How do I initiate an inheritance claim? – Bitkey

An inheritance claim can only be initiated by a beneficiary with an Active status.
👉 If you're unsure of your status, see How do I see if I successfully accepted my beneficiary invitation?

From the Bitkey app Home screen, tap the settings icon
Tap Inheritance
Go to the Benefactors tab and tap Manage next to the name of your benefactor
Tap Start inheritance claim, then tap Continue
If you haven’t already set up critical alerts, you’ll be prompted to do so
- These alerts are required, as your claim may require action from you during the process
Tap Submit claim and confirm using your hardware device
🛑 If you receive the message Claim submission failed, it means your benefactor did not complete activating their Inheritance setup.
Without activation, you won’t be able to initiate a claim. Your benefactor must reopen their app to finish setup before you can proceed.
Once submitted, you’ll see a confirmation screen with the message Inheritance claim submitted, along with the date your funds will become available. Tap Done to exit.

⚠️ Important:
There is a mandatory six-month waiting period before funds can be transferred from your benefactor’s wallet to your own.

During this time:

The funds remain in your benefactor’s wallet and under their control
Bitkey will repeatedly notify the benefactor that a claim has been started
If the benefactor is still alive, they may decline and cancel the claim
The claim can be canceled at any time during the waiting period
→ Both parties will be notified if a cancellation occurs
→ A canceled claim cannot be reinstated. You would need to initiate a new claim if canceled in error

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