How to close a Facebook account of someone who died?

Don’t have your loved one’s Facebook account login information? Don’t worry.

As you know Facebook is the most popular social network in the world where you can connect with your friends and family.

Important: before deleting an account, you have the option to download a copy of the information.

https://www.facebook.com/help/212802592074644

Conversion of the account into a memorial account

Memorial accounts can be a good option instead of deleting the account, providing a place for friends to share memories of a loved one who died. Making an account a memorial account helps protect it, as no one will be able to log in.

For more information click on the following link:

https://www.facebook.com/help/contact/234739086860192?helpref=faq_content

If you do not have access to your Loved One’s account

You will need to provide documentation showing that you are a relative or executor. They can be the following documents:

• Power of attorney.
• Birth certificate.
• Last will and testament.
• Letter of succession.

A document to certify that the person is deceased:

• Obituary
• Commemorative card
• Death certificate
• Medical certificate of death

The information on the documents you send must match the deceased person’s account.

Once you have gathered the documentation to confirm that you are a family member, send the forms to:

https://www.facebook.com/help/1518259735093203?helpref=faq_content

If you have access to your Loved One’s account

Log in and follow these steps to delete the account:

• Go to the top right of the page. Select “Settings and Privacy”.
• Now select “Configuration”.
• Click on “Your Facebook information” in the left column.
• Select “Deactivation and deletion”.
• You will have the following options: deactivate the account or delete it permanently.
• To proceed with closing your account, choose “Permanently delete account” and click “Continue”.
• Enter the password and click “Delete account”.

Two paths: memorialise it or delete it

This is the real decision, and it is worth making as a family before sending anything.

• Memorialised account. The word “Remembering” appears next to the name. Nobody can log in again, which protects the profile from impersonation. Everything the person posted stays, with the same privacy settings it had.
• Permanent deletion. Everything goes: photos, messages and posts. It cannot be recovered.

Our recommendation, from working with grieving families: if there is any doubt, memorialise. You can always delete later. You cannot go the other way.

What documents they ask for

Either option needs two things: proof of death, usually the death certificate or a published obituary, and proof that you have standing to ask, such as evidence that you are an immediate family member or the legal executor.

The legacy contact, set up while alive

There is a role almost nobody uses: the legacy contact. The person names them while still alive, and once the account is memorialised that person can pin a post to the top of the profile, for example with the funeral details, change the profile and cover photos, accept friend requests and remove tags.

What they can never do is read the private messages. That door stays closed to everyone.

This is not the only account left open. We have a guide on how to close accounts after the death of a loved one and another on what a death certificate is and how to get one.

At Boinita we can take care of the cremation of your loved one. Then, once we have returned the ashes to you, you can arrange a simple memorial service that is perfect for you and your family.

For more information about our service go to https://boinita.com

Boinita offers Single Cremation services without a Funeral Service, with a fixed price and 24-7 customer service. Boinita is located in the metropolitan areas of Aguascalientes, Cancun, Hermosillo, Merida and San Luis Potosi.

In Pet Cremation Services we are located in the cities of Aguascalientes, Cancun, Chihuahua, Ciudad Juarez, Leon, Merida, Puebla, San Luis Potosi, Tijuana and Toluca.