Which documents you must never throw away - and what to do if you can no longer find your birth certificate and passport
Created: 2022-02-08 17:09
By: Juliane Gutmann
The identity card is currently required in many places in connection with the presentation of the corona vaccination certificate.
© Peter Kneffel/dpa
Would you like to create order in your home?
Mucking out not only frees you from ballast, but also creates space.
But some things should definitely not end up in the bin.
The filing is overflowing, the folders are exploding themselves and you basically don't want to enter your office anymore because the clutter has gotten the upper hand?
The simple solution: They provide more storage space in the form of new shelves, new folders and new filing options.
However, the following option is even better: Go through your papers and documents at your leisure and dispose of everything that is no longer useful.
These include instructions for use for technical equipment that has long since been thrown away, outdated travel guides or receipts* whose writing has become illegible.
You will notice: Most of what has accumulated in recent years can be disposed of without any problems.
But there are exceptions.
Important documents should be kept safe and protected from moisture.
This includes not only the birth certificate.
Also read:
Do you like to pay with an EC or credit card?
Which is why you should better check the back of the receipt
ID card, marriage certificate to securities: These documents must be kept
Stiftung Warentest, a non-profit German consumer organization, has published a list of documents you shouldn't throw away.
A selection:
Birth certificate:
You will need this for the first ID, the registration for marriage and the pension application.
But if you can no longer find it, you can apply for it again at the responsible registry office.
According to the Stiftung Warentest, there has also been an electronic register since 2009.
ID Cards and Passports
: An ID card is required to identify yourself.
For example in the case of a police check.
A passport, on the other hand, only needs to be shown if you are traveling to a non-EU country.
Anyone who has lost their identity card or passport can apply for a new one at the responsible Citizens’ Registration Office.
School and job references
: All documents about training from the age of 16 are needed for the pension application, informs Stiftung Warentest.
Graduation certificates are usually indispensable if you want to apply again.
If you lose your certificates, you can apply for them again at the respective school.
Graduation and leaving certificates must be kept there for 50 years.
Social security card:
This is required if you change employers.
That's enough for some
Social security number, others want to see the original ID.
It is best to write down the number.
In the event of loss, the pension insurance institutions or the statutory health insurance company can issue a new ID card.
Valid securities in paper form:
According to Stiftung Warentest, you absolutely need the original of the security in order to claim dividends, interest, profit sharing or the repayment of capital in the case of so-called bearer securities.
As a rule, bearer shares cannot be reapplied for if they are lost.
The will:
Caution is required here, because only the original is legally difficult to challenge.
"If a will is lost, the desired heir may not be able to assert his rights because the legal succession occurs," quotes Stiftung Warentest Jan Bittler from the German Association for Inheritance Law and Asset Succession.
Recovery is not possible.
That is why Bittler advises: "It is strongly recommended that the will be officially stored at the probate court".
(jg) *Merkur.de is an offer from IPPEN.MEDIA.
