Many heirs in the Netherlands underestimate how much time the digital legacy takes. It is often dozens of accounts: email, cloud storage, streaming services, fitness apps, webshops, social media and sometimes a wallet with crypto. Each platform has its own procedure and not all of them are well documented. This guide walks you through it calmly.
Start with an inventory
Before you submit requests, you need a list of what exists. Open the most-used inbox of the deceased (if you have access) and search for words like "invoice", "subscription", "welcome", "confirmation" and "password". Also go through bank statements of the last 12 months: recurring debits reveal which paid services are running. Make a row per service with name, email address, monthly or yearly amount and status.
Email: the master key
Email is the gateway to almost everything. Password reset emails arrive there. Losing access to email often means other accounts become unreachable too. So start here.
Gmail (Google)
Google does not hand over a password. You can submit a request through the access form for a deceased user's account. You provide: death certificate, your ID, and proof you are the heir (a verklaring van erfrecht or a copy of the will). Google reviews each request individually and may release limited data or close the account. The process often takes 4 to 12 weeks.
Microsoft (Outlook, Hotmail)
Microsoft uses the Next of Kin process where you can request a DVD with the contents of the mailbox. Same documents as above, plus a country-specific form.
Apple iCloud
Apple has used the Legacy Contact feature since 2021. If the deceased designated you during their lifetime, you can take over the iCloud data with an access code and the death certificate. If you were not pre-designated, only a court order remains, which is expensive and slow.
Social media
Facebook and Instagram (Meta)
Two options: put the account in memorial state or have it deleted. The memorial state request accepts the death certificate directly via upload. Deletion requires somewhat more proof of family relationship. Deletion is permanent.
LinkedIn has a bereavement reporting form. Profile data is removed within a few weeks. A limited memorial version has also been available since 2023.
X (Twitter), TikTok, Snapchat
All three use a similar request form for a deactivated account, with the death certificate and ID of the requester as proof. Transferring content is usually not possible.
Streaming and subscriptions
This is often the biggest time sink because there are so many services.
| Service | How to cancel |
|---|---|
| Netflix | Sign in + Account > Cancel membership, or support chat with the death certificate |
| Spotify | Account settings > Cancel subscription, or support |
| Disney+ | My account > Cancel subscription |
| HBO Max | Account > Manage subscription |
| YouTube Premium | Via Google account settings |
| Amazon Prime | Account > End membership |
Cannot log in? Customer support can usually process the cancellation with the death certificate. For doubtful cases, Dutch services like Tellow nabestaande and Closure help with bulk cancellations.
Webshops and delivery services
Bol.com, Wehkamp, Coolblue: usually you can delete the account yourself after logging in. If not, email customer service with the death certificate and a request to close the account and erase the data under the GDPR.
Crypto and digital assets
Crypto is a separate category. If it was on an exchange (Bitvavo, Coinbase), it is traceable through the account and you can release the funds via that exchange's bereavement procedure. If it was in a self-custody wallet without a seed phrase you know, it is in practice lost. Our experience: ask during a person's lifetime where the seed phrase is kept; no procedure recovers this afterwards.
Practical tips
- Keep a logbook of every request: date, service, reference number, status.
- Cancel only once you are sure the relevant data has been retrieved (photos, emails, contact list).
- Be careful with password managers: after death they are often only accessible via a pre-set emergency contact.
- Not all telecom or energy contracts are "digital", but the same approach applies: write to customer service with the death certificate.
Need help?
Nalenta guides bereaved families in the Netherlands through the full administration, including a list of the right request forms per service, for 129 euro one-off. No subscription.