How to close an Instagram account of someone who died?

Don’t have the Instagram account information? No problem.

Instagram is another of the most popular social networks in the world, being part of its big sister Facebook.

Conversion of the account into a memorial account

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

For more information visit the following link: https://help.instagram.com/231764660354188

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

Important: If you do not have access to your loved one’s account, you must be an immediate family member to request removal of their Instagram account.

Instagram requires the following documentation:

• Birth certificate of your loved one.
• Death certificate.
• Proof of authority that you are the legal representative of the decedent or the decedent’s estate.

Once you have this documentation you must fill out the following form to request the deletion of the account:

https://help.instagram.com/contact/1474899482730688

For the official Instagram page about closing an account of a person who passed away: https://help.instagram.com/264154560391256

If you have access to your Loved One’s account

• Log in to your account.
• Go to this page (on a mobile device or computer):
  • https://www.instagram.com/accounts/remove/request/permanent/
• Select the menu option next to “Why are you deleting your account?” and re-enter the password.
• Select “Delete my account permanently”.

Note: When you delete the account; your profile, photos, videos, comments, likes and followers will be permanently deleted.

For the official Instagram page on how to delete an account, https://help.instagram.com/139886812848894

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.