Booking a visit to view original documents

How to book a visit

Booking a visit to view our documents is a free, four-step online process:

1. Select a date
2. Enter your personal details
3. Enter the details of your visit
4. Order documents

Reader's tickets

To view original documents in our reading rooms, you will need a reader’s ticket. It is free to get one. You can register in advance or as part of making your first booking.

Reader's tickets

To look at original documents in our reading rooms, you will need a free reader’s ticket. Find out how to get one.

Document references

To order documents to view in our reading rooms, you will need to know their unique document references. You can find these using our online catalogue, Discovery.

If you do not have to hand the references of the documents you would like to see, you can still complete Steps 1 to 3 to secure your date of visit. You can then return at a later stage to complete Step 4.

You can return to Step 4 up to four working days before your visit date. You will receive an email reminder to submit your document references 24 hours before the cut-off date. If a document reference is not added, your booking will be cancelled.

During your visit you will be able to order additional documents to view, using the visitor computers in our document reading rooms. Most onsite orders take up to an hour to arrive. You can order an additional three documents at a time.

If you need to return on another day, you can use an onsite computer to reserve documents for up to a week.

Bulk orders

If you would like to see 20 to 40 documents all from the same series, you can book a bulk order visit.

You will have access to the same facilities as other visitors, such as camera stands, computer access and ordering additional documents.

We have a list of documents that cannot be ordered in bulk due to their size, condition or content.

Camera stands

If you would like to use a camera stand, you can request one using the ‘Access needs and research requests’ box when you order your documents in Step 4.

Microfilm and microfiche documents

You do not need to order our records on microfilm and microfiche to view them. You will find them in chests of drawers next to self-service machines that you can use to view them in our document reading rooms.

Records stored offsite

To make sure you will be able to view the documents you need in our reading rooms, you must order them at least four working days before your visit.

This is because some of our documents are held offsite in a storage facility called DeepStore. This is located at the Winsford salt mine in Cheshire, so they must be brought to our building in Kew when needed.

Most records that have been digitised are kept in DeepStore.

If you have any further questions about ordering and viewing documents that have been sent to DeepStore, please contact our Access and Advice team.

Restrictions on ordering documents

When a surrogate version of a document is available – either in digital, microfilm or microfiche formats – you will not be able to order the original record unless:

• the surrogate is illegible or obscured
• viewing the original record provides information not available from the surrogate

To request to view the original record where a surrogate exists, please complete our records and research enquiry form. You need to include:

• your reader’s ticket number
• the date of your visit
• details of why the surrogate is not suitable for your purposes

Terms of booking

Each booking is for one person only on a first-come, first-served basis. You will not be able to bring anyone with you, unless they book a visit themselves or have a duty of care.

There is a reasonable limit of 36 bookings in 12 weeks. Multiple bookings cannot be made for the same date.

Please be thoughtful and considerate of others when you book – we may cancel your booking if you exceed our reasonable limit.

If there is a document that is of particular importance to your research, please add a note to the ‘additional comments’ box and we will contact you if it is unavailable.

How to cancel or postpone a visit

You can follow this link to cancel your visit at any time. You will need your booking reference and reader's ticket number to cancel your visit. These will both be in your booking confirmation email.

If you would like to postpone your visit instead, please contact us using our Live Chat service. If you cancel your visit and rebook it without contacting us, the documents you requested may not be available on your rebooked visit date, since they may still be in transit.

View documents without visiting

You may not need to visit our document reading rooms to view the documents you need.

• Many of our most popular records are available digitally. Find out which records are available online. You can view them for free in our Research and Enquiries Room.
• Our record copying service allows you to request digital or paper copies of many documents we hold, for a fee that covers the cost of the work involved.