This fee for Ministry of Defence (MOD) Service Personnel Records relates to asking for information about a relative or ancestor. It does not relate to your own information, which can be requested using the link:
Request your own Ministry of Defence personnel record or on behalf of a living data subject born before 1940. There is no fee for this service.
1. What is changing with the MoD Service Personnel Records service?
The National Archives is introducing fees for access to both open and closed MOD Service Personnel Records from Monday 2 February 2026.
The service will offer two routes:
- Standard – a streamlined service providing the key documents within an individual’s military service at a fixed cost – this will be cheaper and faster.
- Full Record Check – access to complete records with variable pricing calculated per page of information which can be released.
2. Why are fees being introduced now?
Since 2021 when we began the transfer of MoD Service Personnel Records, interest and demand has been high. It has been a significant challenge to cope with the demand and meet users’ expectations. In order to provide a more timely and better-quality service, we have broadened the scope of our fees to include access to these records and to align with how we provide existing services, such as record copying, to other record collections. The fees will only cover our costs; this is not a for-profit service.
3. What do you class as an MOD Service Personnel Record?
An MOD Service Personnel Record is any record which concerns an individual who served in the regular forces or the reserve forces, and which were created by or on behalf of any of the regular forces or the reserves forces.
‘Key military service personnel documents’ is any document created upon an individual’s initial recruitment or their transfer between units, including their postings while in military service and any other documents, the principal purpose of which is to record the conduct or promotion of that individual whilst in military service.
4. Why are some of the records closed?
Records without personal data are opened and made available to the public 100 years after an individual’s birth. Service personnel records often contain sensitive personal data, including medical information which carries an expectation of confidentiality that extends beyond a person’s lifetime.
To balance privacy with historical access, the MOD and The National Archives apply a 115-year closure period after an individual’s date of birth for records containing medical information. This aligns with guidance from the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) and legal precedents on confidentiality.
5. Why are there two service routes available?
We understand that getting access to the whole record is desirable for some requesters, but equally some would be happy with the core information, to facilitate further research. Offering a choice allows us to meet user needs, while maintaining FOI rights.
6. How much will the two service routes cost?
The Fees Order sets Standard Service at £42.25 for digital copies and £47.16 for print copies.
Full Record Check will be charged on a per-page basis. The upfront cost will be £48.87 for the search and page check, with a second variable payment priced at £1.04 per digital page or £1.89 per paper page copy.
More information on fees can be found on our fees page.
7. Do the fees include postage and packing if I want paper copies?
No, postage and packing is an extra cost
8. How will the backlog be addressed?
The National Archives has recruited extra staff specifically to work in the MOD Access team and to clear the backlog of requests that have not been actioned. We do still have a backlog but it has gone down significantly, and we anticipate that everyone in the backlog will have their request actioned within the next few months. For more information on how we are progressing, please see our FOI Action Plan.
9. The standard service costs £42.25, how can you justify these fees?
We recognise the concerns about pricing which is why we have designed two options for access. The Standard option is more affordable than the Full Record Check. The prices we charge for some of our services (including record copying) are set out by the Fees Regulations under the Public Records Act (1958) and are based on recovering the costs of providing these services according to HM Treasury’s Managing Public Money guidance.
10. When will the new fees take effect?
The implementation date is Monday 2 February 2026. Any requests received prior to this date will go into the current system and will not be charged. Requests received on or after 2 February 2026 will go into the new service and if requesting the standard service, users will receive their information within 30 working days.
11. I submitted a request for information and am in the backlog, will I be charged the new fee?
We are currently working through the backlog and have recruited staff to do this more quickly. Any requests received by The National Archives before 2 February 2026 will not be charged.
12. Will people paying for the service ‘jump the queue’ ahead of others who applied before the fees were introduced?
We have a team who are focussed on working through requests that have already been made and delivering the information requested as quickly as possible.
Requests made from 2 February 2026 will be dealt with by another team focussing on delivering the information within our new timescales.
13. I wanted a Royal Navy record but that hasn’t been transferred, will I get charged for access to that?
Royal Navy records are not being transferred until 2026. Until they are at Kew, all requests should go to the Ministry of Defence.
14. My [grandfather] served in the RAF and then the Army, do I have to pay twice?
Our charge is per record rather than per individual so if your [grandfather] served in both the Army and RAF, you would pay for the Army record and also for the RAF record.
15. Are you charging VAT on these services?
VAT will not be charged on the MoD record access services as they are considered statutory services provided under the Public Records Act and FOI Act.
16. Will the Fees Order be updated regularly going forward?
Yes. The National Archives plans to update the Fees Order annually. Regular updates will ensure fees remain aligned with actual costs and inflation.
17. How have you communicated these changes to the public?
We issued a news release to our media contacts. Our website has been updated with a news story and information pages. In addition, our staff who provide public-facing support at Kew have information and can provide links to our website.
18. I don’t have access to a computer, is there another way to submit requests?
We will accept requests by post.
19. Why are you increasing your fees?
We last increased our fees in 2019 with costings from 2018. Since then, our costs have increased considerably, and despite successful efforts to increase efficiency, it is now necessary for us to better reflect the true cost of delivering these services.
20. I thought it was free to look at documents at The National Archives?
It is free to look at open documents which you can find on our online catalogue, Discovery. This fee is for additional services that we offer e.g. record copying, authentication of copies of documents including naturalisation certificates and bespoke research services.
21. Is there a way I can see the records without having to pay?
Yes, there are other ways to access the information held in the records
- If the record is open and on Discovery, the record can be available to view for free via the reading room.
- If you have a subscription with Ancestry, a certain number of records are on their website and more will be added.
- You can access Ancestry for free in our building at Kew.
- If your local library has an Ancestry subscription, you can access the information there.