Should You Keep a Copy of Your Passport on Your Phone?
A digital copy of your passport is handy when you travel, and a gift to identity thieves if it's in your gallery. How to keep one safely.
A copy of your passport on your phone can save a trip. If the real one is lost or stolen, a copy makes reporting it and getting an emergency document much easier. But where you keep that copy matters.
Why the gallery is the wrong place
A passport photo in your camera roll is:
- Visible to anyone who picks up your unlocked phone.
- Synced to the cloud, often without you thinking about it.
- Easy to send by accident when you share a batch of holiday photos.
Your passport has everything someone needs to try to pretend to be you: your full name, date of birth, nationality, document number and photo.
A safer way
Keep the copy in an encrypted vault instead:
- Scan the photo page with the vault's built-in scanner, or move an existing photo in.
- Delete the copy from your gallery and cloud photos.
- Add a record with the passport number and expiry date, so you can find them without opening the image.
Keep the details for other documents the same way: driving licence, residence permits, insurance cards and visas.
What else to store
- Your travel insurance policy and emergency number.
- Booking confirmations with your address abroad.
- Your bank's lost card number, which is hard to find when your card is gone.
Don't forget the original
A copy helps, but it isn't a replacement. Keep your real passport somewhere safe, and check your country's advice on what to do if it's lost abroad.
