When a Loved One Passes: A Family Guide to NexudeIT Legacy Cases

When Someone You Love Has Passed Away

A guide for families. No technical jargon. Take it one step at a time.

First — we're so sorry. Losing someone is one of the hardest things a person ever goes through, and dealing with their online accounts is something most of us are not prepared for. There is no clock ticking against you here. NexudeIT will be here tomorrow, next week, and next month. Take whatever time you need with your family before you start any of this. When you're ready, this guide will walk you through it in plain language, the way a friend would.

You have four options. Most people pick one of two.

NexudeIT offers four post-mortem paths. You do not have to understand all of them. In practice, most families pick one of the first two:

Memorialise — their profile and store are preserved as a read-only In Memoriam page. Friends can still visit; reviews and posts are kept; no new activity happens. This is the gentlest option and the most common choice.
Data-Only Export — you receive a copy of their data (photos, messages metadata, store, profile, order history) as an encrypted file. The account itself stays exactly as it was. Pick this if you mostly want to keep their digital mementos but aren't ready to make bigger decisions.
Transfer ownership — a court-appointed executor takes over their store, escrow funds, affiliate balance, and other assets. This requires probate documents (letters of testamentary). Pick this if there's real value in the store that needs to pass to an heir.
Delete — permanently erase the account. This is irreversible and takes the longest because of the safety windows we use. Pick this if your family wants no remaining trace.

If you're unsure, start with Memorialise. You can always do something else later; you cannot undo a deletion.

What documents to gather

For Memorialise and Data Export:

A certified copy of the death certificate (or, if you don't have one yet, a verifiable obituary or a signed funeral home letter on letterhead)
Your own government-issued photo ID
Something showing your relationship — a marriage certificate, a birth certificate, or proof you were named as a Legacy Contact
A short signed statement confirming everything is genuine (we'll give you a template)

For Transfer, add: court-issued letters of testamentary (or letters of administration, or the equivalent in your country), and a notarised Authorization for Posthumous Digital Access. We'll guide you through what your country's specific document is called when you submit.

How long will it take?

We're going to be honest with you: this is not fast. Memorialise takes about 30 to 45 days. Data export takes 14 to 30 days. Transferring ownership of a store takes 60 to 120 days, sometimes longer if the estate is contested. Deletion takes 60 to 90 days. We know that's painful when you just want it to be done. The reason is that each of those windows is there to protect you and your family from someone using a fake death to steal an account. We explain that more in our "Why our process is slow on purpose" guide.

You'll keep seeing notifications — that's on purpose

During the waiting window, NexudeIT will keep emailing the deceased's address, and may text the phone number on file or send push notifications to their old devices. It's normal to find this jarring. This is not us forgetting your loved one is gone. It's us giving any living owner one last chance to log in and say "wait, I'm still here" before we make changes that can't easily be undone. If your loved one is really gone, no one will log in, the notifications will stop, and the flow will complete on schedule. We're sorry for the discomfort they cause in the meantime.

What if I'm not the executor?

You don't have to be. If you were named as a Legacy Contact, you can start a Memorialise or Data Export request right away. If you weren't, you can still file a request — we'll just take a little longer reviewing and may extend the notice window. For a Transfer of valuable store assets, an executor with court papers is required; that's the law, not our policy. If there's no executor yet, talk to a probate attorney in your loved one's state or country — the estate-planning resources guide has a starting point.

Start a request

When you're ready, visit /support/legacy-requestand pick the flow you'd like to start. Our Trust & Safety team will pick up your case within one business day and walk you through what comes next. You can always email [email protected] if you have a question first.