💍 Vow Guide Roadmap
The name change process requires you to manage your most sensitive information, including your social security number and U.S. passport details. Because this type of information is required, managing their security is not an optional task—it's the foundation of a worry-free transition. This article explains how Vow Guide ensures a secure name change approach.
✔️ How Vow Guide Helps
Vow Guide employs a hybrid security model for processing and storing Personally Identifiable Information (PII). We provide you with a master data summary and ensure the data is not retained after submission. Overall, Vow Guide streamlines the name change process without the long-term data storage and use of third party vendors, making us the most secure digital name change guide.
When tackling your post-marriage name change, data security is paramount. Learn why Vow Guide's unique security approach—ensured removal of your data—creates the most secure name change plan.
✨ Vow Guide’s Secure Approach in Action
Step | Description | Vow Guide Security |
|---|---|---|
Step 1: Secure Input | Enter all 49 data inputs into your Vow Guide intake form to create your master data summary. | We maintain a strict policy of non-collection for high-risk data. We do not collect or store your social security number or passport number. |
Step 2: Secure Submission | Submit your intake form and immediately receive your master data summary via email. | Our platform processes your data once to format the master data summary. This summary helps prevent transcription errors across your name change forms and saves you time from having to find the information for each and every form submission. |
Step 3: Secure Storage | Once you receive your master data summary, choose a secure storage method for the summary and permanently delete the summary from your inbox. | Options for secure storage: 1) Print and store in a physical safe, a locked filing cabinet, or a fireproof box at home, 2) Copy and paste into a secure, encrypted password manager (e.g., LastPass, KeeperSecurity, 1Password), 3) Save the summary as a PDF and encrypt the file using native encryption (e.g., BitLocker for Microsoft or FileVault for Mac), or 4) Save the summary as a PDF and store it on a secure cloud storage platform (e.g., Proton Drive, NordLocker). |
Step 4: Final Deletion | Intake form data is retained temporarily to allow for changes, corrections, or retrieval requests during the first 30-days post-submission. Once the 30-day retrieval window closes, all intake form data is permanently deleted. | If you require permanent deletion before the 30-day period expires, please email [email protected]. Following deletion of the data, we retain standard PII — such as your name, email, phone number — to send you personalized guidance and automated name change timeline alerts. For more information, Vow Guide’s Privacy Policy is available here. |
Expert Tip
Enable Two-Factor Authentication (2FA): Set up 2FA on the email account you used to sign-up for Vow Guide. Since email is the primary method of notification, securing it with 2FA prevents a single compromised password from granting access to your information.
💡 Frequently Asked Questions (Security & Privacy)
1. What is the biggest risk of storing my social security number online?
Any prolonged storage of your social security number in a database creates a target for hackers. Vow Guide's non-collection policy removes this risk.
2. If the data is deleted, how does Vow Guide track my progress?
We track your progress based entirely on your marriage ceremony date, which acts as the definitive starting point for your personalized timeline. This date determines the precise sequence and timing for every required step: obtaining your marriage certificate, submitting to the Social Security Administration, applying for your U.S. passport, and applying for your driver's license. While we manage this timeline, the master data summary provides all the necessary information at each step, ensuring you have the information needed for efficient, secure submission.
3. Why is my intake form data retained for 30-days before final deletion?
The 30-day window allows for corrections, updates, or retrieval of your intake form data in case of an immediate error or lost summary. After 30-days, all intake data is permanently deleted.
4. Can I request that my data be permanently deleted before the 30-day period expires?
Yes. If you are certain your intake form is correct and no changes are needed, you can email [email protected] at any time to request immediate and permanent deletion of your intake form data.
5. What happens if I lose the master data summary after the 30-day window closes?
If you lose the summary after final deletion, you will need to re-enter your data into a new intake form.
6. Is the master data summary the same as a completed government form?
No. The master data summary organizes the information you’ll need to input to online and offline government forms.
I was able to focus entirely on filling out the government forms, not worrying about where my personal information was living online weeks later.