Checklist · Folder · within reach

Documents & money

A document dossier with originals and copies plus a cash reserve – within reach in one place and additionally backed up encrypted in digital form. With the cash we deliberately go beyond the federal rule of thumb: as a voluntary reserve, about one month's budget in small notes and some coins – each household sets the amount itself.

Last reviewed on 26.07.2026

This template can be saved and customised in your account as your own tickable checklist.

Identity

Identity
Item	Amount	Note
Passport / identity card	—	—
Family record book & ID documents	—	incl. birth, marriage and divorce certificates – civil status certificates belong in the folder as originals
AHV & health insurance card	—	—
Children's ID documents	—	—

Contracts & finances

Contracts & finances
Item	Amount	Note
Insurance policies	—	—
Tenancy agreement / land register extract	—	—
Bank & account information	—	incl. pension and income certificates as well as savings books and securities
Cash reserve in small notes	1 month's budget	our recommendation: a reserve for about one month in small notes and some coins – voluntary, more than the FONES rule of thumb «a week's groceries plus a tank of fuel»; each household sets the amount itself

Medicine & law

Medicine & law
Item	Amount	Note
Vaccination record	—	—
Medication & allergy list	—	—
Advance directive	—	—
Powers of attorney	—	—
Will (last will and testament)	—	the original or a certified copy goes in the folder – together with the advance directive and the powers of attorney

Digital backup

Digital backup
Item	Amount	Note
Encrypted USB stick	—	test the restore every year, unplug the stick after backing up; keep a second digital backup in a separate location (external hard drive or cloud)
Important photos & contacts backed up	—	—
Photo inventory of the home & valuables	—	for the insurance: photograph rooms and valuables, add the receipts – keep a copy outside the home
Second copy deposited externally	—	a set of copies with a trusted person, a notary or in a bank safe-deposit box – protects you if fire or flooding destroys the folder
Emergency access to passwords & accounts	—	a practical tip with no official source – print out the recovery codes and the password manager's emergency access and put them sealed with the folder

Within reach & up to date

Within reach & up to date
Item	Amount	Note
The folder in a fixed place – everyone in the household knows it	—	in an evacuation the whole dossier goes into the emergency baggage – otherwise the backpack takes only copies and a small emergency amount («Emergency backpack» checklist)
Update it every year	—	policies and certificates change all the time – check the copies and the cash on hand at the same time