Ask most Indian crypto holders who gets their coins if something happens to them and the honest answer is “I haven’t thought about it.” Stocks and mutual funds have pushed nominees on investors for years. Crypto exchanges have quietly added the same option, but the rules differ by exchange, and the coins people keep in their own wallets have no such option at all.
The short answer: open your exchange app today and add a nominee. It takes a few minutes, it’s free, and it saves your family a much harder claim later. Then deal with any crypto that sits outside the exchange, because no form covers it.
What each exchange allows
We read the nomination rules that CoinDCX and WazirX publish in their help centres. Here is how they compare.
| CoinDCX | WazirX | Your own wallet (Ledger, Trezor, app wallet) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Where to add | App only: Profile, Account Settings, Nominee Details, then OTP | App: Profile settings, Account Management, Add a Nominee | No option |
| Who can be nominee | Any individual you trust, family or not | Parents, grandparents, parents-in-law, children, grandchildren, children-in-law, spouse, siblings | Whoever ends up with the recovery phrase |
| How many | Not stated in the help article we read | One | Not applicable |
| Can a minor be nominee | Not stated in the help article we read | Yes, with a guardian other than you | Not applicable |
| Edit later | Not stated in the help article we read | No; delete and re-add | Not applicable |
| Fee | Not stated in the help article we read | None | None |
Sources: CoinDCX: how to add a nominee, CoinDCX: who can be a nominee, WazirX nomination FAQs.
Two details are easy to miss. On CoinDCX the nominee doesn’t need an account when you add them, but to receive anything they must open a CoinDCX account and finish KYC. On WazirX the name and date of birth must match an official ID such as Aadhaar, PAN, a driving licence or a passport, and because the entry can’t be edited, a typo means deleting and starting again.
A nominee is a caretaker, not automatically the owner
CoinDCX says it plainly: nomination “does not override applicable succession laws”, and heirs’ rights still follow the law and any valid will. That matches how nominees work for bank accounts and shares in India. The nominee receives the assets; if the will or succession law says someone else is entitled, that person can claim from the nominee.
So if you want your crypto to go to one person, a nominee alone isn’t enough. Name them in your will too, or the nominee and the legal heirs could end up arguing over who keeps the coins.
What your family has to send
The WazirX FAQ lists what a claim needs, sent by email to its support team:
- Email IDs of the deceased and the beneficiary
- PAN and Aadhaar of the deceased
- PAN and Aadhaar of the beneficiary
- Death certificate
- Proof of relationship, such as a marriage certificate or passport
- Probated will, if any
- Succession certificate or letter of administration from a court
- An affidavit
WazirX adds that its claims team can ask for more. CoinDCX runs a separate demise claim process that also lets a legal heir claim when no nominee was added. Either way, it helps if your family knows which exchange you use. A one-line note listing your exchanges and the email on each account is worth more than any app setting.
The crypto no exchange can hand over
Coins in a hardware wallet or a phone wallet belong to whoever holds the recovery phrase. There’s no support desk, no death claim and no court order that can bring them back. If the phrase dies with you, the coins are gone for good.
The usual fixes, in order of simplicity:
- Sealed letter with the will. Write the recovery phrase on paper, seal it, and leave it with your will or with a lawyer. Simple, but anyone who opens it early can take everything.
- Split storage. Keep the wallet device in one place and the phrase in another, and tell one trusted person where both are.
- Move it back to an exchange. If the amount is small or your family isn’t comfortable with wallets, keeping it on an FIU-IND registered exchange with a nominee is the easiest thing for them to claim. Moving your own coins between your own accounts isn’t a sale, as we explained in our self-custody tax piece.
If you do use a hardware wallet, buy it the safe way first; our Ledger buying checklist covers that.
What it means for Indian investors
There’s no tax when an heir receives crypto, but when they later sell, they pay 30% plus 4% cess on the gain worked out from the original owner’s cost. That’s why your family also needs your purchase records, not just the coins. We worked through the numbers in how inherited Bitcoin is taxed in India. Keep your exchange tax reports, wallet addresses and purchase dates in one folder alongside the note.
BtcMedia verdict: Exchanges are now about as easy to pass on as a demat account. Self-custody isn’t. A nominee covers the first. Only a written plan covers the second.
FAQ
Can I add a friend as my crypto nominee? On CoinDCX, yes: it accepts any individual you trust. On WazirX, no: nominees must be close family.
Does the nominee become the legal owner of my crypto? Not automatically. CoinDCX says nomination doesn’t override succession law, so a will or legal heirs can still claim the assets from the nominee.
What happens to crypto in a Ledger if the owner dies? Whoever has the recovery phrase can move it. Without the phrase, nobody can, including Ledger.
How we checked this: CoinDCX and WazirX help-centre pages read on 1 November 2026, 8:50 AM IST. Rules can change; check your exchange’s app before relying on them. This is general information, not financial or legal advice.