If you do NOT have email access: open Amazon Bereavement Support in the Help Center and provide:
- •Death certificate
- •Email address or phone number linked to the Amazon account
- •A document authorizing you to act for the estate (for example letters testamentary or executor documentation)
- •Government-issued photo ID
3
For seller accounts, email [bereavement-support-cs@amazon.com](mailto:bereavement-support-cs@amazon.com) directly.
4
Download Amazon Photos content before closing the account. Unlike licensed digital content, photos are user-owned files, but access requires an active account; Prime members have unlimited photo storage, and non-Prime accounts are limited to 5 GB.
5
Expect to lose all digital licenses when the account is closed. Kindle books, Prime Video purchases, Amazon Music purchases, Audible audiobooks, apps, and games are non-transferable under Amazon's Conditions of Use; there is no mechanism to move them to another account.
6
For Ring devices: use the Ring app's Request Ownership flow (the previous owner has up to 15 days to respond, after which most devices auto-transfer) and, if the previous owner is deceased, contact Ring Customer Support directly. Ring Alarm, Ring Smart Lighting, Echo Bridge, and Sidewalk devices do not auto-transfer after 15 days and require Ring Support intervention.
7
For AWS accounts: if the deceased owned a standalone account, root-user credentials are required to close it, and AWS Support cannot close the account on your behalf. If the account is a member of an AWS Organizations organization in All Features mode, the organization admin can close it from the management account without root credentials. Running infrastructure continues to accrue charges until closure. After closure there is a 90-day recovery window (outstanding balance must be paid within 60 days to reopen), then the account is permanently closed.
8
For Amazon gift card balances: balances cannot be transferred between accounts and are not refundable (except where required by law), but they can be used for purchases on the deceased's account before it is closed. For Amazon Pay, the Customer Agreement treats inactive balances as dormant property, notifies the account holder, and escheats unclaimed funds to the state of residency (Delaware by default when the address is unknown or foreign).
Required Documents
- Death certificate
- Email address or phone number linked to the Amazon account
- Document authorizing the requester to act for the estate (letters testamentary or executor documentation)
- Government-issued photo ID
Timeline
Amazon does not publish a response time for bereavement requests. AWS accounts have a 90-day post-closure recovery window. Amazon Pay balances move to state escheatment after the dormancy period required under the applicable state's unclaimed-property law and Amazon's notification window. Amazon does not publish a consumer-account inactivity deletion policy; Twitch accounts inactive for 6 or more months may have their usernames reclaimed by Twitch.
Frequently asked questions
Yes. Amazon's Help Center has a Bereavement Support page. The process asks for a death certificate, a document authorizing you to act for the estate, the email or phone number linked to the Amazon account, and a government photo ID. If you have access to the account email, Amazon directs you to use "Forgot password" and sign in directly rather than going through bereavement. Seller accounts route to bereavement-support-cs@amazon.com.
No. Kindle content is licensed, not sold. The Kindle Store Terms state that each copy of Kindle Content purchased may only be redeemed by a single Amazon account and cannot be revoked or transferred by you after redemption. When the account is closed, access to all Kindle content is permanently lost.
All are licensed, not sold, under non-transferable license terms. Prime Video purchases, Amazon Music purchases, and Audible audiobooks cannot be transferred to another account or inherited. Audible credits have no cash value and are non-refundable. Access is lost when the account is closed.
Yes. Ring has a Request Ownership flow in the Ring app for previous owners who are deceased or otherwise unavailable. The previous owner has up to 15 days to respond, after which most devices auto-transfer. Ring Alarm systems, Ring Smart Lighting devices, Echo Bridge, and Sidewalk devices do not auto-transfer and require Ring Customer Support to complete the transfer. The Ring support page does not list specific documents it requires, so contact Ring Support for the current document list.
AWS does not publish a bereavement process. For a standalone AWS account, root-user credentials are required to close it; AWS Support will not close the account on your behalf, and running infrastructure continues to accrue charges. If the account is a member of an AWS Organizations organization in All Features mode, the organization admin can close it from the management console without the member's root credentials. After closure there is a 90-day recovery window (outstanding balance must be paid within 60 days), then the account is permanently closed.
Gift card balances cannot be transferred between accounts, are not refundable except as required by law, and never expire; they can be used for purchases on the deceased's account before closure. The Amazon Pay Customer Agreement treats inactive balances as dormant, notifies the account holder, and sends unclaimed funds to the account holder's state of residency (Delaware by default if the address is unknown or foreign) under unclaimed-property laws.
Amazon Family (rebranded from Amazon Household on March 7, 2025) lets one adult share Prime and digital-content benefits with a second adult in the same household. When the primary member dies and the account is closed, the other adult loses the shared Prime benefits. The Prime Invitee program ended October 1, 2025, and adding new teens to Amazon Family has been paused since April 7, 2025. Family-Library e-book sharing also ends when the primary account is closed.
Once transferred, accounts are subject to the program's standard terms. Having the deceased account holder's details documented in advance makes the transfer process significantly easier for the family.
Amazon Customer Service
WebsiteVisit website→
Amazon Bereavement Support (Sellers)
Timeline
Amazon does not publish a response time for bereavement requests. AWS accounts have a 90-day post-closure recovery window. Amazon Pay balances move to state escheatment after the dormancy period required under the applicable state's unclaimed-property law and Amazon's notification window. Amazon does not publish a consumer-account inactivity deletion policy; Twitch accounts inactive for 6 or more months may have their usernames reclaimed by Twitch.
WebsiteSubmit claim online →
Verified Apr 2026