What to do when a OKX account holder dies
Contact OKX — 6-step process, 8 required documents, and okx publishes no timeline. the published shape of the process is: contact support, okx confirms the account and begins freezing it, an analyst is assigned, documents are reviewed (with possible follow-up requests), then funds are transferred and/or the account closed per the written instructions. court authority is a prerequisite, so the real clock usually starts with the probate court issuing letters, not with okx.
OKX Support Center
OKX INC., One Sansome Street, Suite 1400 PMB 6005, San Francisco, CA 94104 (registered US address published at https://www.okx.com/en-us/contact-us.html; it is not a walk-in or claims-intake office)
OKX Support Center
OKX INC., One Sansome Street, Suite 1400 PMB 6005, San Francisco, CA 94104 (registered US address published at https://www.okx.com/en-us/contact-us.html; it is not a walk-in or claims-intake office)
OKX Support Center — deceased/incapacitated user cases (no standing estate department; OKX assigns one case analyst per request)
After an account holder at OKX dies, accounts with beneficiary designations or trust ownership transfer to the designated recipients without probate. Solely-owned accounts require the estate's representative to contact OKX's OKX Support Center — deceased/incapacitated user cases (no standing estate department; OKX assigns one case analyst per request) at 1-888-201-8380 with the proper legal authority documents.
The first step is contacting OKX at 1-888-201-8380 with the account holder's full name, account numbers, and a certified death certificate in hand.
Death claim process
Follow these steps to file a death claim with OKX:
Filing a claim
- Custodial OKX exchange account (they logged in at okx.com to buy, sell, stake, or earn): OKX holds these assets and the procedure below applies.
- Self-custodial OKX Wallet (a seed phrase / private key on their phone or browser extension): OKX holds no key to it. There is no claim to file. A death certificate, Letters Testamentary, and a court order are all equally powerless here. Do not open a support ticket expecting recovery.
- Both are possible for the same person. Working out which balance sits where saves weeks.
- Submit a request through the OKX Support Center at https://www.okx.com/en-us/help, or use the live chat on the OKX website or app.
- A voicemail line is published at 1-888-201-8380 (toll-free); OKX responds by email.
- Say plainly that the account holder has died and that you are seeking access under OKX's published procedure at https://www.okx.com/en-us/help/how-to-obtain-access-to-a-okx-account-of-someone-who-passed-away-or-lost-mental-capacity
- Identify the account by the decedent's registered email address and account ID if you have them.
- Proof of death (death certificate)
- Proof of relationship to the decedent (marriage or birth certificate)
- Identity document of the decedent (the account holder)
- Identity document of you, the applicant
- The last will, if there is one
- A document issued by a competent authority proving you may handle the decedent's financial affairs — in the US, Letters of Administration or Letters Testamentary from the probate court
- A letter signed by the person(s) with authority instructing OKX what to do with the account and the account balance (this is the instruction letter — it is a required document, not an optional cover note)
- Anything else OKX asks for; its article reserves the right to request further documents or actions
Required Documents
- Certified/notarized copy of the death certificate (all documents must be in English)
- Proof of relationship to the decedent (marriage or birth certificate)
- Government identity document for the decedent (the account holder)
- Government identity document for the applicant
- The decedent's last will, if any
- Court-issued authority document — Letters of Administration or Letters Testamentary
- Signed letter from the person(s) with authority instructing OKX what to do with the account and the balance
- Information identifying the account: the decedent's registered email address and account ID
Claims Contact
What to know at this institution
PROCEDURE: https://www.okx.com/en-us/help/how-to-obtain-access-to-a-okx-account-of-someone-who-passed-away-or-lost-mental-capacity. It is OKX's only published estate path, and it covers both death and loss of mental capacity (the incapacity track substitutes proof of incapacity, a power of attorney if any, and a court order for the death documents). CUSTODY IS EVERYTHING. Custodial exchange balances are recoverable on court authority. Self-custodial OKX Wallet assets are not recoverable by OKX at all — it holds no keys, and its US Terms §1.5 confirm OKX will never ask for passwords or keyphrases. No court order changes that. NO BENEFICIARY SHORTCUT: OKX offers no POD, TOD, or beneficiary designation, and US Terms §19.3 make account rights non-assignable, so a US custodial account cannot skip the estate — the analyst will not release funds without the court document. DEADLINE PRESSURE: US Terms §19.6 (Unclaimed Property) provides that an inactive account with assets in it, where OKX cannot reach the customer for the period set by the applicable unclaimed-property law, may be reported and delivered to the state's designated custodian. An OKX account nobody claims does not sit still forever. ONLINE-ONLY: there are no branches. The Support Center ticket queue and live chat are the claims channel; 1-888-201-8380 is a voicemail line answered by email.
Prepare your letter of instruction to OKX
OKX accepts a claimant-drafted letter of instruction. We draft it for you — addressed to OKX's verified claims department, with the documents it requires enclosed.
Build your letter of instructionProcessing timelines at OKX: OKX publishes no timeline. The published shape of the process is: contact Support, OKX confirms the account and begins freezing it, an analyst is assigned, documents are reviewed (with possible follow-up requests), then funds are transferred and/or the account closed per the written instructions. Court authority is a prerequisite, so the real clock usually starts with the probate court issuing Letters, not with OKX. Incomplete documentation is the most common cause of delays—submitting all required documents with the initial claim helps avoid additional processing time.
Documentation required by OKX includes Certified/notarized copy of the death certificate (all documents must be in English), Proof of relationship to the decedent (marriage or birth certificate), and Government identity document for the decedent (the account holder), along with additional paperwork that varies by account type. All death certificates and court documents must be certified copies.
Frequently asked questions
No. OKX publishes no payable-on-death, transfer-on-death, or named-beneficiary designation on its US consumer accounts, and its US Terms of Service (§19.3) provide that you may not assign your rights under the Terms without OKX's prior written consent — an attempted transfer is null and void. A custodial OKX account therefore passes through the estate. OKX's own deceased-user procedure asks for a document issued by a competent authority showing the applicant may handle the decedent's financial affairs, which in the US means Letters of Administration or Letters Testamentary from the probate court. Plan for that: name the crypto in your will or trust so someone will have authority a court can confirm, and make sure your executor at least knows the account exists (the registered email address and account ID are how OKX identifies it).
Open a case through the OKX Support Center at https://www.okx.com/en-us/help (ticket or live chat; there are no branches, and the published line, 1-888-201-8380, takes voicemail and is answered by email). OKX will confirm the account, begin freezing it, and assign one analyst. Its published procedure then asks for: proof of death; proof of your relationship (marriage or birth certificate); identity documents for both the decedent and you; the last will if there is one; a court-issued authority document such as Letters of Administration or Letters Testamentary; and a letter signed by the person(s) with authority instructing OKX what to do with the account and the balance. Every document must be in English and certified and/or notarized as a true copy. On approval OKX will transfer the funds and/or close the account per that letter — so state in the letter exactly where the assets should go and whether they should move in kind or be liquidated. Full procedure: https://www.okx.com/en-us/help/how-to-obtain-access-to-a-okx-account-of-someone-who-passed-away-or-lost-mental-capacity
It is the single most important distinction on this page. The OKX exchange account is CUSTODIAL — OKX holds the assets, so an executor with court authority can recover them through OKX's deceased-user procedure. The OKX Wallet is SELF-CUSTODIAL: OKX describes it as a self-managed wallet where "you are the only one in control of your assets," secured by a seed phrase and private key, and its Terms state OKX will never ask you to reveal passwords or keyphrases. OKX holds no key to it. That means OKX cannot freeze it, open it, or release it to an heir, and a death certificate, Letters Testamentary, or a court order will not change the answer — the exchange has nothing to hand over. If the key material is unreachable, the wallet's assets are permanently lost. Work out which product the decedent used before you spend weeks on paperwork that cannot reach the assets.
Do not leave credentials, 2FA codes, or a seed phrase for anyone — OKX will never ask for them either (US Terms §1.5), and a written-down phrase is a theft risk, not an estate plan. Plan around access instead of around passwords. Name the crypto in your will or fund it into your trust so the person settling your estate has the court authority OKX asks for. Leave a record that the OKX account exists — the registered email address and account ID are enough for OKX to identify it. Understand that assets held in the self-custodial OKX Wallet are outside anything OKX can do for your family, so if a holding is meant for heirs, consider keeping it in the custodial exchange account, or set up a key-management arrangement with your attorney rather than a note in a drawer. And keep your contact details current: under US Terms §19.6, an inactive account with assets that OKX cannot reach you about can be reported and delivered to the state as unclaimed property.
OKX's OKX Support Center — deceased/incapacitated user cases (no standing estate department; OKX assigns one case analyst per request) can be reached by phone at 1-888-201-8380 for questions throughout the claims process.
Sources
Data sourced from OKX primary sources (8 pages reviewed). How we research.
OKX Support Center
OKX INC., One Sansome Street, Suite 1400 PMB 6005, San Francisco, CA 94104 (registered US address published at https://www.okx.com/en-us/contact-us.html; it is not a walk-in or claims-intake office)
OKX Support Center
OKX INC., One Sansome Street, Suite 1400 PMB 6005, San Francisco, CA 94104 (registered US address published at https://www.okx.com/en-us/contact-us.html; it is not a walk-in or claims-intake office)
OKX Support Center — deceased/incapacitated user cases (no standing estate department; OKX assigns one case analyst per request)
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