The Digital Executor's Checklist: Closing Accounts After a Death in Europe

The Week After the Funeral

The flowers are still fresh. The condolence cards are still arriving. And somewhere on a table, or in a stack of paper no one has touched yet, is a list of things that have to be done.

Banks. Subscriptions. Email. Social media. Streaming services. Utilities. Pension providers. Health insurance. Government databases. The list is longer than anyone expects — and almost nobody warns you about it in advance.

When someone dies in Europe, their digital life doesn't automatically pause. Direct debits continue. Subscriptions auto-renew. Accounts remain open and occasionally targeted by fraud. The executor — or whoever takes on that role — has to work through dozens of notifications, closures, and redirections, usually while also grieving, often across multiple countries and languages.

This guide is the checklist most executors wish they'd had.

Why This Takes So Long — and Why It Matters

The average adult in 2026 has between 80 and 150 online accounts. Most are free-tier services the person barely remembers signing up for. But embedded in that list are accounts that matter:

• Bank accounts that may still receive payments or direct debits
• Investment accounts holding real assets
• Pension and social security accounts that need formal death notification
• Insurance policies with outstanding claims or renewal dates
• Email accounts containing years of correspondence, tax documents, and passwords
• Cloud storage containing irreplaceable photos, videos, and documents
• Subscription services charging monthly fees that will keep charging until cancelled

The GDPR's right to erasure means accounts can be closed — but each platform has its own process. Most require a certified copy of the death certificate and proof of your authority to act (an inheritance certificate, a notarized power of attorney, or a copy of the will).

A Practical Timeline: The First 90 Days

Days 1–7: Immediate Notifications

These are the accounts where inaction creates financial or legal problems.

• Notify the primary bank(s) to freeze accounts and protect against unauthorized transactions
• Notify the pension provider and any life insurance companies — claim windows are often 30 days
• Register the death with the relevant national registry (see country-specific notes below)
• Notify the employer if the deceased was still working

Days 8–30: Government and Financial

• Tax authority (HMRC, Belastingdienst, Finanzamt, DGFIP, Agenzia delle Entrate, Agencia Tributaria)
• Social security or pension authority
• Health insurance provider
• Mortgage lender or rental authority
• Cancel direct debits from the bank account that served recurring charges

Days 31–90: Digital Life

• Email accounts: decide whether to download and preserve, or request deletion
• Social media: request memorialization (Facebook/Meta offers this) or deletion
• Streaming services: Netflix, Spotify, Apple Music, YouTube Premium
• Cloud storage: Google Photos, iCloud, Dropbox — these may hold irreplaceable content
• Password manager: this is the key that unlocks everything else; get access early
• Domain names or websites if the deceased had a personal or professional online presence
• Loyalty points and frequent flyer miles (often worth recovering)

Country-Specific Notes

Netherlands

Death must be registered with the gemeente (municipality) within 5 days, after which a akte van overlijden (death certificate) is issued. The national population register (BRP) is updated automatically.

For digital accounts, the erfgenaam (heir) or executor presents the death certificate and, where required, an erfgenamenverklaring from the notary. Dutch banks (ING, Rabobank, ABN AMRO) have dedicated bereavement services. DigiD accounts die with their owner — they cannot be transferred but can be deregistered. The Belastingdienst (tax authority) must be notified formally; the inheritance tax return (aangifte erfbelasting) is typically due within 8 months.

Germany

The Sterbeurkunde (death certificate) is issued by the Standesamt (civil registry office) and required for virtually every notification. For access to financial accounts, executors typically need an Erbschein — a certificate of inheritance issued by the Nachlassgericht (probate court) — unless a valid will or notarized testament exists. German banks require this document; social media platforms often accept a death certificate alone.

The Finanzamt (tax office) must be notified for estate tax purposes. The Deutsche Rentenversicherung (pension authority) and Krankenkasse (health insurer) also require formal death notifications. German Telekommunikationsanbieter like Deutsche Telekom and Vodafone have specific heir contact processes.

France

The acte de décès (death certificate) is issued by the mairie (town hall). Death is automatically reported to the INSEE national register, which notifies some government agencies automatically — but private accounts require individual notification.

The notaire handles succession and will issue the certificat d'hérédité or acte de notoriété that most financial institutions require. The Direction générale des finances publiques (DGFiP) must receive a déclaration de succession within 6 months of death. Priority notifications include: CAF (family benefits), caisse de retraite (pension), mutuelle (supplementary insurance), and the Caisse d'Assurance Maladie (health insurance).

Spain

The certificado de defunción is issued by the Registro Civil within 24 hours of death. Heirs need a certificado de últimas voluntades (last will certificate) from the Ministry of Justice to know if a will was registered, and a certificado de actos de última voluntad to obtain a copy.

The notario drafts the escritura de herencia (deed of inheritance). Hacienda (the tax authority) requires an Impuesto sobre Sucesiones y Donaciones declaration within 6 months. The INSS (Social Security) must be notified to stop pension payments and process any widow(er)'s pension. Spanish banks accept the deed of inheritance and death certificate for account access.

The Thing Nobody Tells You About Passwords

The most underestimated problem in digital estate administration is access.

If your loved one didn't leave a password manager or a secure record of their accounts, you are about to spend weeks trying to recover access to accounts using only a death certificate and a lot of patience. Each platform has its own verification process. Some are responsive and clear. Many are not.

The platforms that regularly frustrate executors:

• Google: account recovery requires submitting a formal request, uploading documentation, and waiting weeks for review
• Apple: Apple ID access after death requires a court order in most jurisdictions — there is no self-service process
• Meta (Facebook/Instagram): offers both memorialization and deletion, but the process requires navigating a form that changes periodically
• Financial platforms: most require certified documentation and sometimes in-person visits to branches

The single most important thing anyone can do now — before anything happens — is to maintain a secure, accessible record of their accounts and credentials. Not just for passwords, but for the people they'll leave behind.

Starting the Notification Process

If you're currently handling an estate, the first practical step is to list every account you know about. Bank statements, email subscriptions, browser bookmarks — anything that creates a paper or digital trail.

Then work through the timeline above. Don't try to do everything at once. Prioritize the accounts where continued inaction costs money, creates legal exposure, or puts assets at risk.

And when you're done — after the notifications, the closures, the waiting for account access, the phone calls to departments that have never heard of GDPR — you'll probably want to make sure your own family doesn't have to do the same thing.

Set up your digital legacy plan at LegacyShield — store your account records, important documents, and access instructions in one secure place, so the people you leave behind have a toolkit, not a scavenger hunt.