What to do when a Gemini account holder dies
Contact Gemini — 6-step process, 5 required documents, and contact support for timeline; processing varies based on documentation completeness and estate complexity
Customer Support
Gemini Trust Company, LLC, 600 Third Avenue, 2nd Floor, New York, NY 10016
Customer Support
Gemini Trust Company, LLC, 600 Third Avenue, 2nd Floor, New York, NY 10016
Death Claims (General Customer Support)
Gemini Trust Company, LLC, 600 Third Avenue, 2nd Floor, New York, NY 10016
When an account holder at Gemini 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 Gemini's Death Claims (General Customer Support) (1-866-240-5113) to access and distribute the funds.
The claim process can be initiated by phone at 1-866-240-5113 or by sending documentation to support@gemini.com. Have the account holder's full name, account numbers, and a certified death certificate available when making initial contact.
Death claim process
The death claim process at Gemini works as follows:
Filing a claim
- Certified death certificate
- Proof of legal authority (Letters Testamentary, Letters of Administration, or Small Estate Affidavit)
- Government-issued ID for the executor or estate representative
Required Documents
- Certified death certificate
- Letters Testamentary or Letters of Administration (or Small Estate Affidavit where applicable)
- Government-issued ID for the executor or estate representative
- Proof of legal authority to act on behalf of the estate
- Court order if required by jurisdiction
What to know at this institution
Gemini does not publicly document a formal death claims process in its User Agreement or Custody Agreement. The platform does not support beneficiary designations, so all individual account assets will need to go through the estate or probate process unless held in a trust account. Cryptocurrency assets are not FDIC insured or SIPC protected. For trust accounts, the surviving or successor trustee can manage the account directly with proper documentation. Self-custody wallet assets (Gemini Wallet) are outside Gemini's control and require the decedent's private keys or passkey recovery method for access.
Prepare your letter of instruction to Gemini
Gemini accepts a claimant-drafted letter of instruction. We draft it for you — addressed to Gemini's verified claims department, with the documents it requires enclosed.
Build your letter of instructionProcessing timelines at Gemini: Contact support for timeline; processing varies based on documentation completeness and estate complexity. Incomplete documentation is the most common cause of delays—submitting all required documents with the initial claim helps avoid additional processing time.
Gemini requires several documents to process a claim, including Certified death certificate, Letters Testamentary or Letters of Administration (or Small Estate Affidavit where applicable), and Government-issued ID for the executor or estate representative, and additional documentation depending on the account type. Certified copies are typically needed—photocopies are generally not accepted for death certificates or court documents.
Frequently asked questions
Staked ETH, SOL, and MON sit inside the decedent's exchange account. Because Gemini does not offer beneficiary or TOD designations on individual exchange accounts, the estate representative must claim the account through Gemini Customer Support with Letters Testamentary or equivalent legal authority. Unstaking periods continue to apply during estate administration: ETH unbonding is 6 to 60 days and SOL is 3 to 4 days, during which assets cannot be sold, transferred, or withdrawn. The estate cannot accelerate unbonding. Trust-titled accounts (opened through institutional onboarding) can hold staked assets in the trust's name from the outset and avoid this step.
Contact Gemini Customer Support at support@gemini.com or submit a request through the Help Center at support.gemini.com/hc/en-us/requests/new. Gemini does not support inbound phone calls -- the primary support channel is email and the web form. The support team is available 24/7. Provide a certified death certificate and proof of legal authority (Letters Testamentary, Letters of Administration, Small Estate Affidavit, Order of Summary Administration, or an applicable court order) along with a government-issued photo ID for the estate representative.
The Gemini Wallet is a self-custody cryptocurrency wallet powered by passkey technology (FaceID/TouchID) instead of traditional seed phrases. It supports Ethereum, Arbitrum, Optimism, Polygon, and Base networks. Because this is a self-custody wallet, Gemini does not hold the private keys and cannot assist with recovery. If the account holder dies, estate access depends entirely on the decedent's own passkey backup and device access -- Gemini Customer Support cannot retrieve wallet assets. The Gemini Wallet is separate from the custodial exchange account.
Gemini's Death Claims (General Customer Support) can be reached by phone at 1-866-240-5113 and email at support@gemini.com for questions throughout the claims process.
If the deceased held multiple Gemini accounts, each may require a separate claim or have different documentation requirements. The Death Claims (General Customer Support) can confirm which accounts require individual attention and which can be processed together.
Sources
Data sourced from Gemini primary sources (26 pages reviewed). How we research.
Customer Support
Gemini Trust Company, LLC, 600 Third Avenue, 2nd Floor, New York, NY 10016
Customer Support
Gemini Trust Company, LLC, 600 Third Avenue, 2nd Floor, New York, NY 10016
Death Claims (General Customer Support)
Gemini Trust Company, LLC, 600 Third Avenue, 2nd Floor, New York, NY 10016
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