You have collected a pile of NFTs, registered several ENS domains, and saved a few on-chain game characters in your browser bookmarks. Then one day, you are gone.
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Your heirs get your seed phrase and restore the wallet. But they only care about one thing: how to turn those pictures into cash. They probably never think about domains expiring next year, or on-chain game character permissions still under your name.
To inherit NFTs and on-chain domains, the core work is two actions: transferring authorization and renewing fees. Let's break it down by asset type.
Case 1: On-chain domains (ENS) — renewal is more urgent than transfer
ENS domains are different from other NFTs. They expire. If your heirs get the seed phrase but do not know they need to renew, a domain you paid hundreds of dollars for could be grabbed by someone else within 90 days after your death.
[What to do]: Write the domain renewal plan into your inheritance inventory, and set aside some ETH for renewal.
[How to do it]:
Check expiration time: In the ENS App, check the expiration date of each domain. All .eth domains follow the same renewal rules: $5 per year for 5+ characters, $160 for 4 characters, and $640 for 3 characters. After expiration, there is a 90-day grace period to renew. After the grace period, a 21-day temporary premium auction begins, with a starting bid of $100 million. That means if the domain is expired too long, a normal person simply cannot buy it back.
Set aside renewal funds: In the inheritance inventory, write: 'Please make sure the following ENS domains are renewed before expiration. Renewal requires ETH on Ethereum mainnet, and the address is [XXX].' Clearly list the domains and renewal cycles.
Transfer domain control: If the domain needs to go to the heir's name, use the 'Transfer' function in the ENS App to send it to the heir's address. Note: once a domain is imported into ENS, control on the DNS side is separate from the ENS side. Changing DNS TXT records will not automatically update ENS, and vice versa.
[Done when]: You have an 'ENS domain inventory' that includes each domain's expiration date, estimated renewal cost in ETH, and the deadline by which the heir must complete renewal.
Risk reminder: If you imported a traditional DNS domain (such as .com) into ENS, renewal still happens at your original domain registrar. The ENS side does not charge any renewal fee. But your inheritance plan must make clear that the login details for the domain registrar account must also be given to the heir. Otherwise, the domain could expire on the registrar side and be grabbed by someone else.
Case 2: Ordinary NFTs — transfer authorization is more hidden than transferring the asset
Transferring an NFT itself is simple: the heir gets the seed phrase, opens OpenSea or Rarible, clicks 'Transfer,' enters their own address, and confirms the transaction. But the problem is not this step. The problem is what approvals you gave these NFTs while you were alive.
Many people approve their NFTs to others in games or lending protocols. For example, you play a blockchain game and approve the game contract to transfer your character NFT. If you die, that approval still exists. If the game contract has a vulnerability or is malicious, the heir's NFT could also be transferred away.
[What to do]: In the inheritance inventory, note 'which NFTs were approved to which contracts,' and guide heirs to revoke those approvals.
[How to do it]:
Use Revoke.cash or Etherscan's Token Approvals page to check the approval list for each of your NFTs.
List the NFTs that are approved to third-party contracts separately, and write: 'This NFT is approved to [contract address]. After inheritance, first revoke the approval before transferring.'
If the asset size is large, consider using an inheritance-controlled NFT extension. This is a new ERC-721 extension standard that allows users to delegate NFT transfer permissions to a registry. When inheritance conditions are met, the NFT transfers automatically, without the heir needing to take manual action.
[Done when]: You have confirmed that at least one NFT currently has an unrevoked third-party approval, and you have written the revocation steps into the operation manual.
Common failure: thinking 'I can see the NFT in the wallet' means 'I can transfer it normally'
Many people think they 'hold' an NFT, but what they actually hold is an NFT with an existing approval. The wallet address is still the owner, but some third-party contract also has transferFrom permission. If the heir does not know about this approval and directly clicks 'Transfer,' they may see an error like 'This token cannot be transferred because of a lock.' Without revoking the approval, the NFT cannot be moved.
Risk reminder
The UK Property (Digital Assets etc) Act 2025 received Royal Assent on 2 December 2025. It officially recognizes cryptocurrency and NFTs as property with clear legal effect for executors and estate administrators. This legal framework means: if you do not make clear inheritance arrangements for NFTs and domains, heirs can legally claim inheritance rights — but if they lack private keys or approval information, the law itself cannot help them 'recover' the assets. A court will not reset a seed phrase for you.
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How to verify the work is done
After finishing the above arrangements, do a 'two years later simulation test':
Check domain expiration dates: Confirm how much time remains until the earliest expiration date on your list. If it is less than 180 days away, renew it now — do not leave it for heirs to handle after you die.
Check NFT approval status: On Etherscan, check the approval list for all your NFTs. If there are unrevoked approvals, decide whether to revoke them depending on the situation. For game contracts still in use, you can keep the approval, but note it in the inventory.
Do an 'heir simulation': Give a friend who knows nothing about crypto your seed phrase and your inheritance inventory. See whether they can find the domain renewal entry and understand which NFTs need approval revoked before transfer. If they get stuck, revise your instructions until they can understand them.
It is recommended to do an on-chain asset review once a year. Confirm that all approved contracts are still under control and that domains are not close to expiring. Unlike ETH, these things are not simply 'visible in the wallet' — they need active maintenance.
