Most documents can be safely digitized, but a specific, small set should stay on paper: vital records with raised seals, original wills, property titles, notarized documents, and certain court orders. Everything else — tax receipts, bank statements, utility bills, medical records — is safe to scan and shred. The reason some documents still need paper originals is that the law requires it, a notarized seal is hard to replicate, or reproducing them is genuinely painful if they are ever needed.
This is our working list. It is based on how the US legal system and most common jurisdictions treat these documents in 2026. Specific rules vary by state, country, and document type — when in doubt, ask a lawyer or your estate planner. But if you keep paper copies of everything on this list and go fully digital on everything else, you will cover 95% of situations.
Keep the paper: documents that genuinely need originals
Vital records with raised seals or watermarks
Birth certificates, marriage certificates, death certificates, adoption papers, divorce decrees. These are issued by a government agency with an embossed seal, a special paper stock, or both. Many government agencies and some private institutions will only accept "certified copies" with a visible raised seal — a scan does not satisfy this requirement. You can get certified copies from the issuing agency for a fee, but it is much easier to keep the one they already gave you.
Scan a digital copy for your own records — ScanLens can capture these in high resolution for reference — and keep the original in a fireproof safe or safe deposit box.
Passports, visas, and immigration documents
Your physical passport is obviously not replaceable by a scan. But people sometimes lump visa documents, I-94 arrival records, green cards, and naturalization certificates into "paperwork to scan and shred." Don't. Naturalization certificates and green cards in particular are very hard to replace — the process takes months and costs hundreds of dollars. Scans are useful to have if the physical document is lost (for replacement applications), but the physical document is the one that matters.
Social Security cards and equivalent national ID documents
In the US, a Social Security card is a physical document that occasionally needs to be shown to employers or government agencies. Scans are not accepted for most purposes. The same is true for equivalent national identification documents in other countries.
Wills, living wills, and advance directives
This is the most important category. A will is generally only valid in its original, signed form. Most jurisdictions require a probate court to accept the original document, not a copy. If your only copy of your will is a scan, and the original is lost or destroyed, your estate may be treated as if you died without a will — which is rarely what anyone intended.
Keep the original will in a secure location that your executor knows how to access. A fireproof safe at home is fine. A safe deposit box can work but some banks freeze access on the owner's death, which is the exact moment the will is needed — check your bank's policy.
If your only copy of your will is a scan, and the original is lost, your estate may be treated as if you died without one.
Property deeds, titles, and recorded documents
Real estate deeds, vehicle titles, and similar recorded documents are typically considered official records. While most jurisdictions maintain electronic copies in county recorder offices or state DMVs, the physical document is often still needed for transactions. Selling a car, transferring a deed, or proving clear title is much easier with the physical original.
Practical approach: scan for reference, keep the originals in the same secure location as other important documents.
Notarized documents
Any document that has been notarized — where a notary public has attached a seal and signature certifying your identity — should be kept in original form. Scans of notarized documents lose the physical seal that is the whole point of notarization. Common examples: powers of attorney, certain affidavits, some real estate documents, and corporate resolutions.
Remote online notarization has been expanding since the early 2020s and in many states now has the same legal effect as in-person notarization, but that is a different workflow — you are not scanning an in-person notarization, you are getting a new digital notarization.
Court orders and judgments
If a court has issued an order that applies to you — divorce decree, custody order, restraining order, judgment in a civil case — the court-issued copy with the clerk's stamp is the authoritative version. You can usually get certified copies from the court clerk, but the copy in your file is often needed immediately for things like enforcing a custody order with a school or a landlord.
Certain insurance documents
Most insurance paperwork is fine to keep digitally. The exception is the actual insurance policy document for life insurance — some insurers still require the original policy document, with any endorsements, to process certain claims. This is becoming less common as insurers digitize, but if your policy is more than a few years old, keep the physical copy until the insurer confirms otherwise.
Digital is fine: documents safe to scan and shred
For context, here are the categories most people can scan freely. For each, use a scanner app like ScanLens to capture a clear, OCR-searchable copy, store the digital version in a reliable backed-up location (see our post on organizing digital documents for how), and shred the paper once you have verified the scan is complete and legible.
Financial statements
Bank statements, credit card statements, brokerage statements, retirement account statements. Most financial institutions already offer PDF download. If you have paper statements, scan them once and go fully electronic with the institution. Most statements are not required in paper form for any legal or tax reason.
Utility bills
Electric, water, gas, internet, phone. Scan for your records if you want a history. Keep the digital version for a few years. Paper originals serve no purpose after the bill is paid.
Pay stubs and employment records
Pay stubs, offer letters, employment verification — all fine to digitize. The exception is employment contracts that are specifically required to remain in signed form, such as some non-competes or bonus agreements that trigger legal obligations. Those, keep the signed original.
Tax returns and supporting documents
Yes, really. We wrote a whole post on this. The IRS has accepted electronic records since 1997. Scan tax returns, receipts, W-2s, 1099s, and supporting documentation, keep them for 7 years in a backed-up digital archive, and you have satisfied the retention requirement.
Receipts (almost all of them)
Thermal-paper receipts fade to illegibility within months. Scanning them early is actually more reliable than keeping paper. The exceptions are specific warranty-related receipts where the retailer requires a physical receipt for returns, but most retailers accept digital receipts for returns and warranty claims in 2026.
Warranty documents and manuals
Manuals are almost always available online from the manufacturer. Warranty cards can be scanned. A warranty claim requires proof of purchase, and a scanned receipt is typically fine — though if you own something particularly valuable, check the warranty terms.
Medical records and bills
Scan freely. Your healthcare providers already maintain electronic records under HIPAA requirements, and your copies are for your reference. The exception is documents you specifically need to hand-carry to other providers during a health emergency; those are worth keeping as both a physical copy and a digital copy in your password-protected folder.
School records and transcripts
Diplomas with raised seals are in the "keep the paper" category for the same reason as vital records. Everyday transcripts and grade reports can be fully digital; most schools now issue electronic transcripts on request.
Correspondence and personal letters
A sentimental category rather than a legal one. Some letters are irreplaceable family history. A physical letter from a grandparent has value that a scan does not. This is a personal call. We would scan them anyway as a backup, and keep the physical originals that matter emotionally.
The "scan and keep both" category
For documents that matter but you do not need to touch often, the best approach is scan and keep the original. This gives you:
- A searchable digital copy for quick access
- A physical original for legal validity, sentimental value, or backup
- Protection against fire, water damage, or physical loss through the digital copy
- Protection against file corruption, lost passwords, or service outages through the physical copy
Almost everything on the "keep paper" list belongs in this category. You scan it with ScanLens for your own searchable reference, and you also keep the physical original in a fireproof safe, safe deposit box, or dedicated important-documents file.
Where to keep paper originals
The practical question of where to put physical originals matters more than which container you pick.
Fireproof safe at home
A small fireproof safe rated for at least 30 minutes at 1550°F is enough for most families. It protects against house fires, most theft (a determined burglar can still steal a small safe, but most do not), and water damage. The downside is that a fire that exceeds the rating or a flood that submerges the safe can still destroy the contents. That is what the digital backup is for.
Safe deposit box
Bank safe deposit boxes are extremely fire-resistant and secure. The downside, as mentioned, is access — some banks freeze access when the owner dies. Keep a will out of a safe deposit box if it is the only copy. Either store it at home, with your attorney, or in a box that an executor can access without delay.
With a trusted professional
Your attorney can hold your original will. Your accountant can hold certain tax-related originals. This adds a layer of durability but introduces dependency on that professional's practices. Fine as part of a multi-location strategy, not great as a single point of failure.
The rule we actually follow
Scan everything. Shred what you can. Put the rest in a fireproof safe. If you die tomorrow, your family should be able to find every document they need within ten minutes — both the physical originals and the digital archive.
That is the test. If someone opening your safe and your cloud folder would be able to handle a death, a major hospitalization, or a house fire, your paperwork setup is good. If they would have to dig through piles or guess where things are, it is not — even if you are fully digital.
Related reading
- Are Digital Receipts Accepted by the IRS? — why tax records are fine to digitize
- How to Organize Digital Documents — the system to hold everything you do scan
- How to Go Paperless with Your iPhone — the longer pillar guide to setting up your digital archive
