A Legacy Keeper is someone who a Bequeath user personally chooses to notify Bequeath of their passing and activate the items to be released. It’s the most trusted role.

When someone appoints you as their Legacy Keeper, it means they trust you to initiate the process that releases their items to the people they’ve chosen. You are safeguarding the moment the items are shared.

Everything inside a Bequeath vault is private and fully controlled by the vault owner while they are alive. A Legacy Keeper does not have access to any of this content, unless they’ve been nominated as a recipient of one/some of the items within the vault.

A Legacy Keeper:

Notifies Bequeath if you pass away
Helps initiate verification
Does not control your vault
Does not access your content
Does not decide who receives what
Does not edit or override instructions

What does a Legacy Keeper do?

A Legacy Keeper has the core responsibility to notify Bequeath if and when the vault owner passes away. That notification initiates a structured verification process designed to protect everyone involved.

Once verification is completed:

The vault is unlocked
Recipients are notified
Items are released according to the vault owner’s exact instructions

The Legacy Keeper does not:

Read the vault contents
Edit anything
Decide who receives what
Distribute assets
Override instructions

The Process

1. Initiate the Death Notification on the Bequeath Vault.

If the Legacy Keeper is a Bequeath user, they will be able to do this from their vault. If they are not a user, they will have access to the guest section of the vault.

2. Active Account Check

If the vault owner’s account is still active, Bequeath contacts them directly via email. They are given a time-sensitive opportunity to confirm they are alive and reject the notification. Nothing proceeds without this safeguard.

3. Multiple Legacy Keepers (If Appointed)

If more than one Legacy Keeper has been nominated, confirmation is required from all designated parties before anything moves forward.

No vault access is released until confirmations are complete.

4. Verification Completed

Once confirmations are received and verification is complete:

The vault unlocks
Recipients are notified via email of the items designated to them.

5. Vault Closure

As a Legacy Keeper, you have the option to keep the vault open by taking over the yearly subscription payments. Please contact support@bequeath.io to explore this option.

Why do you need a Legacy Keeper?

Each person’s Bequeath vault needs to be unlocked by someone they trust after that person passes away. The Legacy Keeper is the custodian of the vault as the vault cannot unlock itself. For items within the vault to be released, someone needs to initiate the process.

Appointing a Legacy Keeper gives you peace of mind and ensures:

Your messages are delivered
Your documents reach the right hands
Your digital life isn’t left in limbo
Your loved ones are guided
Your legacy is shared with clarity and care

Choosing your Legacy Keeper(s):

Choose someone who is:

Responsible
Emotionally steady
Trustworthy
Likely to outlive you
Comfortable handling administrative tasks if required

This does not have to be your spouse, your executor or a recipient of your items within your vault. It simply needs to be someone you trust to press the button when the time comes.

What happens after a Legacy Keeper acts?

Once a verified declaration is completed:

Your vault unlocks
Recipients are notified
Items are released according to your instructions

If your Legacy Keeper is also a recipient, they will see only what you allocated to them.

LEGACY KEEPER FAQS

If the vault owner rejects a submitted notification, their vault remains locked, no items are released and no recipients are notified. The Legacy Keeper is informed that the declaration was declined.
Yes - if they are a Bequeath user, they will have access to the vaults of those whose vaults they are custodians of from a link in their own account. If they are not a Bequeath user, they can sign into a free guest account.
The Legacy Keeper guest account allows them to:
- Accept or decline the role
- View their Legacy Keeper status
- Submit a notification if ever required
- Log in if they are also named as a recipient
The account does not grant access to the vault’s contents unless they are separately named as a recipient for specific items.
No. The role remains inactive unless and until it is needed.
Yes. You can:
- Add more than one
- Remove one
- Replace them
- Edit their details
- Update your vault at any time
As life changes, your vault can change too.
Without a designated Legacy Keeper your vault remains locked, your recipients cannot be notified, and your messages stay unopened.
Bequeath is designed to protect your autonomy while you’re alive and your wishes when you’re not. Essentially a Legacy Keeper bridges that moment.

What is a Legacy Keeper?