Arv & gåvor
Passing on crypto
With a bank account, the notary calls the bank. With self-custodied crypto there is nobody to call: whoever cannot find the keys cannot find the wealth. Yet the tax office still expects it to be declared.
Access versus security
A seed phrase is both the ownership proof and the key. Share it too easily and you lose your coins now; share it nowhere and your family loses them later. Split the two: an inventory of what exists and where, kept separately from the key itself.
In practice keep an asset overview with your will or notary, and the key on metal in a different physical location, optionally split across two trusted people.
Never store a seed in a shared cloud folder or e-mail 'just in case' — that is how estate plans turn into thefts.
- Inventory with the notary, key stored separately
- Seed on metal, never in cloud storage or e-mail
- Consider splitting across two people and locations
Custody type decides the route
With a regulated European provider, heirs follow the normal probate process: a certificate of inheritance, identification, then transfer. Slow but workable.
With self-custody no such route exists. The key is the only path, plus multisig setups where an heir or notary holds one key.
Time-locked wallets that open to a second key after long inactivity work well technically but need periodic testing.
Tax and legal side
Crypto is ordinary wealth for inheritance tax, valued at the date of death. Rates differ sharply between the Netherlands and Belgian regions.
Document the valuation: price source, date and coin amounts per wallet.
Mention digital assets explicitly in the will, even without amounts, so heirs know something exists.
Vanliga frågor
Should my seed phrase go into my will?
No. A will is read by several parties and is not a vault. Reference the location instead.
What if nobody knows I own crypto?
It is effectively lost. An inventory without keys still helps heirs know what to look for.
Which price applies for tax?
The value on the date of death; later gains belong to the heir.
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