Documents to Keep Safe Checklist

What you will need

• What are you preparing for?: Options: leaving abuse, eviction or losing a home, job loss, after a crime, general.
• Where will you keep copies? (text): A trusted person, a workplace locker, or a private email or cloud folder the other person cannot open.
• More detail: tick what you have (checklist): ID or passport; birth certificates; marriage or divorce papers; protection order and SAPS case numbers; J88 or medical reports; photos and screenshots of abuse or threats with dates; lease or title deed; eviction or court papers; payslips, UI-19 and certificate of service; bank statements; medical aid or clinic card; SASSA card and grant papers; children's school and clinic records; insurance policies; will.

How it works

Filter list by situation: abuse -> protection order, case numbers, J88, evidence log, ID for children; eviction -> lease, notices, court papers, rent receipts; job loss -> payslips, UI-19, certificate of service, contract, dismissal letter; crime -> case number, insurance, bank and cellphone reference numbers. Remind: photos of documents in a private cloud or email are acceptable back-ups; never store evidence only on a shared or checked phone.

What you get

• Documents you have
• Documents to get or copy

What it means

• Your ID comes first: Home Affairs can issue a replacement, and many services need it.
• Start a simple dated record of what happened, kept somewhere the other person cannot see.

Next step: Want help interpreting this? Legal Aid SA or a Cleared Mind counsellor can tell you which documents matter most for your situation.

Runs on the device. Nothing is saved unless the member chooses. The app never uploads photos of documents unless the member chooses a cloud back-up.