Frequently Asked Questions

MyDocuva is a zero-knowledge encrypted document vault that helps you organize, protect, and prove ownership of your most important possessions and documents. It includes specialized vaults for travel customs proof, insurance claims, digital inheritance, and family sharing, all secured with dual-key AES-256 encryption so that even we cannot read your files.

MyDocuva is for anyone who owns valuable items like jewelry, watches, electronics, art, collectibles, musical instruments, or designer bags and needs to prove ownership, document possessions for insurance, or plan their digital inheritance. It is especially useful for:

• Frequent international travelers who need to prove items were purchased at home when crossing borders
• Homeowners and renters who want to be claims-ready before a fire, tornado, flood, or theft
• Families who want a secure way to share important records and plan digital inheritance
• Collectors of watches, jewelry, art, wine, or antiques who need provenance documentation

Cloud storage services are general-purpose file lockers. They store files but don't understand what's inside them. MyDocuva is purpose-built for valuable possessions. Key differences:

Yes. The Free plan includes 5 items, 100 MB of storage, the Items Vault, the Travel Vault (with customs form guidance), PDF reports, and basic OCR scanning, everything you need to get started. Paid plans unlock additional vaults like Insurance and Legacy, more storage, and family sharing. See Q111 for a full plan comparison.

Any valuable possession you would want to prove you own, insure, or pass down to loved ones. Common examples include:

• Jewelry & Watches: Engagement rings, luxury watches, heirloom necklaces, gemstones
• Electronics: Laptops, cameras, drones, smartphones, gaming consoles
• Art & Collectibles: Paintings, sculptures, coins, stamps, trading cards, wine
• Musical Instruments: Guitars, violins, pianos, vintage amplifiers
• Designer Items: Handbags, sunglasses, clothing, shoes
• Sporting Goods: Bicycles, golf clubs, skis, surfboards
• Home Valuables: Antique furniture, silverware, crystal, rugs

For each item, you can upload photos, receipts, serial numbers, appraisals, and certificates of authenticity.

Yes. MyDocuva works in any smartphone browser, and you can pull up your travel reports, insurance inventory, or any item right from your phone at customs, at your insurance agent's office, or anywhere else. You can also add MyDocuva to your home screen for one-tap access. A dedicated iOS and Android app with native camera scanning and biometric login is in development.

MyDocuva supports photos (JPEG, PNG, HEIC, WebP), documents (PDF), and videos (MP4, MOV, WebM). Images are automatically compressed for optimal storage while preserving quality. The built-in OCR scanner can extract text from images of receipts, certificates, and documents.

1. Create an account at mydocuva.com/register with your email or Google sign-in
2. Set up your passphrase, this is your encryption key, so choose something memorable
3. Add your first item with photos, receipts, and details
4. Explore the vaults: Travel, Insurance, or Legacy depending on your needs

The onboarding wizard guides you through each step. Most users add their first item within 60 seconds.

Yes. MyDocuva is available worldwide. The Travel Vault includes country-specific customs guidance for the United States (CBP Form 4457), Canada (BSF 407), United Kingdom (C&E 65), European Union, and Australia. Pricing is in USD, and the platform supports all major currencies for item valuations.

Your data belongs to you, and you can export everything at any time via Settings > Data Export. Exports include your items, photos, documents, and metadata in standard formats (JSON, PDF, original files) that work independently of MyDocuva. We will always give advance notice before any service changes. Even if the worst happened, your exported data is fully usable without our platform.

Yes. MyDocuva is designed to be straightforward. You add items by filling in a simple form (name, category, photos) and the platform handles encryption, scoring, and organization automatically. There's no technical setup required beyond creating an account and choosing a passphrase. The onboarding wizard walks you through your first item step by step. If you can attach a photo to an email, you can use MyDocuva.

MyDocuva is designed for personal and family use. It works well for individuals who own business equipment (laptops, cameras, tools) and want to document them for insurance or travel. However, it is not an enterprise asset management system and does not include features like multi-department access, purchase order integration, or depreciation schedules. For personal valuables that happen to be business tools, it works great.

MyDocuva's web app is fully responsive and works on any smartphone browser. A dedicated iOS and Android app is in development with native camera scanning, biometric login (fingerprint and face), and offline access. In the meantime, you can add MyDocuva to your phone's home screen for quick access, just like a native app.

Here is the simplest way to think about it: if you lost everything in a house fire tomorrow, could you list every valuable you own from memory? Most families recover only 30-40% of their possessions' value from insurance because they can't remember or prove what they had. MyDocuva takes about 5 minutes per item to document. One afternoon of effort could mean tens of thousands of dollars in a claim, or a smooth experience at customs instead of a stressful argument at the border. The Free plan costs nothing and covers your most important items.

The Items Vault is the core of MyDocuva, your secure inventory of valuable possessions. Each item includes a name, category, description, purchase price, brand, model, serial number, condition, and photos. Items feed into every other vault: link them to trips for customs proof, add them to your insurance inventory, or allocate them to nominees in your Legacy Vault.

Every item gets a 0-100 confidence score that measures how well you can prove you own it. The score considers:

• Receipt or invoice (+25 points), the strongest single proof
• Government customs form (+20 points)
• Professional appraisal (+20 points)
• Serial number (+15 points)
• Certificate or warranty card (+15 points)
• Photos (+5 each, up to 4)
• Photos spanning multiple years (+10 bonus)

The score updates in real time and includes a personalized suggestion for your next step, like "Upload the purchase receipt for the strongest proof of ownership."

When adding an item, you specify how you acquired it: Purchased, Gift, Inherited, or Long-term Ownership. This matters because customs officers and insurance adjusters evaluate ownership differently depending on acquisition type. A purchased item with a receipt is straightforward. A gift or inheritance may need a letter from the giver or estate documents. MyDocuva provides tailored tips for each type.

Yes. Each item supports multiple photos with specific roles: item photos, serial number close-ups, receipts, appraisals, certificates, and warranty cards. Photos are compressed for efficient storage and encrypted before upload. Adding photos from different years earns a bonus on your ownership confidence score.

MyDocuva offers 20+ categories including Jewelry, Watches, Electronics, Art & Collectibles, Musical Instruments, Designer Items, Sporting Goods, Camera & Optics, Furniture, Antiques, Wine & Spirits, Coins & Stamps, Handbags, Tools, and more. Each category can have tailored customs guidance.

OCR (Optical Character Recognition) extracts text from images of receipts, certificates, and documents. It runs entirely on your device, so no data is sent to external servers. This means you can quickly search for text across your items without manually typing everything. The Free plan includes basic OCR that works well for clear, high-contrast receipts. Paid plans (Basic and above) include advanced OCR that handles lower-quality images, faded text, and multi-language documents with higher accuracy.

Yes. Deleted items go to a recovery bin where they remain for 30 days. During that window, you can restore any item with all its photos, documents, and metadata intact. After 30 days, items are permanently removed.

Yes, limits depend on your plan: Free (5 items), Basic (15 items), Basic Plus (35 items), Advanced (unlimited). Storage limits also apply: 100 MB, 1 GB, 3 GB, and 25 GB respectively. You'll receive a notification as you approach your limits.

Yes. This is one of the most useful features in MyDocuva. You create an item once in the Items Vault with all its details, photos, receipts, and serial numbers, then link it wherever you need it. Taking a trip? Link your watch and camera to your Travel Vault trip for customs proof. Documenting your home? The same items appear in your Insurance Vault inventory. Planning your estate? Allocate those items to nominees in your Legacy Vault. You never have to re-enter information or upload the same photos twice. Every vault pulls from your single source of truth in the Items Vault, so when you add a new receipt or update a photo, the change is reflected everywhere that item is linked.

Most items take 2-5 minutes to add, depending on how much documentation you include. At minimum, you need a name, category, and one photo. For a thorough entry with receipt, serial number, appraisal, and multiple photos, plan for about 5-10 minutes. The OCR scanner speeds up receipt entry by extracting text automatically. Most users build their full inventory over a few sessions rather than all at once.

The Travel Vault helps you prove ownership of valuable items when crossing international borders. Customs officers may ask you to prove that expensive items like jewelry, cameras, watches, or laptops were purchased in your home country and are not new acquisitions subject to duty. The Travel Vault organizes your documentation and generates professional PDF reports.

When you cross an international border carrying expensive items, customs officers may suspect you purchased them abroad and owe import duty. This happens most often with jewelry, watches, cameras, electronics, designer goods, and musical instruments. Without proof of prior ownership, you could face duty charges of 5-25% of the item's value, or have the item temporarily seized.

A Travel Report is a professional PDF document that summarizes your trip and all the valuable items you're carrying. It includes item photos, serial numbers, purchase receipts, ownership confidence scores, your itinerary, emergency contacts, medical information, and identification copies. You can show it to customs officers on your phone or print it.

MyDocuva provides guidance for country-specific customs forms:

• United States: CBP Form 4457 (Certificate of Registration for Personal Effects Taken Abroad)
• Canada: BSF 407 (Identification of Articles for Temporary Exportation)
• United Kingdom: C&E 65 (Certificate of Export)
• European Union: ATA Carnet guidance
• Australia: B534 guidance

The platform includes step-by-step instructions for obtaining and completing each form at your local customs office before departure.

Go to Travel Vault > New Trip. Enter your destination, travel dates, and purpose. Then link the valuable items you'll be carrying from your Items Vault. MyDocuva shows you a pre-trip timeline with recommended steps like registering items at customs, getting appraisals, and generating your travel report.

Yes. An item can be linked to as many trips as you need. This is common for items you travel with frequently, like a laptop, camera, or daily-wear jewelry. The ownership documentation you've built carries across all trips.

Yes. If you take similar trips regularly, you can clone an existing trip to create a new one with the same linked items, saving time. Just update the dates and destination.

The pre-trip timeline is a smart checklist that counts down to your departure date. It reminds you to register items at customs (2-4 weeks before), get appraisals if needed, generate your travel report, and pack documentation. Each step links to the relevant guide section.

Yes. The Travel Vault, including PDF travel reports and customs form guidance, is available on all plans including Free. This is a core feature because customs proof is time-sensitive, and you need it ready before your trip.

Yes. You can create a secure share link for any trip or individual item. Share links are time-limited, optionally password-protected, and can include a QR code for easy scanning. You can revoke access at any time. QR sharing requires the Basic plan or above.

Customs officers want to see evidence that you owned an item before you left the country. They look for original purchase receipts with your name, credit card or bank statements showing the transaction, serial numbers that match the item in hand, appraisals from certified professionals, photos with timestamps predating your trip, and government registration forms like CBP 4457. The more documentation you have, the faster the process goes. MyDocuva's ownership confidence score tells you exactly how strong your proof is for each item.

You technically can, but it's unreliable for several reasons. Phone batteries die, screens crack, cellular service may be unavailable in customs zones, and officers may not trust photos without verifiable metadata. Scrolling through your camera roll looking for the right photo while a line of travelers waits behind you adds pressure and delays. A PDF travel report with organized photos, serial numbers, and receipts in one document is far more convincing and faster to present than scattered phone photos.

If you cannot prove that you owned an item before leaving your home country, customs officers may assume you purchased it abroad. Depending on the country and item value, you could face import duty charges of 5-25% of the item's estimated value. In some cases, the item may be temporarily held or seized until you provide proof. You may also face delays, additional screening, and the stress of arguing your case without evidence. This is why documenting your valuables before you travel is so important.

Items that look expensive and portable are the most common targets. These include luxury watches (Rolex, Omega, TAG Heuer), high-end jewelry, professional camera equipment, laptops and tablets (especially new-looking ones), designer handbags and accessories, musical instruments, and fine art or collectibles. Electronics with visible brand logos and items that appear unused or still in packaging draw the most attention. If you're carrying several of these on one trip, documenting all of them is strongly recommended.

Very little. Customs interactions typically last 30 seconds to a few minutes. Officers process hundreds of travelers per shift and don't have time to wait while you search through emails, open apps, or call someone for help. If you can't present evidence quickly, they'll either charge duty or pull you aside for secondary inspection, which can take hours. Having a single PDF report with everything organized is the fastest way to resolve questions on the spot.

No. A CBP Form 4457 (Certificate of Registration) does not expire and is valid for all future trips as long as the items listed haven't changed. However, if you acquire new valuables, you'll need to register those separately before your next trip. MyDocuva stores your registration records so you can track which items are covered and which still need registration. You can also link existing registrations to new trips.

MyDocuva cannot help recover duty you've already paid, as that process is handled by your country's customs authority (e.g., CBP in the US). However, you can use MyDocuva right now to document the items in question so this doesn't happen again. Upload your receipts, photos, serial numbers, and any customs forms. The next time you travel, your Travel Report will have all the proof organized in one PDF. For recovering a past duty payment, contact your customs authority directly and reference their refund or protest process.

If you purchased an item abroad and already paid import duty when you brought it home, document that payment in MyDocuva (save the duty receipt). This proves the item is legally yours and duties have been paid. If you then travel again with that item, your travel report shows you already cleared it through customs previously. Without this record, you risk being charged duty a second time.

The Insurance Vault helps you create a complete home inventory so you're prepared if you ever need to file an insurance claim. After a fire, tornado, flood, or theft, most families can recall only a fraction of what they owned. The Insurance Vault documents everything room by room with photos, estimated values, receipts, and a professional claims-ready PDF report.

According to industry data, the average family underestimates the value of their possessions by 30-40%. After a disaster, you need to list everything you lost with evidence. Without documentation, insurers often pay less than you deserve. A complete home inventory turns a stressful claims process into a smooth one.

The Insurance Vault is designed for any event that damages or destroys your possessions: house fires, tornadoes, hurricanes, floods, earthquakes, burst pipes, theft, vandalism, and more. Your documentation is stored securely in the cloud, so it survives even if your home doesn't.

Go to Insurance Vault > New Item. For each possession, add the name, room location, estimated value, condition, and photos. You can also upload receipts and appraisals. Work through your home room by room (kitchen, living room, bedroom, garage, etc.) to make sure nothing is missed.

The Insurance Vault includes an in-browser video recorder that lets you film a room-by-room walkthrough of your home. This video serves as powerful supplementary evidence for insurance claims, showing the overall condition and contents of each room. Videos are recorded directly in your browser and encrypted before upload.

Yes. The Insurance Vault generates a professional PDF report listing all your inventory items with photos, values, conditions, and room locations. This report is designed to be shared directly with your insurance agent or adjuster. It includes total valuation, item counts by room, and individual item details.

The Insurance Vault requires the Basic plan ($2.99/month or $1.50/month yearly) or above. The Free plan includes the Items Vault and Travel Vault but not Insurance. All plans include the same zero-knowledge encryption and security features.

Yes. Create a secure share link for your insurance report. Your agent receives a time-limited, password-protected link to view the report. You can set an expiration (e.g., 7 days) and revoke access at any time. No account needed on the agent's side.

We recommend updating your inventory when you make significant purchases, receive valuable gifts, or rearrange your home. As a rule of thumb, do a quick walkthrough every 6-12 months to make sure everything is current. MyDocuva sends expiry and review reminders to help you stay on track.

The Insurance Vault has its own inventory system optimized for claims (with room locations, replacement values, and bulk documentation). However, items from your Items Vault can be referenced for ownership proof. The two work together but serve different purposes: Items Vault is about ownership proof, Insurance Vault is about claims readiness.

Adjusters look for documented evidence of what you owned, its condition, and its value. They want itemized lists with descriptions, photos showing items in your home, purchase receipts or bank statements, serial numbers, and estimated replacement values. The more organized your documentation, the faster your claim is processed and the higher the payout. A professional PDF report with photos and values gets taken far more seriously than a handwritten list from memory.

Insurance companies want to verify two things: that you actually owned the item, and that it was in the condition you claim. A photo from five years ago doesn't prove the item wasn't sold, given away, or damaged since then. Recent photos (within 6-12 months) show the item was in your possession and in a specific condition at a recent date. This is why MyDocuva recommends updating your inventory photos at least once a year and why the video walkthrough feature is so valuable, it captures everything with a recent timestamp.

The most common reasons are: insufficient documentation (no photos, no receipts, no inventory), underestimating the value of possessions, not reading policy exclusions, filing too late, and inconsistencies between the claim and the evidence. Many families don't realize how much they own until it's gone. A complete home inventory with photos and values eliminates the two biggest problems, lack of documentation and underestimation.

Yes. Most major insurance companies accept digital documentation, including photos, scanned receipts, video walkthroughs, and PDF reports. In fact, many adjusters prefer digital evidence because it's easier to review and verify than boxes of paper receipts. MyDocuva's PDF report is formatted specifically for claims review, with item photos, values, room locations, and conditions organized in a clear layout.

You can still document items without receipts. Upload photos showing the item in your home, note the approximate purchase date and price, add the brand and model for price verification, and include any other evidence like warranty cards, product registration emails, or credit card statements. MyDocuva's ownership confidence score helps you understand how strong your documentation is and suggests ways to improve it. Even without a receipt, multiple types of supporting evidence can build a strong claim.

A video walkthrough captures everything in context, not just individual items but entire rooms, showing the overall condition, layout, and contents. It catches items you might forget to photograph individually (curtains, light fixtures, wall art, small appliances). The video has a timestamp, proving what you owned and when. Adjusters find video walkthroughs particularly persuasive because they're hard to fake and provide a comprehensive view of your home. MyDocuva's walkthrough recorder works directly in your browser with no additional software needed.

For the current claim, MyDocuva can help you organize whatever documentation you still have (bank statements, credit card records, emailed receipts, warranty registrations, photos from social media). Start adding items you remember and gather whatever supporting evidence you can find. Going forward, use MyDocuva to document everything you replace so you're fully prepared if anything happens again. The best time to start was before the disaster. The second-best time is right now.

No. Your insurance company does not see your MyDocuva inventory unless you choose to share it with them during a claim. Creating an inventory is a private activity. In fact, many insurance agents encourage detailed inventories because they speed up claims processing and reduce disputes. Your inventory stays encrypted in your vault until you decide to share it.

The Legacy Vault is your digital inheritance plan. It ensures that your important documents, possessions, and personal messages reach the people you choose, automatically, securely, and on your terms. You designate nominees, allocate specific items to them, and set an inactivity trigger. If you don't check in within your configured period, your nominees receive secure access to their allocated items.

You set an inactivity period (e.g., 90 days). If you don't log in during that window, MyDocuva sends you a series of check-in reminders via email. If you still don't respond, the system automatically notifies your designated nominees with a secure portal link to access their allocated items. You can pause, extend, or disable the trigger at any time while active.

A nominee is someone you designate to receive access to specific items if your Legacy Vault trigger activates. Each nominee has a name, email, phone number, and relationship to you. You can attach a personal message to each nominee that they'll see when they access the portal. Nominees don't need a MyDocuva account.

A co-owner is a trusted person who can view and manage your Legacy Vault while you're alive. They can see nominees, allocations, and vault items, acting as a second pair of eyes on your inheritance plan. Co-owners have real-time visibility but cannot modify trigger settings. This adds a layer of human oversight to the automated system.

Go to Legacy Vault > Allocations. Select an item from your vault and assign it to one or more nominees. You can add a personal message to each allocation, for example, "This watch was your grandfather's. He would have wanted you to have it." Each nominee only sees the items allocated to them.

When the inactivity trigger activates, each nominee receives an email with a secure portal link. The portal displays only the items allocated to that specific nominee, along with any personal messages you attached. The portal uses strong authentication (email verification + one-time code) but does not require a MyDocuva account. Nominees can view items and download documents.

Yes. You can send a test notification to any nominee to verify their email works and preview what they'll see. This doesn't trigger actual disclosure, it's just a dry run so you can confirm everything is set up correctly.

The Legacy Vault requires the Basic Plus plan ($7.89/month or $3.95/month yearly) or the Advanced plan. It is not available on the Free or Basic plans. This reflects the complexity of the inheritance features, including nominee management, allocations, co-owners, triggers, and the secure portal.

The Legacy Vault is a documentation and notification system, not a legal will or trust. It ensures your digital records and instructions reach the people you choose, but it does not replace legal estate planning. We recommend using it alongside a legal will or trust. The detailed item-by-item documentation and personal messages can complement your formal estate plan.

Yes. You can add, edit, or remove nominees and change allocations at any time. All changes take effect immediately. Your Legacy Vault activity log records every change for transparency.

You can update a nominee's email address at any time in Legacy Vault > Nominees. Select the nominee, edit their email, and save. The new email will be used at disclosure time when the vault is triggered. Nominees don't receive any communication before the vault is triggered, so there's no risk of notifications going to the wrong address while you're updating things.

The Legacy Vault is designed for individual nominees with personal email addresses. You can add a representative from a charity or organization as a nominee using their professional email. Include details about the organization in the personal message field and specify what items you're allocating. The representative will receive portal access just like any other nominee. For formal charitable bequests, we recommend also including this in your legal will.

The inactivity trigger works the same way regardless of the reason. If you're unable to log in due to illness, hospitalization, or incapacitation, the trigger will activate after your configured period (e.g., 90 days). This is one of the key reasons to designate a co-owner. They can monitor your vault, communicate with your nominees, and provide context about the situation. The trigger responds to inactivity itself, not the reason behind it, so your wishes are carried out whether or not you're able to act.

Co-owners have visibility into your Legacy Vault but cannot modify trigger settings. Only the vault owner can pause, extend, or disable the trigger. This is intentional: it ensures no one can override your inheritance plan without your direct action. If your co-owner believes the trigger is about to activate incorrectly (for example, if you're traveling without internet), they should contact you directly so you can log in and reset the timer.

MyDocuva allocates items based on your explicit instructions. Each item is assigned to specific nominees by you, and each nominee only sees the items allocated to them through the portal. If you allocate the same item to multiple nominees, all of them will see it. To avoid disputes, be clear and specific in your allocations and use the personal message field to explain your reasoning. The Legacy Vault is a documentation and delivery system, not a dispute resolution platform. For legally binding decisions, include matching instructions in your legal will.

When the trigger activates, each nominee receives a unique, one-time portal link sent to their registered email address. To access the portal, they must verify their identity through email verification and a one-time security code. They do not need a MyDocuva account. The portal link is specific to each nominee and only shows items allocated to them. This multi-step verification ensures that only the intended recipient can access the disclosed items.

Each nominee only sees the items allocated to them. They cannot see other nominees, other allocations, or the full contents of your vault. Your allocations are private between you and each individual nominee. If you want to keep a specific allocation confidential from family members, simply allocate it and include any explanation in the personal message. No one else will see it unless you share it.

Yes. You have a few options. You can create a Family Plan and add your parents as members, then help them add their items. Or you can help them create their own account and walk them through adding items during a visit. For the Legacy Vault specifically, you could be added as a co-owner on their vault, giving you visibility while they retain full control. The interface is designed to be simple, and the onboarding wizard guides new users through each step.

The Family Plan lets you invite family members to share a secure document vault. You control who has access and what they can do. Each member gets their own items and documents, but family-shared items are visible to everyone in the plan. This is ideal for couples, parents, or extended families who want one secure location for important records.

Three roles:

• Admin: Full control. Creates the plan, manages members, manages billing. Only one admin per plan.
• Co-Admin: Can invite/remove members, manage family-shared items, and view all family content. Cannot change billing.
• Member: Can view family-shared items and manage their own items. Cannot invite or remove other members.

Depends on your plan: Free (just you, no family sharing), Basic (2 members), Basic Plus (4 members), Advanced (10 members). Family members count includes the plan owner.

Go to Family > Invite. Enter the person's email address and select their role (Co-Admin or Member). They'll receive an email invitation with a link to join. If they already have a MyDocuva account, they'll be added to your family plan. If not, they'll be prompted to create a free account first.

Yes. All family members share the plan's total storage quota. For example, on the Basic Plus plan, the entire family shares 3 GB. Each member can see their own usage in their settings.

No. Only items you mark as "Family" visibility are shared with the family plan. Your personal items remain private. This gives you full control over what to share and what to keep private.

Yes. Admins and Co-Admins can remove any member at any time. When removed, the member loses access to all family-shared items immediately. Their own personal items remain in their individual account.

If you downgrade to a plan with fewer family member slots, you'll need to remove excess members before the downgrade takes effect. No one loses data. Removed members keep their personal items in their own account but lose access to family-shared items.

Zero-knowledge means that MyDocuva has zero knowledge of your document contents. All encryption and decryption happens in your browser, before data reaches our servers. We store only encrypted ciphertext. Even our engineering team, database administrators, and any potential attacker who compromises our servers cannot read your files.

MyDocuva uses two keys to encrypt your data:

1. Your User Key, derived from your passphrase using PBKDF2 with 100,000 iterations, computed entirely on your device
2. The Platform Key, managed by AWS Key Management Service (KMS)

Both keys are required to decrypt your documents. This means:

• If someone steals your passphrase but can't access our servers, they can't decrypt
• If someone compromises our servers but doesn't have your passphrase, they can't decrypt
• Only the combination of both keys, used together, can access your data

Your passphrase is the secret phrase you create when setting up your account. It generates your personal encryption key directly on your device. It is never sent to or stored on our servers, which means no one, including us, can access your data without it. If you lose your passphrase, your encrypted data cannot be recovered by anyone. Write your passphrase down and keep it in a physically secure place, like a home safe or safety deposit box. You can change your passphrase via Settings > Change Passphrase while logged in.

MyDocuva enforces three independent security layers before granting access to your data:

1. Authentication: Email/password or social login via AWS Cognito, with optional MFA
2. Passphrase Session: Your passphrase is verified via HMAC-signed cookies and a server-side database session
3. API Validation: Every API call independently verifies your session is valid

All three layers must pass for every request. Compromising one layer alone is not sufficient to access your data.

Yes. You can enable optional software-token MFA (TOTP) via Settings > Security. Once enabled, you'll need your authenticator app (like Google Authenticator or Authy) to log in, in addition to your password. MFA is available on all plans including Free.

Your data is stored on Amazon Web Services (AWS) servers in the United States. Files are encrypted before they leave your device, and they receive an additional layer of encryption on our servers. Database records are also encrypted and backed up continuously so nothing is lost. When data moves between your device and our servers, it travels through a secure, encrypted connection. All infrastructure is managed by AWS, one of the most trusted cloud platforms in the world.

No. Because of our zero-knowledge architecture, your files are encrypted with keys that we do not possess. Even with full access to our databases and storage, our team cannot decrypt your documents. We can see metadata (file sizes, timestamps, item titles) but never the content of your files.

If you forget your passphrase, we cannot recover your encrypted data. This is an intentional security design that ensures no one, including us, can bypass your encryption. We strongly recommend writing your passphrase down and storing it in a safe physical location (like a safe or safety deposit box). You can change your passphrase via Settings > Change Passphrase while logged in.

Every access, share, modification, login, and security event is logged with timestamps, IP addresses, and device information. Audit logs are retained for 3 years. You can view your complete audit trail in Settings > Security, and export it for your records. Security alerts notify you of suspicious activity like logins from new devices.

Yes. MyDocuva is designed with privacy as the default. We comply with major privacy regulations including the European GDPR and US state privacy laws like the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA). You have full rights to access, export, correct, and delete your data at any time. Because of our zero-knowledge encryption, your data is protected even if a government requests access to our servers, since we cannot decrypt it ourselves.

MyDocuva uses only strictly necessary cookies for authentication and passphrase sessions. We use Google Analytics for aggregated, non-personal website traffic data. We do not use advertising cookies, third-party tracking pixels, or behavioral profiling. We do not sell your data. See our Privacy Policy for full details.

When you share an item or report, MyDocuva creates a time-limited, password-protected link. You control the expiration (1 hour to 30 days), and you can optionally require a password. A QR code is generated for easy scanning (Basic plan and above). You can revoke any share link at any time, immediately cutting off access.

MyDocuva's encryption runs in your browser using the Web Crypto API, a standard built into every modern browser. You can verify this yourself using your browser's developer tools (Network tab), where you'll see that only encrypted data leaves your device. Your encryption key is derived from your passphrase using PBKDF2 with 100,000 iterations, all on your device before anything is transmitted. The fact that we cannot recover your data if you lose your passphrase is itself proof that the encryption is real. If we could read your files, we could recover them.

If an attacker breaches our servers, they would find only encrypted ciphertext. Without your passphrase (which we never store or transmit), the data is unreadable. Our dual-key architecture means an attacker would need both your personal passphrase AND access to the AWS KMS platform key simultaneously. Each is protected independently. Additionally, all access is logged in our audit trail, and security alerts notify you of suspicious activity on your account.

Your password (or social login) is your first layer of security, it proves your identity to log in. Your passphrase is completely separate, it generates the encryption key that locks your actual files. Think of the password as the key to the front door and the passphrase as the combination to the safe inside. Even if someone guesses your login password, they still cannot decrypt your documents without the passphrase. Both are required, and they serve different roles.

We can see your email address, name (if provided), subscription plan, login timestamps, IP addresses, device info, and basic metadata like file sizes, item titles, and upload dates. We cannot see the content of your documents, photos, or files because they are encrypted on your device before reaching our servers. We use metadata only to provide the service (display your vault, calculate storage, enforce plan limits). We never use it for profiling, advertising, or selling to third parties.

No. MyDocuva does not sell, rent, or share your personal information with third parties for marketing or advertising. We do not display ads anywhere in the product. We do not use advertising cookies, behavioral tracking, or third-party tracking pixels. Our only revenue comes from subscription plans. Your data is not the product, you are the customer.

Yes. You can request full account deletion, and all associated data (items, documents, encrypted files, family associations, audit logs, and metadata) is permanently removed within 30 days. Individual items go to a 30-day recovery bin first, so you can undo accidental deletions. Once the 30 days pass, the data is gone permanently, and because of zero-knowledge encryption, there are no copies we can access.

If we receive a legally valid request (such as a subpoena or court order), we can only provide account metadata, things like your email address, login timestamps, and IP addresses. We cannot provide the content of your encrypted documents because our zero-knowledge architecture means we do not have the keys to decrypt them. This is not a policy choice, it is a technical limitation built into our encryption design.

Yes. Your data is stored on AWS servers in the United States. For users in the EU, UK, or Switzerland, international transfers comply with Standard Contractual Clauses (SCCs) adopted by the European Commission. As an additional safeguard, your documents are encrypted with keys that we do not possess, which means even if a US authority requests access to our servers, we cannot provide unencrypted content. Your encryption protects you regardless of where you live.

MyDocuva is intended for users aged 18 and older. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children under 13, in compliance with COPPA (Children's Online Privacy Protection Act). If you believe a minor has created an account, contact us at support@mydocuva.com and we will promptly delete the account and associated data.

Yes. If a data breach affects your personal information, we will notify you by email and in-app notification within 72 hours of becoming aware of it. Because of our zero-knowledge architecture, a server breach would not expose the content of your encrypted documents. The notification will clearly explain what happened, what data was affected (typically account metadata, not encrypted files), and what steps you should take.

MyDocuva implements multiple layers of web security: Content Security Policy (CSP) headers that block unauthorized scripts, input sanitization on all forms to prevent injection attacks, rate limiting on sensitive endpoints to prevent brute-force attempts, HTTPS/TLS 1.2+ encryption for all data in transit, the `X-Powered-By` header is disabled so attackers cannot identify our stack, and `frame-ancestors: none` prevents your pages from being embedded in malicious sites. These protections run automatically on every page load and API call.

Most cloud storage services can read your files because they hold the encryption keys. MyDocuva uses zero-knowledge encryption, meaning your files are encrypted on your device before upload, and only you hold the key (your passphrase). We cannot read, scan, or index the content of your files. Additionally, MyDocuva is purpose-built for proving ownership (travel customs, insurance claims), digital inheritance (Legacy Vault), and family sharing, features that general cloud storage does not offer. Your data is never used for ads, training, or profiling.

All plans include zero-knowledge encryption, 3-layer security, and AES-256 protection.

Yes. Upgrade or downgrade at any time. When you upgrade, the price difference is prorated for the remainder of your billing cycle. When you downgrade, the change takes effect at the end of your current period, and you keep the higher-tier features until then.

With yearly billing, you pay once per year and save 50% compared to monthly billing. For example, the Basic plan drops from $2.99/month to $1.50/month (billed $17.94/year). Your subscription renews automatically each year, and you can cancel anytime.

You'll receive a notification as you approach your limit. You won't lose any existing data, but you'll need to upgrade your plan or remove files before uploading new ones. Your existing documents remain encrypted and accessible regardless of storage status.

Yes. There are no contracts, cancellation fees, or hidden charges. If you cancel, you retain access to your plan's features until the end of your current billing period. After that, your account reverts to the Free tier. Your data remains encrypted and safe, nothing is deleted.

All payment processing is handled by Stripe, Inc., a PCI Level 1 certified payment processor. MyDocuva never stores your credit card number, CVV, or full billing details on our servers. We retain only a Stripe customer identifier and subscription status.

Your account reverts to the Free tier (5 items, 100 MB). If you're over the Free limits, you can still view and download your existing data but cannot upload new items until you're within the limits. Your encrypted files are never deleted automatically and remain stored and accessible. You can export everything via Settings > Data Export at any time.

We do not currently offer a free trial, but the Free plan itself is a permanent, fully functional tier that includes the Items Vault, Travel Vault, PDF reports, and basic OCR. You can use it indefinitely with no time limit. When you're ready for Insurance, Legacy, or more storage, you can upgrade at any time. With yearly billing at 50% off, the Basic plan works out to just $1.50/month.

If you're not happy with a paid plan, you can downgrade or cancel at any time. Your account reverts to the Free tier at the end of your current billing period. For refund requests on recent charges, contact our support team and we'll review your case. We want you to feel confident in your subscription.

MyDocuva accounts are personal and cannot be transferred to another person. However, you can export all your data via Settings > Data Export in standard formats (JSON, PDF, original files) and share those files however you choose. For passing digital records to loved ones, the Legacy Vault is designed specifically for this purpose, with controlled, secure disclosure to your chosen nominees.