--- title: "Succession Access: Nominated Recovery | Firevault" description: "Identity-verified break-glass access for legal next-of-kin. How Firevault Vault Buddy handles succession and emergency access with KYC and AML verification." lang: en-GB json-ld: | [ { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@type": "WebPage", "@id": "https://fire-vault.com/succession-access#webpage", "url": "https://fire-vault.com/succession-access", "name": "Succession Access: Nominated Recovery", "description": "Identity-verified break-glass access for legal next-of-kin. How Firevault Vault Buddy handles succession and emergency access with KYC and AML verification.", "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://fire-vault.com/#website" }, "about": { "@id": "https://fire-vault.com/#organization" }, "primaryImageOfPage": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://fire-vault.com/images/og/og-base-home.jpg" }, "inLanguage": "en-GB", "breadcrumb": { "@id": "https://fire-vault.com/succession-access#breadcrumb" } }, { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "@id": "https://fire-vault.com/succession-access#breadcrumb", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://fire-vault.com" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Succession Access: Nominated Recovery", "item": "https://fire-vault.com/succession-access" } ] }, { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@type": "HowTo", "name": "How Vault Buddy Succession Access Works", "description": "Step-by-step process for designating a Vault Buddy and activating succession access to a Firevault offline vault.", "step": [ { "@type": "HowToStep", "position": 1, "name": "Nominate a Vault Buddy", "text": "During onboarding, designate a trusted contact as your Vault Buddy. This person will be your verified successor or emergency contact." }, { "@type": "HowToStep", "position": 2, "name": "Identity verification (KYC)", "text": "Both the vault owner and Vault Buddy complete Know Your Customer (KYC) and Anti-Money Laundering (AML) verification to confirm identities." }, { "@type": "HowToStep", "position": 3, "name": "Legal event triggers access", "text": "Access is triggered by a qualifying legal event: death certificate, power of attorney, deputyship order, or court order." }, { "@type": "HowToStep", "position": 4, "name": "Original credentials suspended", "text": "Firevault suspends the original vault owner credentials to prevent concurrent access and maintain security." }, { "@type": "HowToStep", "position": 5, "name": "Vault Buddy credentials activated", "text": "After document verification, the Vault Buddy receives their own identity-locked credentials to access the vault." }, { "@type": "HowToStep", "position": 6, "name": "Controlled access granted", "text": "The Vault Buddy gains controlled access to vault contents or, if preferred, the physical storage devices are returned." } ] }, { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://fire-vault.com/#organization", "name": "Firevault", "legalName": "Firevault Limited", "url": "https://fire-vault.com", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://fire-vault.com/logo.png", "width": 200, "height": 60 }, "foundingDate": "2025-03", "description": "Firevault has rewritten the rules for data protection & storage via its offline secure storage (OSS) platform, for users to vault everything that matters.", "address": { "@type": "PostalAddress", "addressCountry": "GB", "addressLocality": "United Kingdom" }, "contactPoint": [ { "@type": "ContactPoint", "contactType": "customer service", "email": "hello@fire-vault.com", "availableLanguage": "English", "areaServed": "GB" } ], "sameAs": [ "https://www.linkedin.com/company/firevault", "https://x.com/firevaultuk" ], "slogan": "Disconnect to Protect", "knowsAbout": [ "Offline Secure Storage", "Physical Air Gap Data Protection", "Ransomware Protection", "Data Sovereignty", "GDPR Compliance", "NIS2 Compliance" ] }, { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://fire-vault.com/#website", "name": "Firevault", "alternateName": [ "Firevault", "Firevault UK", "Firevault Limited" ], "url": "https://fire-vault.com", "publisher": { "@id": "https://fire-vault.com/#organization" }, "inLanguage": "en-GB", "description": "Firevault has rewritten the rules for data protection & storage via its offline secure storage (OSS) platform, for users to vault everything that matters.", "potentialAction": { "@type": "SearchAction", "target": { "@type": "EntryPoint", "urlTemplate": "https://fire-vault.com/learn?q={search_term_string}" }, "query-input": "required name=search_term_string" } } ] --- Recent Breaches Breaches [2026 PowerSchool 62.4M records ](https://www.bleepingcomputer.com)[2026 DISA Global Solutions 3.3M records ](https://techcrunch.com)[2026 Globe Life 850K records ](https://www.securityweek.com)[2026 Co-operative Group 6.5M records ](https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cly7z9zj3l1o)[2026 Harrods Attempted intrusion ](https://www.reuters.com/business/retail-consumer/uk-luxury-retailer-harrods-latest-target-cyber-attack-2025-05-01/)[2026 Legal Aid Agency (Ministry of Justice) 2.1M records ](https://www.gov.uk/government/news/legal-aid-agency-data-breach)[2026 Adidas UK Customer contact details ](https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c78jkev1el2o)[2026 Peter Green Chilled Order and logistics data ](https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c0k7yy8n3g5o)[2026 Jaguar Land Rover Production and IT systems disru... ](https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cx2gx8p3rzeo)[2026 Collins Aerospace (RTX) Check-in and boarding disruptio... ](https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c789e7l1z7po)[2026 PowerSchool 62.4M records ](https://www.bleepingcomputer.com)[2026 DISA Global Solutions 3.3M records ](https://techcrunch.com)[2026 Globe Life 850K records ](https://www.securityweek.com)[2026 Co-operative Group 6.5M records ](https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cly7z9zj3l1o)[2026 Harrods Attempted intrusion ](https://www.reuters.com/business/retail-consumer/uk-luxury-retailer-harrods-latest-target-cyber-attack-2025-05-01/)[2026 Legal Aid Agency (Ministry of Justice) 2.1M records ](https://www.gov.uk/government/news/legal-aid-agency-data-breach)[2026 Adidas UK Customer contact details ](https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c78jkev1el2o)[2026 Peter Green Chilled Order and logistics data ](https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c0k7yy8n3g5o)[2026 Jaguar Land Rover Production and IT systems disru... ](https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cx2gx8p3rzeo)[2026 Collins Aerospace (RTX) Check-in and boarding disruptio... ](https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c789e7l1z7po) [View All →](/learn/breaches) [![Firevault - offline secure storage, physically disconnected from the internet](/assets/logo-color-DBVl0KCg.png)](/) Products Solutions [Why OSS](/why-oss) More [Help](/help)[Get started](/get-started) Succession and Emergency Access # Your data passes to the right person Vault Buddy is Firevault's succession framework. Upon a qualifying legal event, the physical vault is returned to your nominated Vault Buddy, who unlocks it using the credentials set up for them. All Vault Buddies are subject to ID confirmation. - Break-glass access - KYC / AML verified - Vault Buddy 01 Overview ## What is Vault Buddy? A Vault Buddy is a trusted contact you nominate during onboarding. They serve as your designated successor for vault access in the event of death, permanent incapacity, or a qualifying legal event. Your Vault Buddy has **no access** to your vault under normal circumstances. They cannot view, modify, or download your files. Access is activated only after Firevault receives and verifies qualifying legal documentation. On a qualifying legal event, the physical vault is returned to the nominated Vault Buddy. They unlock it using the credentials set up for them during nomination. All Vault Buddies are subject to ID confirmation before the vault is released. Both you and your Vault Buddy must complete full KYC (Know Your Customer) and AML (Anti-Money Laundering) verification. This ensures that succession access is granted only to a confirmed, legitimate individual. 02 Process ## How it works Six steps from nomination to controlled access. Every step is verified, documented, and auditable. 1 ### Nominate a Vault Buddy During onboarding, designate a trusted contact as your Vault Buddy. This person will be your verified successor or emergency contact for vault access. 2 ### Identity verification (KYC/AML) Both the vault owner and Vault Buddy complete Know Your Customer and Anti-Money Laundering verification. This confirms identities through government-issued documents and biometric checks. 3 ### Legal event triggers access Access is triggered only by a qualifying legal event: death certificate, lasting power of attorney, deputyship order, or court order. No informal requests are accepted. 4 ### Original credentials suspended Firevault suspends the original vault owner credentials immediately upon verification of the legal event. This prevents concurrent access and maintains the zero-trust security model. 5 ### Vault Buddy credentials activated After document verification is complete, the Vault Buddy receives their own identity-locked credentials. These are unique to the Vault Buddy and cannot be shared or transferred. 6 ### Physical vault returned to your Vault Buddy Upon verification, the physical vault is returned directly to the nominated Vault Buddy. They unlock it using the credentials originally set up for them. All Vault Buddies are subject to ID confirmation before release. 03 Break-glass ## Break-glass succession, with KYC and AML verified identity Password managers such as Keeper and 1Password offer a break-glass feature that releases stored credentials to a nominated contact. Firevault Vault Buddy takes a different path. It does not release your credentials. The physical vault is returned to the ID-confirmed Vault Buddy, who unlocks it using the credentials set up for them, only after a qualifying legal event. The nominated Vault Buddy is KYC and AML verified at nomination, then subject to ID confirmation again when they invoke succession. There is no shared password, no recovery seed handed to a relative, and no static secret an attacker could phish or coerce. Break-glass means a different person, with a different verified identity and their own credentials, receiving the physical vault. The result is a succession path that satisfies legal next-of-kin obligations, survives the loss of any single device or memory, and produces a tamper-evident audit of every break-glass event for executors, courts and insurers. 04 Emergency access ## Emergency access Emergency access covers scenarios where the vault owner is alive but unable to manage their vault. This includes permanent incapacity, cognitive impairment, or situations requiring legal intervention. In these cases, the Vault Buddy or a court-appointed deputy must present a registered lasting power of attorney or court-issued deputyship order. Firevault verifies the document against the issuing authority before activating succession credentials. For enterprise customers, emergency access may also be triggered through pre-agreed governance frameworks, including board resolutions or compliance officer authorisation, as defined during onboarding. 05 Frequently asked questions ## Frequently asked questions ### Can my Vault Buddy access my vault at any time? No. Your Vault Buddy has no access to your vault under normal circumstances. Access is only activated after a qualifying legal event and full document verification. ### What documents are required to trigger succession access? A certified death certificate, registered lasting power of attorney, court-issued deputyship order, or other qualifying court order. All documents are verified against government records. ### Can I change my Vault Buddy? Yes. You can update your nominated Vault Buddy at any time through your account. The new Vault Buddy will need to complete KYC/AML verification before the nomination is active. ### What happens if I become temporarily incapacitated? If you hold a registered lasting power of attorney naming your Vault Buddy as attorney, they can present this to initiate the succession process. Temporary incapacity without a registered LPA does not trigger access. ### Is the Vault Buddy process the same for all products? Yes. Vault Buddy succession applies to LUV, Vault, and Storage products. Enterprise customers may have additional governance requirements agreed during onboarding. ### What if I do not nominate a Vault Buddy? Your data remains secured indefinitely. Without a nominated Vault Buddy, succession access requires a court order naming a specific individual, who must then complete full KYC/AML verification. 06 Get started ## Prepare your succession plan Read our succession checklist to prepare your Vault Buddy nomination, or book a demo to see how the process works. [Read the succession checklist](/solutions/succession-planning)[Set up your Vault Buddy](/demo)