Delegations of Authority

Delegations of Authority are granted by The National Archives to enable government departments or agencies to license the re-use of Crown copyright material they produce outside the terms of the Open Government Licence. Delegations of Authority are only granted where licensing outside Open Government Licence terms is permitted by the Re-use of Public Sector Information Regulations 2015 (the Regulations).

How to apply for a Delegation of Authority

  • The body requiring a Delegation should contact the Policy team at The National Archives to discuss its proposals, via psi@nationalarchives.gov.uk
  • The accounting officer of the body applying for a Delegation will be required to confirm that the licensing of Crown copyright and Crown Database rights material will be done according to the requirements of the Regulations and Managing Public Money (or the equivalents for the devolved administrations)
  • The material to be covered by the Delegation will be listed in a schedule to it, which may be amended over time should circumstances change
  • The formal Delegation documentation will be drawn up for signature by The National Archives

Workflow diagram of application process (PDF, 0.19 MB).

All Crown bodies, government departments and agencies have been delegated the authority to license the re-use of their departmental logos, identifiers and marks.

Material licensed under a Delegation of Authority

Copies of all Delegations of Authority are kept on file at The National Archives. Details of all successful requests are listed in this section.

Frequently asked questions

Frequently asked questions about Delegations of Authority.