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Free checklist for families

The 12 most important documents every family should have at hand

In an emergency every minute counts. This checklist shows what you should gather in one place – including an overview of how long to keep what. No signing up, no waiting: just view and download.

Download checklist as PDF

2 pages · PDF · to print & check off

A burst pipe in the middle of the night, an accident, a sudden hospital stay – and suddenly you're looking for papers no one can find right away. Check off below what you already have. What's missing becomes your to-do list for the next quiet weekend.

1

IDs & identity

3 documents
ID cards – of all family members, including expired ones
Passports – for children since 2024 the electronic passport (travel outside the EU)
Registration certificate – current address of all people
2

Civil status certificates

3 documents
Birth certificates – of each family member
Marriage certificate – or civil partnership certificate
Custody / acknowledgement of paternity – for unmarried parents
3

Insurance

2 documents
Insurance policies – health, liability, home contents, life insurance with policy number
Contact overview – contacts & phone numbers in case of a claim
4

Health

2 documents
Vaccination cards & check-up booklet – the children's health check-up booklet
Important findings & medication plans – for chronic conditions
5

Provisions & contracts

2 documents
Powers of attorney & directives – healthcare proxy, living will, care directive
Important contracts – rental, employment and loan agreements, account/finance overview
Tip: Create a cover sheet with the most important emergency contacts – GP, paediatrician, insurers, close relatives. That way, in an emergency, someone else has everything at hand immediately.
Good to know

How long do you have to keep what?

For private individuals there are hardly any legal retention obligations. But whoever throws away important papers too early risks real money in an emergency. The most important guide values:

DocumentRetention
Civil status certificates, diplomas, professional qualifications, proof of ownershipLifelong
Life & pension insurance policiesLifelong
Documents on career history & pensionUntil retirement
Insurance documents (general)Term + 3 years
Tax assessments6 years+
Bank documents & statements3–4 years
Tradesperson invoices (legal obligation)2 years
Paper or digital? For most receipts a clearly legible digital copy is enough – even for the tax office. Only a few documents (e.g. wills, notarial contracts) are accepted solely as originals. The same deadlines apply to digital documents as to paper.

Your digital emergency folder in 3 steps

1

Gather

Bring together all the documents on this checklist in one place. Only needed once.

2

Digitise

Scan or photograph each document and file it in clear categories.

3

Keep up to date

Once a year, replace what's expired and add what's new – e.g. at the turn of the year.

Steps 2 & 3 – fully automatic

Gathering is the start. FamilyOrg does the rest.

A checklist shows what matters – but scanning, sorting and finding still takes time. FamilyOrg does exactly that automatically: photograph a document, done. Everything is instantly searchable and, in an emergency, at hand in seconds.

✓Automatically recognised & sortedAI reads each document and files it in the right category.
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“Home contents insurance”
Insurance
Home contents insurance – policy
Policy no. HR-2024-8842 · PDF
Found in 0.8 sec.

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Download checklist as PDF
This checklist is not legal advice; deadlines may vary by federal state. As of 2026.