What to do when a Bitstamp account holder dies
Report the death to Bitstamp's Customer Support at 1-800-712-5702
Bitstamp is now part of RobinhoodAcquired, effective June 2025
Acquired by Robinhood Markets for $200 million (closed June 2, 2025) and rebranded "Bitstamp by Robinhood." As of 2026-09-10 Bitstamp USA, Inc. is winding down its US RETAIL business: retail customers are being invited in waves to move US dollars and supported crypto to the Robinhood app at no fee, and from February 1, 2027 a Bitstamp by Robinhood account can no longer open new positions (view, sell and withdraw remain). Institutional clients and non-US customers are not affected. For an estate, this creates a deadline: an executor who finds a Bitstamp account should act well before February 1, 2027. Start with Bitstamp support; claims may route to Robinhood's Estates process once the decedent had migrated.
When an account holder at Bitstamp passes away, the next step depends on how the accounts were set up. Accounts with beneficiary designations or trust ownership transfer outside of probate. Accounts titled solely in the deceased's name require the estate's legal representative to work with Bitstamp's Customer Support (1-800-712-5702) to access and distribute the funds.
The claim process can be initiated by phone at 1-800-712-5702 or by sending documentation to support@bitstamp.net. Have the account holder's full name, account numbers, and the death certificate available when making initial contact.
Death claim process
Follow these steps to file a death claim with Bitstamp:
Filing a claim
- Bitstamp is online-only; there is no branch to visit
Required Documents
- Death certificateA color scan or photo of the original document.
- Official document naming you administrator of the estate or an heirLetters Testamentary or Letters of Administration satisfy this.
- Photo of your valid government-issued identification document
- A selfie of youBitstamp matches it against your identification document.
- English translation, for any document not already in EnglishBitstamp accepts documents only in English or translated into English.
- Estate or fiduciary bank account details, if settling by conversion to cash rather than by transfer of crypto
- Court order designating a fiduciary, where no fiduciary was designated, or Bitstamp questions the designation
What happens to each kind of account1
- Crypto account
Bitstamp acts only on the account holder's instructions, holds crypto through third-party custodians and sub-custodians, and never gives the customer private keys. There is no seed phrase for heirs to find and no way around the documented claim process.1
From February 1, 2027 a US retail account can no longer open new positions, and for a holder in a location Robinhood does not support it moves to close-only mode, so the estate's remaining options are to sell or withdraw.1
Accounts handled elsewhere1
What Bitstamp's agreement and guidance say6
- Telling the institution
If Bitstamp believes the holder has died without satisfactory proof, it may make inquiries, directly or through third parties, to establish whether the holder has died.3
- What it does when notified
Once Bitstamp receives legal documentation of the death, "we will block certain activities from occurring on your Bitstamp Account." No transactions can be completed until the fiduciary route is resolved.3
- Online access
Bitstamp requires legal documentation of the death. Using the deceased person's username, password or two-factor code does not authorize access.1
- Wills, probate and small estates
"Generally, a Will of the deceased person is not sufficient to satisfy these requirements." Expect to produce court-issued letters of appointment rather than the will itself.3
If the deceased person designated no fiduciary in a will or similar document, Bitstamp may treat as fiduciary any person it determines is entitled to inherit, or require a court order designating one. It may demand a court order wherever it doubts a fiduciary designation.3
- How proceeds are paid
To keep the assets as crypto, the designated fiduciary must open their own verified Bitstamp account, or use one they already hold, and the whole account is transferred into it. No fiduciary account is needed where "the deceased's account does not hold any value."3
To convert to cash, the fiduciary sends Bitstamp bank account information; Bitstamp converts the crypto and other digital assets to fiat and sends the value to that bank account. No fiduciary Bitstamp account is required on this route.3
- Dormant and unclaimed accounts
Under § 15.3, Bitstamp may be obliged to report and turn over crypto or fiat to a state as unclaimed property where the account has been inactive for a period of years or "where Bitstamp ceases providing Services." The state may require Bitstamp to liquidate the crypto first.3
Not in Bitstamp's published guidance3
- A claim form
- How long a claim takes
- Deceased-account FAQ page
Sources3
- 1.Customer Support
- 2.Robinhood Estates form
- 3.Bitstamp USA, Inc. Terms of Use, Last Updated 23 July 2026
Bitstamp's Customer Support can be reached by phone at 1-800-712-5702 and email at support@bitstamp.net for questions throughout the claims process.
Sources
Data sourced from Bitstamp primary sources (14 pages reviewed). How we research.
Bitstamp death claims support
Customer Support (Estate and Deceased Account Inquiries)
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