The National Archives of Australia has an office in each capital city throughout Australia. For details see Fact sheet 1 – Addresses and opening hours.
The National Archives holds mainly 20th-century records created by the federal government since Federation in 1901. We also hold some 19th-century records that were transferred from the colonies after Federation (eg records about defence, customs, patents, lighthouses, naturalisation, shipping, and postal and telegraphic services).
We also hold papers of governors-general, prime ministers, and ministers and other Commonwealth persons such as departmental secretaries whose records complement the official record.
Usually only records over 30 years old are available for public access, although photographs and some private records of Commonwealth persons may be available sooner.
For an overview of the types of records we hold you might like to:
You can also find out what's not in our collection.
The National Archives is limited in the types of records it is able to collect so we may not be able to accept your records.
The Archives collects official Commonwealth government records, as well as records of Commonwealth persons such as governors-general, prime ministers, federal and High Court judges and some senior Commonwealth public servants.
Commonwealth records are any records that an Australian Government department or agency has created or kept in the course of carrying out its business, including official files or correspondence, registers, manuals, maps, plans, photographs, and electronic records.
For further information on our collecting policy, as well as details of other collecting institutions, refer to Fact sheet 218 – The National Archives collecting policy.
Archival research can be exciting and challenging. It can also be very time consuming. To get started you can use our step-by-step guide to researching at the National Archives.
Our guide Finding Families is a comprehensive genealogical guide to our collection. It can be purchased through the shop on this website.
For some ideas on beginning your family history research you might like to:
The National Archives makes digital copies of a large number of items in its collection available for viewing through the RecordSearch and Photosearch databases. See our step-by-step guide to researching the collection for information on how to find and view records.
Records are digitised on demand as part of our national digitisation service. There is also a proactive program to digitise material that is of high-use or high-value.
The National Archives publishes a number of online exhibits featuring material from its collections. Many digitised records are also available through our specialised websites:
Archives are original records, often unique and usually irreplaceable. Because of their age, archives are fragile and the information they contain is vulnerable to damage or loss through constant or improper handling. Unlike library material, which is usually published in multiple copies and able to be replaced if lost or stolen, when you use an archival record you are often using the only copy that exists.
For these reasons strict rules govern the handling and use of archival records. To avoid the risk of loss or damage, we do not transfer archival records between reading rooms in different cities. In this way, we seek to maintain and preserve them for future generations.
While we regret that this policy limits the accessibility of original records, we do maintain microfilm copies of many records in each of our reading rooms. We are also able to provide copies of records on request. If you are unable to visit the reading room where the original records are held, and no microcopies are available, you may wish to request a photocopy or an online digital copy of the record.
Alternatively, you may wish to employ a research agent to undertake the research for you. For information on research agents in your state see the following fact sheets:
You can use PhotoSearch, which is an image bank of over 200,000 photographs from our collection. You can search image captions or browse the collection by subject.
Use the Imaging Services order form to obtain a photographic or high-resolution digital print.
There is no charge to use finding aids, consult staff or access the records. There are charges for requesting photocopies, online digital copies as well as other photographic services. Preypayment is required for all these services. Copies can be paid for using cash, cheque, MasterCard or Visa (AUS$10 minimum applies to each credit card transaction).
For a current list of prices see Fact sheet 51 – Copying charges.
Our standards of service are outlined in the Archives' Service charter.
If you would like your name added to our list of research agents (Fact sheets 40–45) you should write to:
The Director
Reference and Information Services
National Archives of Australia
PO Box 7425
Canberra Business Centre ACT 2610
or email ref@naa.gov.au.
You should provide: