Knowledge base

It depends on what we mean by gaining access. From a purely technical point of view, if, on the basis of a valid court decision, we hand encrypted data to the police or a prosecutor, it will be impossible for them to read without your individual cryptographic key. We have no procedure or ability to hand over the files in plain (decrypted) form.

Yes. In ordinary document-storage services you get access to your files just by logging in. In Sejf Życia, simply entering the system does not let you read the data. To read it you also have to load your unique digital key (you create it after setting up your account; it is available only to you).

To further secure logging in, we recommend enabling two-factor authentication, which means entering an additional one-time code. By default the system sends the code to your email address, but we recommend configuring 2FA according to the instructions.

Yes. Every file or piece of information you place in Sejf Życia is first encrypted on your device (computer, phone or tablet) and only then sent to the safe’s space. When encrypting a document we use your unique access key, securing it in a way that makes access by third parties - and by us - practically impossible.

No, because the documents were encrypted on your device before being sent to Sejf Życia. All an administrator could see is a string of meaningless characters that is practically impossible to decrypt (it would take billions of years - to date no successful attempt to break the encryption algorithm we use has been documented).

Technology changes from day to day, and we adapt the safe’s protections on an ongoing basis. We meet the highest security standards recognised by the Polish Financial Supervision Authority (KNF), UOKiK, banks and insurance companies.

There is, however, always a minimal risk of a hacker attack. The way your documents are stored in Sejf Życia means that even if the data were stolen, it would be of no value to a hacker, because it is encrypted with a key that only you hold.

Yes - if you saved your login and password somewhere someone gained access to, e.g. on a note, an electronic note, browser memory or an unsecured file on a device. Even so, reading your files requires your individual key; without it no one can view or download the files.

Encryption is achieved by combining the best algorithms on the market, RSA and AES. To ensure even greater data security, in addition to encryption during data access we also use the Zero-Knowledge Proof methodology, which eliminates unauthorised attempts to access data.

Yes. If you consciously do not share a document with someone, for example a loved one, they will not gain access to it.

To make sure no one accesses data you want to keep secret after the safe is opened, set the “Mark as private data” option at the folder level. Thanks to this, after your death even the Account Guardian (your trustee) will not gain access to it.

A data leak alone (national ID number, ID card series) does not invalidate the document and usually does not require replacing it. Replacement can make sense when a scan of the ID has leaked; consider it and flag the document in Poland’s Reserved Documents (Dokumenty Zastrzeżone) system.

No. Compensation requires civil proceedings and proof of damage or harm; case law on data breaches is still developing. In practice, protective steps deliver faster results than pursuing claims.

Indirect signs: a wave of personalised spam and phishing, SMS messages about login attempts, credit inquiries in the credit register that you did not initiate. Services such as haveibeenpwned are also helpful for email addresses.

Minimally. A reservation blocks taking on liabilities and selected actions (for example withdrawing large cash amounts above a limit at a bank), and you can lift it in the app within a minute before a planned visit to a bank or notary.

Do the most important steps regardless of whether the phone was lost or stolen: block the SIM card with your carrier and turn on lost mode (remote lock and device location). Scale the rest - such as changing passwords or reserving documents from the app - to the risk: a phone lost in the woods is different from one snatched from your hand at a bus stop. If the phone turns up, all these safeguards can be undone.

Modern screen locks are strong; the bigger risk is a PIN someone watched earlier, or a phone snatched while unlocked. That is why fast remote and banking locks matter.

You block an eSIM with your carrier too; the upside is that it physically cannot be moved to another device. The reporting procedure is identical.

In order: unblock the SIM with your carrier, turn off lost mode, unblock banking, restore your mDowód (if you invalidated it, activate it again), and change PINs if there was any risk they were seen.

A note in your wallet - yes (it disappears together with your documents). A carefully kept notebook at home for a senior can be an acceptable compromise. For someone active online, a password manager is simply better in every respect.

Companies often have their own (business) managers. Do not mix vaults: private passwords in your private one, work passwords in the work one.

Partly yes, and it is an underrated benefit: autofill only works on the genuine domain. If the manager “refuses” to fill in your password on a bank page, that is a strong sign you are looking at a fake.

Sensible options exist in both models. Among the free ones, Bitwarden is worth recommending - it is open source, regularly audited, and encrypts passwords on your side, so its vaults have not been subject to any known serious data breach. In the paid version you mainly pay for sync convenience, family features and support - usually less than one coffee a month, which against the risk a manager reduces is a reasonable expense.

No. Losing a document is not an offence. Consequences arise from using someone else’s document or from failing to report the loss and allowing abuse - which is why acting quickly matters.

No. Once invalidated, a document stays invalid even if it turns up. Using it can cause trouble, for example at the border. Wait for the new ID.

After you reserve the document and your PESEL number it is very unlikely. A bank must check the PESEL reservation register before granting a loan, and a reserved ID card fails verification in the Reserved Documents System (in Polish System Dokumentów Zastrzeżonych, DZ) - a nationwide database to which banks, operators and other institutions report lost documents and which they check when concluding contracts. That is why reserving the ID card and the PESEL number comes first.

Similarly: reserve it in the Reserved Documents (DZ) system, report theft to the police, and notify the passport office or the vehicle registration department respectively.

On a USB stick keep only 2-3 truly critical documents that may be useful during a blackout with no power or internet (for example a scan of your ID and your most important policy) - and be sure to encrypt it (e.g. VeraCrypt or hardware), because a plain stick with a full set of scans, once lost, is a ready-made identity-theft kit. It is better to keep the full set of documents organised in Sejf Życia: the stick shares the fate of the bag, whereas an encrypted vault accessible from any device does not.

Not in plain form. Instead: an indication of where the passwords are kept and emergency-access instructions. A sheet of passwords in the folder is an invitation to abuse.

Turn off default sharing, review album links, and keep the most private material in a zero-knowledge encrypted vault rather than an ordinary cloud.

In a zero-knowledge encrypted vault, only you and the people you authorise have access to the scan. That is fundamentally different from emailing a scan or keeping it in an ordinary cloud.

To log in to the system you will use a login, which is your email address provided in the registration form. To log in you of course also need your account password, which you create when setting up or activating your account.

To protect your account against phishing, we recommend configuring two-factor authentication (2FA) - in that case the system may also ask you for a one-time authorisation code shown in an authenticator app (e.g. Google Authenticator or Microsoft Authenticator) or sent to your email address.

You can recover your login details through the standard password-recovery procedure. Just choose the appropriate option on the system login screen and follow the instructions shown on your device.

Remember - never give anyone one-time codes, regardless of how they were sent to you, nor your encryption key.

If you lose your encryption key, you can recover it after logging into the app and choosing the key-recovery option in your account settings. Select the icon with your initials, then click “Settings”, then the “Account security” tab, and use the “Recover key” option. To complete the procedure you will need the keywords you chose when creating your account.

Yes. Sejf Życia is also prepared for such an eventuality - we use data centres in various locations across Europe. We provide access to your data 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. To access your documents all you need is internet access.

Yes, the safe is accessible from anywhere in the world. All you need is internet access.

Yes, currently 4 languages are available in the app: Polish, English, Ukrainian and Czech. Further languages are in preparation.

Sejf Życia is an application running in the cloud. This means that when you have no internet access you will not be able to use it, but don’t worry - Sejf Życia is resilient even to global internet failures, and as soon as your connection is restored you will be able to use your data from anywhere in the world.

Yes. Backups of the encrypted data are made daily as well as every minute. They are kept in two independent data centres. They are saved using WORM technology, which provides resistance to ransomware attacks.

Yes, absolutely. The app is fully responsive, which means it adjusts automatically to your phone’s screen size.

Due to iOS limitations, the maximum size of a single uploaded file is 10 MB, and 15 MB on other devices and browsers. We do not support the “DuckDuckGo” browser.

No. The system does not version the documents and information saved in it. You can keep any number of files containing their different versions - how many, for how long and in what structure is entirely up to you.

Yes. To do this, enter the relevant area, select a folder, then select one or more documents, and choose the “Download selected” option.

Yes. The data you send to Sejf Życia is stored in a secured computing-cloud space - that is, differently than on your personal computer or smartphone.

All files and information that reach Sejf Życia are encrypted, and only you and the people you designate can read them. Thanks to cloud storage you no longer have to worry about what happens if your device breaks or you lose it in another situation (e.g. through theft).

Yes, but you should not store illegal material in the safe.

An additional limit is the single-document size of 15 MB (with the iOS exception of 10 MB). This does not, of course, apply to a farewell video. We are working on additional options that will allow storing large files.

Yes. Thanks to the safeguards in place, access to documents is held only by you and the people authorised for particular documents.

If you want to treat some information or documents as strictly private, you can simply not grant access to anyone, so they remain available only to you. And if you mark them as private data, you can be sure that even if the safe is opened, no one will see those files.

Yes. For photos the maximum size of one file is 15 MB. For video it is also 15 MB.

We are working on additional options allowing the storage of large files, including a farewell video, which will have a 512 MB limit.

You save documents in areas predefined in the safe:

• Home,
• Access,
• Finances,
• My will,
• Personal,
• Work,
• Family,
• Insurance,
• Health.

Within these areas you can create any folders into which you “put” your documents and information. You can name folders as you wish and create any number of them.

When you receive access to Sejf Życia from your provider (e.g. an employer, a service provider, an insurer), the list of areas may be extended with additional areas related to their activity.

Yes, you can. You can assign different people to different folders in which you keep your files in Sejf Życia.

Remember, however, that within a single folder you always grant access to its entire contents - it is not possible to share individual files from one folder with selected people. This makes it easy to decide who has access to which set of documents.

Yes, you can delete documents after adding them. Documents cannot be edited, because they are encrypted on your device, but you can view documents saved in popular file formats directly in the app.

To change a saved document, download it to your device, edit it and save it in the safe again.

Yes. You can set up several accounts in which you keep separate safes, e.g. using your private email address in one and your work address in another.

In some cases - if, for example, you do not run a large company or do not plan a complex document-sharing structure in a work safe - the “Work” or “Finances” area in your personal safe may be enough for this purpose.

It is possible and it raises protection, but it requires discipline and technical knowledge - and above all it does not solve access for your loved ones: an encrypted archive without the key and instructions is useless to your family.

No, and it should not. They are complementary tools: the cloud for everyday files, the vault for documents and information of life-critical importance.

Google offers Inactive Account Manager and Apple has a Legacy Contact feature. They are worth setting up, but they work at the level of a whole account and do not let you precisely control who sees what, or leave organised instructions. Treat them as a supplement, not a plan.

Reputable providers use redundant backups in certified data centres. Risk cannot be reduced to zero with any provider, so for your most important documents it remains good practice to also keep a physical copy.

A password manager solves one problem: it stores login credentials. A virtual vault is broader - it covers documents, instructions, dispositions and a mechanism for granting access to trusted people. The two tools complement each other well.

Documents are confirmation of the facts and decisions that shape our everyday life. Any of these documents may at some point determine your rights or your safety. Without them it is hard to prove anything to an office, a bank or a court - and also in private relationships.

A document confirms our private loan (here it will be an agreement), payment for purchases (a receipt or invoice), or a visit to a beautiful place (a printed photo); but a document also confirms that we have a company agreement or may run a business. Documents relate to the state of our health (e.g. test results, prescriptions) and our feelings (e.g. love letters, a marriage certificate, a separation-of-property agreement, a divorce decree).

No. Documents are not only confirmation of past events - they are also meant to produce effects in the future. In this way they secure our interests, rather than merely being evidence just in case.

This group includes, among others, all powers of attorney, confirmations of insurance, cryptocurrency keys and title deeds. The latter make us entitled to sell and to act in good faith.

These can be documents in both traditional, paper form and digital form - when we receive, for example, a contract by email or from our provider’s system, or conclude a contract remotely by means of electronic communication.

Yes, because most branches of law in Poland assume that a given document is at the same time confirmation of a specific entitlement of ours. Documents are therefore the basis for obtaining social benefits, property rights or protection against other people’s claims.

For example, without a title deed you may not manage to sell a flat, and without the details of a policy you will not quickly receive compensation. It is documents that prove what you are entitled to. In other words, without such documents you will not be able to carry out these actions and receive money.

No, because documents are also connected with private events. They can confirm travels, private relationships, achievements, decisions and family events.

Yes, because diplomas, certificates, awards or references are something more than a piece of paper - they are proof of your knowledge, work and personal development. They confirm achievements and make it easier to move to the next stage of your career.

It matters because when an accident, illness or sudden death of a loved one occurs, documents become the key to resolving the difficult situation and to carrying out inheritance proceedings.

Polish inheritance law is based on the principle that, although a person dies, their rights do not. Property, savings and debts pass to legal successors (heirs). And it is documents that make it possible to identify the deceased’s assets and debts. Without them this is very often impossible.

Without a power of attorney it will also be impossible to handle private, business and financial matters on our behalf when we are in a coma, unconscious or deprived of liberty.

A good emergency instruction answers the questions loved ones ask in the first hours and days of a sudden situation: who to contact, who will take care of the children, an elderly person or pets, which matters are urgent (work, bills, the business) and where to find the basic documents.

It helps to divide it into a plan for the first 24 hours, actions for the first week, and a list of people with assigned roles - from the primary contact to the accountant or doctor. For security reasons the instruction should not contain passwords, PINs or card details - it is enough to point to where that information is safely stored, for example in Sejf Życia.

No. An emergency instruction is an organisational document - it structures information, contacts and duties, but it has no legal effect. Disposing of your estate upon death requires a will, and authorising someone to act on your behalf requires a power of attorney in the appropriate form.

The two kinds of documents complement each other well, though: the instruction tells your loved ones that a will or power of attorney exists, where it is and who to turn to for help. In practice it is the lack of such guidance - not the lack of formal documents - that most often delays handling matters in a sudden situation.

Yes, because in any case - civil, criminal, family or administrative - a document is the primary evidence.

Polish court procedures are based on the principle that we should present documents as evidence, preferably at the start of a case. Replacing a document with other evidence, e.g. witness testimony, is possible, but it lengthens the case and may reduce the chance of success.

Fortunately, court procedures allow copies, printouts and scans of documents to be presented as evidence. The only thing that matters is that they are credible, i.e. that they truthfully confirm the facts.

Yes, because an agreement, an invoice or a transfer confirmation is the main argument for a counterparty to pay, and for a court to award the obligation to pay in a lawsuit.

No documents means no evidence. The counterparty may dispute your claim, and although the existence of a debt can be confirmed by witness testimony, a paper document speeds up all the steps enormously.

Travelling is connected with documents. Moving between countries is possible with a passport (sometimes an ID card), a driving licence, a travel policy, a vaccination card. All of these are documents.

Sometimes they can decide whether you will travel at all, cross the border, or receive help in case of illness in another country.

Bear in mind that while travelling we should have access not only to travel documents. In an emergency, outside the country, it may be necessary, for example, to provide our medical records, to sell cryptocurrencies or securities that are losing value, or to access key company documents, e.g. during a sudden tax inspection.

Yes - these are private documents. Letters, photos, school certificates or family keepsakes are not just papers - they are the memories and history of your family. They are often priceless and impossible to recreate.

Yes, because documents are part of our legacy and the memory of us. They tell the story of our life.

Things such as diplomas, letters or photos are part of the heritage we leave to our family. Our legacy is made up not only of property, but also of non-material assets.

Yes, because documents such as a will, gift agreements, policies or powers of attorney make it possible to secure the continued functioning of your loved ones. It is precisely on the basis of these documents that support for them is activated.

Ultimately, then, our loved ones will not be able to receive assets or money if they do not hold the documents that give them specific entitlements.

An administrative procedure - that is, handling a matter at an office - requires a document. Our law assumes that an official matter is initiated by a written application or request. Proceedings, including before an administrative court, are conducted on documents. Witness testimony is the exception. Without holding the required documents we may not be able to settle a matter at all.

Enough to cover 2-3 days of a family’s basic expenses: fuel, food, lodging. In small denominations, because in a crisis no one will give change from a 200-złoty note.

Don’t push. First put your own affairs in order and bring it up naturally, in passing - setting an example and giving it time work better than persuading. A concrete, low-pressure starting point helps. You could suggest, for example, that you sit down together and write on a single sheet where the most important documents are and who to call in an emergency. Sometimes it also helps to involve someone the parent trusts, such as their family doctor.

No, not until they provide it themselves or grant powers of attorney. And that is how it should be; the whole point of this process is that the parent decides. Your role is to make decisions easier, not to make them for them.

With powers of attorney (while the parent can grant them consciously) and a map of their affairs. With advanced health problems affecting decision-making capacity, it is worth consulting a lawyer in advance about available options, because an ordinary power of attorney may then not be enough.

No. You can only activate the mDowód (mobile ID) if you hold a valid ID card; it is an additional document, not a replacement. The plastic ID also remains necessary for travel and certain procedures.

The document data is available in the app offline too; cryptographic verification by another person requires a connection on their side. Day to day, no signal does not prevent you from presenting the document.

Institutions obliged to honour public documents should accept the mDowód when verifying identity. In practice occasional refusals happen; asking for verification in the mWeryfikator app or contacting another branch helps.

The app also supports the school and student mLegitymacja and other documents (for example the Large Family Card). The catalogue of documents in mObywatel keeps growing.

No. A trusted profile (with a trusted signature) works with public offices and is free; a qualified signature is paid and works everywhere, including private contracts. They complement each other, they do not replace one another.

To set up the mailbox you need identity confirmation: a trusted profile, an e-ID or a qualified signature. In practice a trusted profile is the simplest route.

After the storage period ends, correspondence is deemed delivered (delivery fiction), including the running of appeal deadlines. That is why a mailbox without notifications enabled is a risk, not a convenience.

Because order in documents saves time and nerves. When you need to immediately find a loan agreement, a flat’s title deed or an insurance policy, chaos in your papers can cost you not only stress but also money.

If a document is urgently needed and you don’t have it, you will have to repeat some action, e.g. request a duplicate, which takes time and is sometimes connected with a fee.

Organised documents therefore give you control and confidence in any situation.

Yes, because a missing document at a key moment can mean losing money, rights and even safety. The absence of documents is a risk.

Our legal order assumes that it is precisely a document that confirms an event, a right or a fact. Missing documents can make it harder to reconstruct the course of our education, professional career, stages of treatment, private relationships, or documents needed for treatment.

Yes, because bills of various kinds, loan agreements, policies, cryptocurrency keys and notarial deeds of acquiring items and real estate confirm the size of our wealth.

Intangible assets, such as shares, bonds and cryptocurrencies, have no external form. Their existence within our wealth is confirmed only by documents, which may exist only in digital form. Their absence may result in access to the assets being blocked.

Varied, and with very different meanings. The most practical division is into legal and private documents. Legal ones lead to some legal consequences, while private ones need not produce any legal effects.

And so we can list:

• personal (e.g. ID card, passport),
• family (birth and marriage certificates, those relating to children’s education),
• financial (loan agreements, policies),
• professional (diplomas, professional certificates, employment records),
• private (letters, printed photos, keepsakes).

Each of them has a different meaning, but all may turn out to be important in various situations.

No. In Polish law we currently have three forms of documents - the written form, which indeed requires the use of paper, but we also have the documentary form (a document can be recorded in various ways) and the electronic form (which requires the use of an electronic signature).

As a result, today we no longer have a dominance of paper documents, and the use of digital versions is becoming more common. Some official documents already exist only in this form (e.g. confirmation of company registration or of registering a business). Photos and notes are also stored mainly in digital form.

Yes, because if the original is lost a copy can save the day - especially when you need to prove a fact or reconstruct data. A copy does not always replace the original, but it often speeds up handling a matter.

The most optimal and secure solution is to keep the paper original and its electronic, digital copy. If a document has only an electronic version, then of course keeping that version is enough.

Some documents exist only on paper (e.g. notarial deeds), but Polish law increasingly allows an electronic version of a document.

If a document has a paper version, it may be necessary to handle many things, but such a document should also have copies, including an electronic one, so that conformity with the original can be confirmed.

Whenever possible you should work with the electronic version, and in an increasing number of cases this will be possible.

Yes - some legal procedures even have a path for reconstructing documents. At first glance it seems a document can simply be recreated.

There is a catch, however, because the procedure here is demanding: the action must be justified, it may cover only some documents, and additionally the cooperation of all parties (e.g. to the agreement being reconstructed) is required. We will not manage to reconstruct a whole set of documents. No procedure allows private documents to be reconstructed.

That is why it is worth keeping copies of documents in digital solutions that allow access to them at any time, from anywhere in the world. If the original documents are lost, on this basis you will be able to handle most matters, it will be easier to reconstruct them, and in case of a dispute the court can order the other party to disclose their copy of the document.

Some documents today are electronic from the moment they are created - in that case you simply need to store them on data media, and you can of course also print them.

When you have a document in traditional, paper form, you should also digitise it and save it in a place that allows easy access, searching, secure sharing with others in various situations, and that is safe in terms of confidentiality and protects it against hacker attacks.

Digitisation can be done by scanning documents or simply photographing them.

Digital copies of paper documents are something more than just “photos for the record”. They are a practical way to secure, organise and ease your own access to information that often has crucial importance.

Paper has the drawback that it can get lost, destroyed, flooded or burned. A digital copy means that even in such situations the document’s content stays safe.

In addition, a document in electronic form is always “at hand” - you can quickly find it, send it or print it, without having to look for a binder. It also makes it possible to easily store a large number of records in one place, which saves space and time.

These are different risks. Paper documents at home are exposed to fire, flooding, theft and simple loss, and anyone who enters your home can access them. A virtual vault with strong encryption protects against these threats but requires you to look after account security. In practice the best approach combines both: originals in a safe physical place, copies and instructions in a digital vault.

By the exit or in the hallway, in a spot known to everyone in the household. Some people keep a second, smaller set in the car or at work.

A health booklet, chip number and up-to-date vaccinations (especially rabies) can be a condition for a pet’s admission to temporary accommodation. Copies in the bag, a scan in the vault.

The colour is arbitrary; the point is that the folder is instantly recognisable and that the household knows the “red folder” means “the most important documents”. You can call it anything, as long as everyone concerned knows where it is.

In a fixed, dry place known to the household; if it holds copies, it need not be in a safe. Originals of open-ended documents are better kept separately, in a home safe or a bank deposit box.

An instruction only helps when your loved ones know it exists and where to look for it. A combination of two places works well: a printout in a fixed spot known to the household (for example in a red folder with your most important documents) and a digital copy that a trusted person can access.

Tell at least one person where the instruction is, and plan to review it roughly every six months - contacts, duties and documents change more often than you would expect. In Sejf Życia you can keep a copy of the instruction together with your documents and your people and important contacts, and grant access to chosen people on clear terms.

Then the digital version with emergency access for a trusted person outside the home matters even more: a friend, sibling or parent. In an emergency that person will act on your behalf.

Usually not at offices; there a certified copy, extract or duplicate from the proper institution counts. But a scan dramatically speeds up obtaining one and in many everyday situations (providing data, verifying information) it is entirely enough.

Yes: as a descendant you can obtain copies of your parents’ civil-status records, and once you prove inheritance rights, also extracts of notarial deeds or information from banks.

A practical order: ID card (it enables the rest), civil-status records, ownership documents and insurance policies (file a claim!), employment documents. In disasters, insurers usually open simplified claim paths.

During that person’s life, yes (or their presence); after death, the key is proving kinship or inheritance rights.

It is a popular home trick, but no substitute for a certified fireproof safe: in a fire a fridge protects briefly and unpredictably, and moisture can destroy paper faster than fire. A digital copy off-site is better.

With the rest of your documents, plus a scan in a digital vault. A passport scan significantly speeds up procedures if the document is stolen abroad.

Splitting originals and copies between two locations is good practice, provided both sides know what is where. Without that knowledge the system collapses exactly when it is needed.

The safest option is an encrypted digital copy kept off-site and accessible from anywhere. A paper archive kept in one place disappears together with the home during a fire, flood or evacuation, which is why the digital version is a key complement here.

Yes, provided you are sure of access to the history for the required period. It is safer to download PDF confirmations and archive them yourself, because access to online banking may end when the account is closed.

With a shredder or by tearing them up thoroughly. Documents with personal data (national ID number, address, account numbers) should never go into the bin intact - it is a direct route to identity theft.

Keep inheritance documents, civil-status records and settlements of the deceased at least until all inheritance and tax matters are closed.

As a daily library, yes. As a multi-generational archive it has three weaknesses: the account is personal and hard to access after death, terms and limits change, and 50,000 undescribed photos are not an archive. Cloud plus curation, descriptions and a handover plan - only that is the whole picture.

Photos: JPEG (universal) or additionally the original RAW/HEIC for the most valuable ones. Video: MP4 (H.264/H.265). Avoid exotic formats and remember that every 10-15 years it is worth moving the archive to fresh media and formats.

HDDs realistically 5-10 years, USB sticks can be temperamental, DVDs age. No medium is eternal; that is why what counts is the 3-2-1 rule and periodic refreshing of copies, not faith in one “indestructible” drive.

Yes. A scan lets you quickly provide data, confirm a document exists, reserve a lost ID or establish a policy number. Many official matters will ultimately need the original or a certified copy, but it is the scan that tells you what to look for and where.

A good rhythm is a review every 3-6 months and after every major life change: a new job, a loan, marriage, a child, selling a car.

No. We never make public any documents or any information associated with you that is stored in our system.

Note, too, that this is not realistically feasible, because data in Sejf Życia is encrypted with your individual key and there is no way for us to read it, and therefore no way to make it public.

It depends. If you simply stop paying for access to Sejf Życia, we will first block part of the functionality, and after 30 days we will block the ability to use it. Then, after 1 year, if you do not reactivate access in that time, we will delete your documents permanently.

If the lack of payment for the account is due to your confirmed death, the documents are stored temporarily in the system for the people you share them with. We will delete them together with your account 1 year after your death is confirmed.

Limits depend on the plan. In the standard plan it is 1,500 files. The size of a single file is up to 15 MB.

No. We never make public any documents or any information associated with you that is stored in our system. Note, too, that this is not realistically feasible, because data in Sejf Życia is encrypted with your individual key and there is no way for us to read it, and therefore no way to make it public.

If it happens that you are late with a payment, we will remind you and temporarily reduce the functionality of your Sejf Życia. We know that life writes many scenarios - if you want to reactivate your safe, simply update your billing details in your account settings and you will be able to enjoy full access again.

Prices depend on the provider and the range of features, usually a subscription comparable to a single streaming service. When comparing offers, look not only at storage capacity but above all at the encryption model and the access mechanism for loved ones.

It depends. You always have full access to your Sejf Życia. You also decide who gains access to the safe and when, and to what scope of the information / data stored in it.

Yes, but you yourself decide who, when and to which documents has access.

Yes. You can share documents with anyone you designate. You can also appoint any person as your Account Guardian (your trustee).

It depends on your earlier decisions. After your death, access to documents in Sejf Życia is granted to your Account Guardian (trustee), as well as everyone with whom you shared specific files or folders while you were alive.

The trustee gains access to the whole safe, except documents you marked as Private data - those remain inaccessible even to them.

Other people with whom you shared selected documents will see only the files you assigned to them. This way you have full control over who gains access to which information after your death.

No. The system works independently of whether you have a will, as well as of its provisions.

Remember that the dispositions saved in the safe do not replace a will, and that they should be consistent with your wishes recorded in it - so that your loved ones and family do not have problems interpreting your intentions and provisions.

Each time you share a document with someone, we will send that person, to the email address you provide, information that such sharing has taken place - and we will invite them to set up a free account (if they don’t have one yet) in the system.

Such a person can report your death in the system by filling in a notification - we will then check the PESEL registry to see whether this fact is recorded in official databases.

An alternative is reporting the death through the Account Guardian (your trustee) or through an automatic mechanism that verifies your activity in the system. When you do not log in for a longer time, we will ask whether everything is all right. If, despite several attempts, you do not respond or log in, we will send a similar request to your Account Guardians. If they confirm that something has happened to you, we will contact you once more; if you do not deny it, we will instruct them how to open the safe for the people you shared something with.

If you do not share your documents with anyone, they will be deleted together with your account.

If some documents are shared, then after prolonged inactivity of your account we will ask whether everything is all right with you. We will also check the PESEL registry to see whether your death has been recorded. If it has, we will inform both the people you share something with and your Account Guardians (your trustees) that your information is waiting for them in the safe.

If, despite our notifications, no one comes forward for the data, we will delete it after a longer period of account inactivity (after at least 12 months).

Yes. You can do it at any time by going to “Sharing settings” and either removing it entirely or changing its terms. The change takes effect immediately upon confirmation.

Platform terms of service forbid it (accounts are personal and non-transferable), and a platform may block the account when it detects the login. In practice families do this; a safer and more durable route, however, is through official mechanisms, especially for accounts of great sentimental value.

It depends on the platform: it may stay active indefinitely (Facebook without a report), be deleted after a period of inactivity (Microsoft, or Google with auto-delete enabled), or persist as a target for attacks because no one reads the security notifications.

No. Netflix, Spotify or iCloud+ keep charging as long as the card or account works. It is a common cost that goes unnoticed for months; cancellation requires reporting the death to the provider. A ready list of subscriptions kept in Sejf Życia lets your loved ones handle this in a few minutes.

An email inbox is the key to all other accounts, so treat it as a priority: Inactive Account Manager for Gmail, equivalent solutions or solid documentation for other providers.

It need not. Modern solutions let you separate “preparing access” from “granting access”: during your life no one sees your documents, and access is triggered only in a situation you define yourself.

Prepare instructions in plain language, step by step - so they can be followed without your help. You can also name two people who will act together: one to make decisions and one who is technically capable. It is a good idea to agree in advance that, if needed, someone in the family - for example children or grandchildren - will help that person; together the app is far easier to use. In Sejf Życia you prepare access and instructions for your loved ones ahead of time, so no one has to figure anything out at a difficult moment.

Start with a few things you can organise quickly that give your loved ones the most value: a list of bank accounts and key subscriptions, a list of insurance policies, a note on where the originals of important documents are, and contacts for the people who need to be notified. That is a few dozen minutes of work, and in a difficult moment it saves your family hours of searching. In Sejf Życia you can gather this information in one place and share it with a trusted person.

No. Under Polish law a holographic will must be written entirely by hand and signed - a computer printout does not meet this requirement, even if signed. That is why our tool prepares a draft to copy out by hand, rather than a file that is a “ready-made will”.

No - the tool creates a draft that organises your decisions. It becomes a will only once you copy the whole text out in your own handwriting, add the date and sign it. The transcription mode guides you through this process step by step.

No. You label people your own way, for example “my daughter Anna”, and the draft contains placeholders in square brackets. You fill in the real data only later, by hand, when copying out the document. Your answers stay in the browser - nothing is sent to a server.

Under the maximum notarial fee rates, a simple will costs on the order of a few dozen złoty net, and a will with a specific bequest (zapis windykacyjny) about 200 złoty net, plus VAT and any copies. Confirm the exact amount with your chosen notary office.

Yes, at any time. You can revoke a will or make a new one - a later will generally supersedes earlier dispositions. Our generator asks about any earlier will and, if needed, adds a revocation clause to the draft.

No - a will may contain the dispositions of only one person. Each spouse makes their own document. You can, however, prepare two consistent drafts by going through the generator separately.

Yes, as long as it meets the formal requirements: written entirely by hand, signed and dated. A holographic will and a notarial will have the same legal force. The difference lies in how hard they are to challenge and in the support when drafting the content - here a notary has the edge.

Keep the original in a safe place known to a trusted person (a home safe, a notarial deposit). It is worth recording the existence of the will in the Notarial Register of Wills (NORT) or in a digital vault, so that your loved ones know where to look for it. The worst choice is a place only the author knows about.

No. Polish law has no acquisition of inheritance rights through living together; 30 years of a relationship give exactly the same inheritance rights as one year - namely none. Only a will and other deliberate tools for protecting a partner count.

No, a survivor’s pension from social security is due to a spouse and children (and in some cases parents). That is another argument for life insurance as a private equivalent.

A child inherits from each parent regardless of their marital status, and it is the child (not the partner) who is the statutory heir. The partner still needs a will; a minor child additionally complicates asset management (guardianship-court oversight), which is worth discussing with a notary.

Agreements governing shared finances and settlement of contributions are useful during life and on separation, but they do not replace a will: you cannot appoint yourself an heir by contract. Treat them as a supplement, not an alternative.

Someone who knows the business operationally and has the family’s trust: a spouse working in the firm, an adult child, a long-time manager. The future heir can also be the administrator. You can appoint only one administrator at a time (plus a reserve).

No. Without succession management no one, not even a spouse who co-owns the assets, can continue the business under the deceased’s tax ID. At most they can register their own business and try to take over contracts from scratch.

For a micro-business with no employees, succession management still helps: it lets you finish contracts, issue invoices, recover receivables and sell business assets in an orderly way instead of a chaotic fire sale.

The administrator entry is public in the CEIDG business register. Heirs should check it immediately after the death, because the course of action and deadlines depend on it.

Do not take on the role of intermediary between parents and siblings. Encourage the parents to make decisions and to use a notary, and inform siblings that the process is under way - not about its content. Transparency of the process prevents suspicion better than secrecy.

No. Access to documents and instructions is organisational support for your loved ones. Assets are governed by inheritance law and a will. It is best to treat these two elements as complementary parts of a single plan.

No. A will requires the forms set out in the Civil Code (holographic, notarial, allographic); an “electronic will” does not exist in Poland.

Searching through home documents, yes; financial institutions, however, require proof of inheritance rights. An exception is the claim for reimbursement of funeral costs from the deceased’s account, which works on the basis of invoices and the death certificate.

EU banks and institutions are queried individually; a European Certificate of Succession (issued by a court or notary) helps and is recognised across the Union. For larger foreign assets it is worth engaging a lawyer in the country concerned.

It does not formally vanish: it waits in dormant accounts and after years goes to deposits, among other places. In practice, however, without knowing where to look, it remains out of the family’s reach.

Report it to the bank with proof of inheritance, settle with the other heirs, and remember the tax filing. Newly disclosed assets are declared to the tax office on the SD-Z2 form (an inheritance-acquisition notification that exempts close family from inheritance and gift tax). The deadline to file it runs only from the day you learned about the account.

Only if the husband had no children, parents, siblings or descendants of siblings. In a typical family with children, the wife inherits equally with them (no less than 1/4 of the estate), and additionally keeps her own half of the marital property.

Under statute only if their parent (the deceased’s child) did not survive to the opening of the estate, rejected the inheritance or was found unworthy. To leave something to grandchildren alongside living children, you must write a will.

No. The relationship works only one way: a stepchild can inherit from a stepmother/stepfather in the fourth group, but a stepmother and stepfather do not inherit from a stepchild under statute.

It is worth asking notaries about an entry in the Notarial Register of Wills (NORT) and searching the deceased’s documents. Not knowing about a will does not mean there is none, and a will surfacing after the estate is divided can overturn everything.

No. Even for funeral purposes it is unlawful. The legal route is to present the bank with the funeral invoices and apply to have them covered from the deceased’s account.

Most often from the family, who present the death certificate. Banks also use PESEL register data. Do not delay reporting: a delay gives no legal access to funds and complicates settlements (e.g. social-security benefits collected after death must be returned).

A co-holder keeps access to the account. How much of the funds enters the estate depends on the agreement and the marital property regime; if in doubt, ask the bank and a notary.

No. A power of attorney over an account expires on the holder’s death. If you want a specific person to receive funds quickly, that is what a payable-on-death disposition is for, not a power of attorney.

Technically yes, and no one will verify it on the blockchain. Legally the assets enter the estate: disposing of them while bypassing the other heirs or the tax office may create liability towards co-heirs and tax consequences. Safest: formalities first, then the transfer.

Yes, until the verification of heirs is complete. That is why it matters that the family contacts the exchange with a full set of documents - and knew where to look in the first place.

In a minimal version, yes: a single note “I have an account on exchange X” in a place your loved ones know takes 5 minutes. A full scheme with seed splitting makes sense from amounts whose loss would really hurt.

No, co-ownership can last indefinitely. But time works against you: heirs die and their shares pass to further people; after two generations a dozen people sit at the table whom no one can gather. The claim for division of the estate does not lapse - the problem simply grows.

Yes, partial division is allowed both by agreement and by court. Often the property is divided first, and smaller components later or informally.

Until the division, heirs are jointly and severally liable for debts; after the division, each is liable in proportion to their share. The division itself does not require paying the debts, but it is worth taking stock of them beforehand.

The division covers what is disclosed. A component discovered later can be divided additionally, but concealment of assets by one heir is a direct route to broken trust and disputes.

A 100 zł fee + an advance for court experts (usually 300-1,500 zł) + an optional lawyer (from about 1,500 zł upward for a moderate case). Where a difficult financial situation justifies it, you can apply for exemption from costs.

A private asset inventory is a working overview that organises family information: what exists, which institutions to contact and where the documents are. You can prepare it at any time and update it whenever you like.

The formal estate inventory (spis inwentarza) and inventory list (wykaz inwentarza) are legal concepts of Polish inheritance law that apply after someone’s death. The estate inventory is drawn up by a court enforcement officer based on a court decision or an application, while the inventory list can be submitted by an heir to the court or before a notary. A private inventory does not replace these documents, but it makes preparing them much easier for your loved ones.

Yes. They retain full legal capacity to hold rights: they inherit, own property, can receive gifts. A guardian manages that property under court supervision. They cannot, however, make a valid will themselves.

Benefits are paid into the hands of the legal guardian, who accounts for them in reports to the court and is obliged to use them for the ward’s needs.

Often yes: a curator confirms the more important acts, which blocks fraud, while the person keeps independence in everyday matters. The court will itself choose the milder option if it suffices. Say so plainly in the application; it shows you are guided by your relative’s welfare, not convenience.

For a limited range of ordinary management of joint property, yes, but at offices, with providers, at a clinic or at a bank with an individual account, formal authorisation is usually necessary.

A power of attorney for a single act costs on the order of a few dozen to two hundred zloty net plus copies. Bank powers of attorney are usually free or cost a token amount, per the bank’s fee schedule.

Yes. You can appoint several attorneys acting independently or jointly. Joint action increases control but slows matters down.

As a rule a statement made to the attorney suffices; for bank powers of attorney do it directly at the bank, and for notarial ones also inform the institutions where the document was used. Retrieve or invalidate any issued copies.

The statutory standard is 30 days from notification of the event, with the undisputed part payable within that time even while clarifications continue. The claim usually needs a death certificate and documentation of the circumstances of death.

Yes, in situations set out in the policy terms: concealing material information when concluding the contract, death during a waiting period from causes covered by it, suicide in the first months of the policy, or specific exclusions. That is why you should read the terms at purchase, not at the claim.

Yes, the same rule applies: payment goes to the beneficiary named in the enrolment declaration. After changing jobs, check whether the cover continues and who is named.

Benefits from personal insurance are subject to enforcement only to a limited extent set by law. If this is an important scenario for you, consult the details with a lawyer.

Yes, as a person raising the deceased’s child who is entitled to the pension (in education, up to 18) you meet the condition regardless of your own age. After the care ends, the rule of 5 years to meet the age condition applies.

Yes, like other pension benefits (social security withholds income tax); children up to 26 use the youth relief to a limited extent regarding pensions - it is worth verifying tax matters at the annual settlement.

Since 2025 you do not always have to choose (the widow’s pension), and where combining is not allowed, social security pays the more favourable benefit. File an application and compare the calculations in the decision; the choice can also be changed.

Yes, if you name that person in the contract as an attorney for the box. Remember, though, that the power of attorney expires on the tenant’s death; it is not a way to pass on the contents after death.

The bank calls for payment and, after an ineffective demand, may open the box by committee and move the contents to a deposit. The contract governs the details.

Yes, like any property. Heirs gain access after presenting a deed of succession certification or a court order.

If 6 months from the ruling or notarial deed have not yet passed, file immediately. If they have, the exemption is unfortunately lost; settle under group I rules and treat it as an expensive lesson. The inheritance-tax return is a hard deadline.

At market value on the day the tax obligation arose: for flats, transaction prices of similar units help; for cars, listing sites. Under the group-zero exemption, valuation does not affect the tax (it is zero), but undervaluing makes no sense, as the values may be useful at a later sale.

Yes, the filing is individual; each heir declares their own share of the acquisition.

Limits are counted separately for each donor. A gift of 36,000 zł each from your mother and your father are two separate limits (and in group zero the whole is tax-free anyway after filing, where required).

No. The benefit is a payment for the person who covered the funeral costs; it does not enter the estate and is not subject to inheritance and gift tax.

This is a delicate situation: the benefit is due to whoever bore the costs from their own funds. The legal way to use the deceased’s funds is a claim to the bank to cover funeral costs based on invoices; it is not combined with the benefit for yourself for the same expenses.

Yes, the amendment provides for it: annual indexation from 1 March, triggered when cumulative inflation exceeds the statutory threshold. It is always worth checking the amount for a given year at the social security website.

The death certificate, notifying banks and insurers, and inheritance matters are the key steps. It is worth having a full checklist of post-death formalities with the applicable deadlines to hand.

There is no formal deadline, but without confirmation you cannot withdraw funds from a bank, sell property or handle most matters. Postponing also backfires across generations: after years you have to run several proceedings at once, for grandparents and parents together.

They can grant a power of attorney to make declarations or appear before a notary during a visit to Poland; technically the succession protocol can also be created in stages. If contact is impossible, the court remains.

Yes, in special situations (e.g. a will surfacing) the court can annul the registered deed. In practice it happens rarely; the risk is minimised by carefully establishing the circle of heirs and the family knowing about the existence of a will.

One for each bank, the land and mortgage register court and each major institution; usually 3-5 copies. Buying more later requires another visit.

A declaration of rejection is made only after the testator’s death. During their life, however, a notarial agreement to waive inheritance concluded with the testator is possible; it generally also covers the descendants of the person waiving, which is often more convenient than a series of rejections.

Yes. The person rejecting is treated as if they did not survive the opening of the estate, so they also have no claim to a reserved share (zachowek).

The policy benefit does not enter the estate, so the beneficiary will receive it regardless of the rejection.

As a rule no. The declaration is irrevocable; escaping its effects is possible only before a court where the declaration of will was defective (error, threat). That is why the decision should be made based on the fullest possible knowledge of the assets.

Not fully. An instruction is harder to enforce than the obligations of a life-estate contract, and a gift remains countable towards the reserved share. If the essence of the deal is care in exchange for property, a life estate is the tool tailored exactly to that.

The mortgage follows the property, and gifting an encumbered flat practically requires cooperation with the bank. The personal debt stays with the borrower; always consult these arrangements with a notary and the bank.

Only if you secure it legally: with a personal easement of residence entered in the land and mortgage register (or by choosing a life-estate contract). Such an easement gives you the right to live there for life and remains effective even if the recipient sells the flat - it also binds the next owner. Verbal promises protect you neither against a sale nor against a situation where a new owner tells you to move out.

A holographic will is free; a notarial one costs a few dozen to a few hundred zloty. A gift of property incurs a notarial fee based on value (usually 1,000-3,000 zł). A life estate is similar plus 2% transaction tax. The choice, however, should be driven not by the cost of the deed but by the consequences over the years - so before deciding it is always worth consulting a notary, who will help match the form to your situation.

As a rule 3 days from the issue of the death card (24 hours if the cause was an infectious disease). In practice the funeral home often carries out the registration.

Whoever actually covered the funeral costs - a family member, but also a non-relative, an employer or a municipality. A close family member receives the full amount regardless of the costs incurred; others up to the amount of documented expenses.

There is no rigid deadline to confirm inheritance. But watch the 6 months to reject the inheritance if there is a risk of debts, and the 6 months to file the inheritance-tax return to keep the tax exemption.

Liabilities enter the estate. Check whether the loan had life insurance - then the insurer may take over repayment. If the debts exceed the assets, consider rejecting the inheritance or accepting it with the benefit of inventory; in such a case it is worth talking to a lawyer.

As a rule, under intestate succession the entitled person receives their share and a reserved share is not needed. A claim may arise, however, when the assets were drained during life by gifts to other people; the entitled person may then claim a top-up of the reserved share from those gifted.

Yes. Receiving a reserved share is subject to inheritance and gift tax on a basis analogous to an inheritance. Close family can, however, use an exemption if within 6 months they file the SD-Z2 form with the tax office (a notification of acquiring property or property rights that lets the closest relatives avoid the tax).

Heirs are liable in proportion to their shares; the entitled person directs the claim to them, and subsidiarily to specific legatees and those who received gifts.

No. Grandchildren come into play only when their parent (the deceased’s child) did not survive the opening of the estate, rejected the inheritance or was disinherited.