# 🦮 How to Secure or Replace Important Documents - [This site](https://www.usa.gov/replace-vital-documents) will give an American citizen all the links to necessary instructions to replace a missing, lost, or stolen document. It'll take time. Don't expect anything to be rushed, unless it is offered as a rush for an extra fee. - State issued Photo ID - To get a driver's license or a non-driver's identification card from the state you live in, you will most likely need your original, or certified copy of your birth certificate, and your Social Security card. Some states will allow you to just give your social security number. Check with the DMV in your state. You will likely be required to take a photograph, and will need to give a thumbprint. If you are over the age of 16, you probably won't need a parent's approval. Check with the laws in your state to be sure. - Other Photo IDs - College and university Student Photo ID cards are usually accepted as a valid photo ID. If you are already in college, take advantage of this! Also, a Corporate Photo ID card is often accepted as a valid ID. These are usually printed on PVC plastic cards and worn on a lanyard or clipped to your clothing. With today's heightened security environment, it is quite possible to get one of these forms of identification even in the service industry. - Passport - It's pretty easy to get a Passport on your own when you are over the age of 16. [If you have a birth certificate and a photo ID, you can apply for a passport by yourself, at the age of 16 or older.](http://travel.state.gov/content/passports/english/passports/16-and-17.html) The cost of a passport is currently $135.00. But it is VERY worth having! It is excellent identification. If you don't have an ID, you can ask a parent to assist you in getting a passport. If this works, you can use the passport to help you get other required identification, such as a state issued ID. Be careful about asking a narcissistic parent to help you with this. They could inform the state that they don't want you to have one, which will block you from getting a passport until you're 18. - Non-photo IDs - You probably don't have a lease or a mortgage, and if you are under 18 you also don't have a voter registration card. This leaves you a choice of vehicle registration card and vehicle insurance. - If you are over 18, you should register to vote. Depending on the state you live in, registering to vote may be easy, or difficult. [Registration, and voting, may require a photo ID in many states](http://ballotpedia.org/Voter_identification_laws_by_state). However, in some states it is very easy to register to vote, and this simplifies getting a non-photo ID. - Vehicle registration - Now is the time to have your favorite grandfather sign that old jalopy over into your name! Who cares if it doesn't even run? You need that paper for identification purposes! If you can afford it, you could even purchase a used car for cheap. If it is in your name, registered to you, then you have a valid non-photo ID. Store vital documents somewhere you can get them, where they won't be destroyed. - If you can rent a safe deposit box, this would be the best way to store your documents! Safe deposit boxes are surprisingly cheap, especially if you use a Credit Union. I have a safe deposit box that is perfect for these sorts of documents, and it costs me less than $40 a year with my credit union. - Diversion safe - A diversion safe is a way of hiding things in your house or your room in a way that doesn't look suspicious. [There are lots of diversion safes for sale at Amazon.](http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss_2?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=diversion+safe) But you will need to take the attitude of your narcissistic parents into mind before purchasing one of these. Older people have been where you are, they have thought of hiding things before. So anything you may think of as a great hiding place, they probably have had the same idea. My recommendation? Stay away from these. The risk is just too high. - Pirate treasure! If you fear a search of your things or room or house, and can't store your documents at a bank, a temporary solution may be to encase your documents safely, and bury them. You will need to be concerned about moisture, fire, and discovery. This is dangerous unless you take proper precautions. [Luckily there are people who explain exactly what you should know.](https://howtoburyyourvaluables.wordpress.com/) - With a friend - I recommend that if you store your documents with a friend that you do so inside of a locked container. Simple locking boxes are available at Amazon for less than $20. Or you can find one at your local thrift store, or Army / Navy surplus. An ammo can with a lock on it may suffice. I recommend that you put documents inside a zip lock bag, and then inside another. [It is a good idea to add some desiccant in the bag](http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=a9_sc_1?rh=i%3Aaps%2Ck%3Adesiccant&keywords=desiccant). - Digitally - with the cost of flash / USB drives plummeting, any document that you can scan, print out, and use the printed copy should be stored digitally. Make a backup on a USB drive or SD card. Keep the backup in the same safe place you are keeping your other documents. - Mail them - if you are getting close to leaving home, and you have your new mailing address set up, then you may decide it makes sense to drop your documents into a mailer and send them to yourself. The USPS, and most mailbox rentals, will keep your mail for 30 days before returning it to sender. This is a temporary solution, but it could be useful if you want to make sure your documents are safe, and not on you. If you are worried that they will notice the missing documents, you can make copies or scans.