Which documents to keep in your safe
A practical guide to deciding which papers to store in your secure safe and how to organize them so you can find them when you need them.
The Noryo safe is the place to gather, in one secure location, the documents that truly matter in your financial and administrative life. Instead of scattering them across drawers, emails, and phone photos, you keep them encrypted, organized, and accessible from all your devices. The key is knowing what to put in it. Here’s how to sort them.
Essential documents
Some papers deserve a permanent place in your safe, as you need them repeatedly or in case of an emergency. Keeping them on hand saves you from searching for them in a rush.
- ID papers: ID card, passport, driver's license, residence permit.
- Recent proofs of address: energy bill, rent receipt, certificate.
- Important contracts: lease, loan, home, auto, health, and protection insurance.
- Tax documents: tax notices, returns, supporting documents to keep.
- Payslips and employer certificates.
- Useful bank statements and documents.
There’s no need to digitize everything on day one. Start by storing your ID documents and insurance contracts: these are the ones you most often need in a hurry.
Ready-to-use folders
To save you time, the safe already includes folders organized by theme. Simply place each document in the right folder.
The suggested folders
- Identity
- Cards, passports, licenses, and any official civil-status document.
- Invoices
- Energy and telecom bills, purchases to keep under warranty.
- Contracts
- Lease, binding subscriptions, service contracts.
- Taxes
- Tax notices, returns, and supporting tax documents.
- Insurance
- Contracts, certificates, and claim reports.
- Payslips
- Pay slips and employment-related certificates.
- Bank statements
- Account statements and financial documents.
- Other
- Everything that does not fit elsewhere, while waiting for better filing.
If these folders aren’t enough, you can create your own: one folder per child, per property, or per project, for example.
How long should you keep them?
Retention periods vary depending on the type of document and regulations. For guidance only, here are some common benchmarks. When in doubt, keep them longer: a digitized document takes up no physical space.
| Type de document | Repère de conservation |
|---|---|
| Avis et déclarations d'impôts | Plusieurs années après l'exercice concerné |
| Quittances de loyer | Toute la durée de location, puis quelques années |
| Bulletins de paie | À conserver jusqu'à la retraite |
| Factures avec garantie | Pendant toute la durée de la garantie |
| Contrats d'assurance | Tant que le contrat est actif, puis quelques années |
These durations are provided for guidance only and do not constitute legal or tax advice. Refer to the official rules applicable to your situation.
What to avoid putting in it
The safe is designed for your personal and financial documents. A few best practices help keep it useful and clear.
- Avoid needlessly heavy files: a sharp, legible photo is enough.
- Prefer one document per file rather than one long catch-all PDF, for better filing.
- Check legibility before archiving, especially for a scan taken on the fly.
Take advantage of content search
Once added, your documents can be searched by their content, not just by their file name. You can find a document by typing a word it contains, even if you’ve forgotten what you named it. The more you organize, the more powerful the search becomes.
All the search and filtering tips.