Worse yet, what if you lost all of your passports and other forms of ID? This could prevent you from taking out loans, or from applying for a job.
The solution of course is to get yourself a special safe for your cash and passports that will keep your precious belongings safe, even if there was a house fire.
The good news is that we’ve been checking out some of the best fireproof safes out on the market at the moment, and we found some that are perfect for keeping your cash and passports perfectly secure.
After much deliberation, we were able to come up with a shortlist of our top 5 picks, and we’re going to review them here for you today.
But we get that purchasing decisions can be tricky, so we’ve also put together a buying guide for you which highlights some of the key things to think about before you buy.
And without further ado, let’s get straight to it.
Product Reviews
If you’re in a hurry, check out a number one pick - it ticks all the boxes.
Now, this safe comes from one of the top brands in the industry, and will keep your valuables incredibly safe and secure.
It comes from Honeywell international Inc., which is a Fortune 100 company with a global reach. And the brand is all about bringing peace of mind to its customers and protecting individuals’ prized valuables.
It has a 1-hour UL certified fire protection rating, and what this means is that it has been tested to show that it can last for up to an hour in temperatures of up to 1700 degrees Fahrenheit without risk of causing damage to any paper or cash that might be stored inside.
And that’s not all - this safe also has excellent waterproofing properties too. If there was a flood in your home, the waterproof seal will keep the contents of the safe completely dry, even when the safe is submerged in 39 inches of water. How safe is that?
Another thing we love about the safe is the traditional lock and key locking mechanism - no more having to worry about remembering some tricky passcode, just keep the keys hidden in a place only you know, and access your passports etc. whenever you like.
The other thing we love about this safe is the size. Not only will it fit your passports and cash, but it’s also big enough to house important letters and legal documents, too.
Or any kind of digital media for that matter. Yet at the same time, it remains perfectly portable, and can be carried like a briefcase.
And that’s not all, the safe comes backed by a very lengthy 7-year warranty, and if the safe ever were to get caught in a fire, you are guaranteed a brand-new replacement.
Pros
A brand you can really trust
Excellent fireproofing capabilities
Excellent waterproofing capabilities
Lock and key locking mechanism
Perfectly sized and also portable
Backed by a lengthy 7-year warranty
Cons
It’s a little heavier than many of its counterparts, but this is necessary to give it it’s impressive 1 hour fireproof rating
If you want the same level of fire protection as the Honeywell safe that we showed you a little earlier, but you simply do not have the budget, then this is your next best option.
It offers the same level of fire protection, but is available at a much more affordable price, a mid-priced option with top class benefits.
It has a 1-hour UL certified fire protection rating, and what this means is that it has been tested to show that it can last for up to an hour in temperatures of up to 1700 degrees Fahrenheit without risk of causing damage to any paper or cash that might be stored inside.
And that’s not all - this safe also has excellent waterproofing properties too, and can even withstand being submerged in a flood of water, while keeping everything inside completely dry for a considerable length of time.
It has a tubular key locking mechanism, which will also provide protection against theft.
Not only is it good for looking after smaller items such as passports and cash, but the interior is also big enough to hold letter-size paperwork completely flat.
And it's also ETL verified which means that it's safe to hold various forms of digital media such as USB drives, CDs, DVDs, and portable hard drives.
But it’s not so big that it becomes unportable. It’s very lightweight at just 10 pounds, and features a convenient carry handle for easy transport.
Pros
Excellent value for money
Excellent fireproofing capabilities
Excellent waterproofing capabilities
Lock and key locking mechanism
Perfectly sized and also portable
Safe for holding all your digital media
Cons
It’s not stated anywhere in the product description exactly how long it can withstand being submerged in water
Now, this is a typical mid-priced fireproof safe, not too expensive, but certainly not cheap.
It is UL certified, which means it can endure external temperatures of 1550 degrees Fahrenheit while keeping things like passports and cash inside safe from the heat for up to half an hour.
But that’s not all, it's also completely waterproof. In the event of a flood, the safe will float, but if it was to be submerged if something heavy were to fall on it, the seal is so securely waterproof that all the contents will remain completely dry for up to 8 hours, which means that you can concentrate on making sure everybody’s safe and sheltered before hunting for your valuables.
It’s also been independently tested to prove that it will also keep digital media safe, too, including not just CDs, and DVDs, but also hard drives and laptops.
One of the great things about this laptop is the size. It has been specially designed to hold suspended cardboard folders filled with A4 size documents, which is perfect for keeping the really important stuff all in one place and keeping it all secure.
It’s not so big that it’s not portable, but it doesn’t have a carry handle, so isn’t ideal for carrying around.
It has a good old-fashioned clamp style latch and key lock mechanism, so you don’t have to worry about trying to remember silly passcodes when you need to access your belongings. And it comes with two keys, so if you were to lose one, there’s always a spare.
If the worst did happen and there was fire damage in your home, you can apply for a free replacement, so you can be assured once again that all of your important documents and valuables will be kept safe. It also comes backed by a lengthy, 5-year limited warranty.
This is also a typically mid-priced fireproof safe, not too expensive, but certainly not too cheap either.
It is UL certified for it’s fireproofing, which means it can endure external temperatures of 1550 degrees Fahrenheit while keeping things like passports and cash inside safe from the heat for up to half an hour.
And it also happens to be completely waterproof too, and this has been ETL verified. Even when fully submerged in water, the box will keep all of your cash and passports perfectly dry for up to a whopping 72 hours.
And in addition to keeping your cash and passports safe in the event of an emergency, it will also look after certain items of digital media, including the likes of DVDs and USB drives.
It’s really small and compact, which makes it easier to stow away out of sight of would-be burglars and thieves. But thankfully, it’s not so small that it can’t be used to look after your important A4 size documents, too.
And there’s another nice feature that we quite like - there are built-in elasticated straps inside the lid of the box, and these are great for holding smaller items such as passports and security cards and the like, without having to flick through loads of paperwork to find them.
It features a very secure tubular key lock for added security that will prevent the lid from opening in the event of a fire. And you get 2 keys, so there is always a spare.
Pros
Set at a fair & reasonable price
Excellent fireproofing capabilities
Excellent waterproofing capabilities
Elasticated straps for small items
Tubular key locking mechanism
Safe for holding DVDs and USBs
Cons
It’s not recommended for holding lots of A4 documents, since this could potentially cause jamming issues
If you have been checking the prices as you go along, you will have noticed that our top pick is relatively expensive. But don’t worry, because we have some more affordable options that we feel are also of really good quality.
This safe from SentrySafe is not quite as impressive as our number one pick, but it’s available at a significantly lower price. A fraction of the price, in fact.
It is UL certified to endure external temperatures of 1550 degrees Fahrenheit while keeping things like passports and cash inside safe from the heat for up to half an hour.
And in addition to looking after your cash and passports for you, it will also keep secure any irreplaceable documents that you may have too, and without having to bend them.
It has a good old-fashioned lock and key mechanism, so you don’t have to worry about trying to remember silly passcodes when you need to access your belongings. And it comes with two keys, so if you were to lose one, there’s always a spare.
There’s also a carry handle for easy portability, which is great if you feel safer taking it with you when you go on vacation. And it’s quite lightweight, too.
The stand-out feature of this safe though has to be that it's UTL verified. This means that it will protect CDs, DVDs, and USB drives safe in the event of fire damage. That’s getting increasingly more important these days.
Pros
Bargain, affordable price point
UL certified for half an hour
Safe for holding digital media
Carry handle for portability
Key locking mechanism
Cons
It does seem to have some level of water resistance, but it’s not clear whether its entirely waterproof
Buying Guide For Fireproof Safes For Passports And Cash
As promised, here’s your buying guide. It makes for a handy checklist before you buy.
Fireproof Rating
When buying a fireproof safe, the first thing to check is whether it’s actually been verified to be fireproof. Ideally, it will be UL Certified.
There are two main fireproof ratings worth considering:
The 1-hour fire rating means that the internal temperature of the safe will not exceed 350 degrees Fahrenheit for at least 1 hour when exposed to external temperatures over 1700°F
Or there’s a lower classification whereby the safe internal temperature of the safe will not exceed 350 degrees Fahrenheit for at least 30 minutes when exposed to external temperatures over 1550°F
The importance of the 350 degrees F is that paper (or money) will start to char at approximately 387 degrees and burst into flames at 451 degrees F.
IP Rating For Water Resistance
If there was a fire in your home that was put out by firefighters by applying water, then you will also need your safe to have some level of water resistance or waterproofing, too. Moreover, this could also protect your valuables inside the safe in the event of a flood.
It’s also worth noting at this point that some insurers may specify that your cash and passports are to be kept in a safe that’s both fireproof and waterproof.
Water resistance is measured by way of an IP rating. As a general rule, the higher the IP rating, the greater the water resistance.
The Locking Mechanism
We feel there’s a stronger case for key lock mechanisms than there is for locks that require you to memorize a code. Reason being, if the batteries were to fail, that would make the electronic lock impossible to use, and you will lose access to your belongings.
(This is why you may notice that those safes that do have an electronic lock also have a back-up lock and key mechanism.)
Size And Portability
You don’t need a particularly big safe if it’s predominantly used for securing passports and cash. And the advantage of this is that it makes the safe much more portable, which would be very convenient in the event of a house fire.
And this is more important than it sounds, because most fireproof safes are only related for a very limited period in the event of reaching the very high temperatures you sometimes get in a house fire.
That said, you may also want to use the safe for important documents, such as mortgages or vehicle paperwork, in which case your safe would need to be a little bigger than one just suited for passports and cash.
Frequently Asked Questions
What Is The Highest Rated Fireproof Safe?
The highest rated fireproof safe that made our shortlist was the Honeywell 1 Hour Fireproof Waterproof Safe.
It has a 1-hour UL certified fire protection rating, and what this means is that it has been tested to show that it can last for up to an hour in temperatures of up to 1700 degrees Fahrenheit without risk of causing damage to any paper or cash that might be stored inside.
