Order archives

Inauguration of the President

It’s easy to order on-site archives while you are researching in the Reading Room. If the archives you need are stored off-site you can order them in advance of your visit.

How to order on-site archives

 

Most of our records are stored on-site and can be ordered on the day of your visit to the Reading Room.

  1. Use the Reading Room finding aids to identify the reference code of the archive.
  2. Fill in the order docket and give it to a Reading Room staff member.
  3. The staff member will arrange to retrieve it from storage.
  4. Present your reader’s ticket to scan the archive out. It will be recorded in our document management system.

 

Apply for a reader’s ticket to visit the Reading Room

About off-site archives

 

Some of our collections are kept off-site. If you want to consult these archives in the Reading Room you can order them in advance of your visit.

 

These include:

  • Early court records up to and including the mid-1970s
  • Testamentary records (wills) prior to 1975
  • Business records
  • OPW series 1 and 2 (Secretariat and Accounts Branch).
  • Early files from the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA/1, DFA/2/ DFA/3 and DFA/5 series)
  • All departmental records accessioned in 2015, 2016, 2017 and 2018 (1985–1988)

(This list is subject to change)

Order archives in advance

 
You will need:

  • A valid readers ticket number
  • Confirmation that the archives you are ordering are off-site
  • The correct reference code(s)

A maximum of six items can be ordered at any one time.

Order archives in advance

MM slash DD slash YYYY
Reference code for archives (max. 6)*
e.g. 2015/77/86
This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

How we use your data

The National Archives is committed to protecting your personal data. We retain your information only as long as necessary for its intended purpose. Once no longer needed, it will be securely destroyed in accordance with the Department of Arts, Media, Communications, Culture and Sport's policy.