Can My Wife Access My Bitcoin?
Spousal Access Readiness for Bitcoin Holdings
This memo is published by CustodyStress, an independent Bitcoin custody stress test that produces reference documents for individuals, families, and professionals.
What the Question Assumes
A holder asks whether a spouse could access bitcoin if the holder were unavailable. The question often arises under calm conditions. No emergency exists. The holder wonders: can my wife access my bitcoin if something happens to me?
This document addresses what this question means. It also describes what determines whether the answer is yes or no.
What the Question Assumes
The question "can my wife access my bitcoin" often assumes that relationship creates access. The holder and spouse are married. They share a household. They may share finances. The holder assumes this sharing extends to bitcoin.
The question also assumes that trust creates access. The holder trusts the spouse. The holder would want the spouse to have access. The holder assumes this intent creates capability.
These assumptions confuse different things. Relationship and trust are not the same as access.
What Determines Access
Access to bitcoin depends on specific things. It depends on keys. It depends on devices. It depends on knowing where things are stored. It depends on knowing passwords and PINs.
Access does not depend on marriage. Access does not depend on trust. Access does not depend on legal relationship. These things matter for other reasons. They do not create technical access.
Whether wife access bitcoin is possible depends on the custody system, not the relationship.
Relationship Does Not Create Access
A spouse has a relationship with the holder. The spouse may be named in a will. The spouse may have legal rights to marital property. These are relationship facts.
Bitcoin does not recognize relationship. Bitcoin recognizes keys. A spouse without keys cannot access bitcoin. A spouse without knowledge of where keys are stored cannot find them.
The question "can my spouse access my bitcoin" is answered by custody design, not by marriage.
The Holder Asks the Question
The system in a scenario involves a holder who asks: can my wife access my bitcoin? The holder knows where keys are stored. The holder knows which devices matter. The holder knows passwords and PINs.
The spouse may not know these things. The spouse may not know what a seed phrase is. The spouse may not know which device contains the wallet. The spouse may not know where backups are located.
The holder has access. Whether the spouse has access is a different question.
Knowledge and Access
Access requires knowledge. Someone attempting to access bitcoin needs to know certain things. They need to know what bitcoin is. They need to know that it exists. They need to know where keys are stored.
A spouse who does not know these things cannot access bitcoin. Knowing that bitcoin exists is not the same as knowing how to reach it. The question "can my wife access my bitcoin" depends on what the spouse knows.
Spouse bitcoin access requires knowledge that the holder may not have shared.
Devices and Access
Access often requires physical things. A hardware wallet may be needed. A computer with specific software may be needed. A phone with an app may be needed.
A spouse may not know which devices matter. A spouse may not know how to use them. A spouse may not know passwords needed to unlock them.
The question "can my wife access my bitcoin" depends on whether the spouse can use the devices involved.
Location and Access
Access requires finding things. Keys may be stored in a specific place. Backups may be in a safe. Seed phrases may be written on paper somewhere.
A spouse may not know these locations. A spouse may not know that a backup exists. A spouse may not know what a seed phrase looks like or where to find it.
Whether wife access bitcoin succeeds depends on whether the spouse can find what is needed.
Legal Rights and Technical Access
A spouse may have legal rights to bitcoin. Marital property laws may apply. Estate laws may apply. A court may recognize the spouse's claim.
Legal rights do not create technical access. A court can say the spouse owns the bitcoin. The court cannot provide the keys. Legal authority and technical access are different things.
The question "can my spouse access my bitcoin" asks about technical capability, not legal rights.
Assumption Versus Coordination
A holder may assume the spouse can access bitcoin. The holder may assume the spouse knows enough. The holder may assume that being married is enough.
These assumptions are not the same as coordination. Coordination means the spouse actually knows what is needed. Coordination means the spouse can actually find and use what is required.
Recovery in a scenario may fail if the holder assumed but did not coordinate.
What the Answer Depends On
The answer to "can my wife access my bitcoin" depends on specific things. Does the spouse know bitcoin exists? Does the spouse know where keys are stored? Does the spouse know which devices matter? Does the spouse know passwords and PINs?
If the answer to these questions is yes, then spouse bitcoin access may be possible. If the answer to these questions is no, then access may not be possible.
The answer depends on custody design and coordination, not on relationship status.
A Coordination Property
Access is a coordination property. It exists when systems are connected and knowledge is shared. It does not exist when systems are separate and knowledge is private.
The holder controls whether access exists. The holder decides what to share. The holder decides what to document. The holder decides whether coordination happens.
The question "can my wife access my bitcoin" asks about a property the holder creates, not a property that marriage creates.
Summary
The question "can my wife access my bitcoin" is often rooted in assumptions about marriage and shared finances. The holder may assume that relationship or trust creates access. These assumptions confuse different things.
Access depends on keys, devices, locations, and knowledge. It does not depend on marriage or legal relationship. Legal rights do not create technical access.
The answer to whether wife access bitcoin is possible depends on custody design and coordination. It reflects whether access paths exist, not intent or trust. Spousal access is a coordination property that the holder creates, not a given that marriage provides.
System Context
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