Fees change: Frequently asked questions

Why are you increasing your fees?

We last increased our fees in 2019 with costings from 2018.

Since then, inflation has increased and our costs, like those of every other organisation, have also increased. It is now necessary for us to better reflect the true cost of delivering our services.

I thought it was free to look at documents at The National Archives?

It is free to look at documents on site at Kew. 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.

Why have you reviewed the fees after 7 years?

Prior to 2019, we reviewed our fees every 1-2 years. We have taken this opportunity to review all the services which we charge for, ensure we are delivering them as efficiently as possible. We a have also worked with colleagues across government (HMT and DCMS) to ensure that all our fees are proportionate and cover only our costs guided by the principles of Managing Public Money.

The longer time between reviews also gave us the opportunity to understand the impact that the Ministry of Defence (MOD) Service Personnel records, which began to transfer to The National Archives in 2021, had on our ability to provide a quality service to our users.

How can you justify this increase?

We are reflecting the true cost of delivering our services today. We have tried to keep our fees as low as possible for as long as possible, but we have come to the point where to continue to deliver a quality service, we need to increase fees.

Can I get a discount?

Discounts are not available. The fee covers only the cost to The National Archives for work done so in this respect, we cannot give a discount. With the fees, The National Archives is only covering its costs, it does not make any profit from the fees it charges.

Do you give refunds if the information is not what I expect?

No, refunds are not given. The fee covers only the cost to The National Archives for work done so in this respect, we cannot give a refund.

With the fees, The National Archives is only covering its costs, it does not make any profit from the fees it charges. We will offer a partial refund for the MOD service if the record is not found.

Is postage and packing (for paper copies) included in the costs in the fees order?

No, postage and packing is extra. It is charged at actual cost.

Why has the cost of authentication of naturalisation certificates increased so much?

The certification process for naturalisation certificates is more complex than the general record copying service. It involves 17 distinct steps and requires input from staff across multiple departments.

This multi-stage process ensures the integrity and authenticity of certified naturalisation certificates, which are often required for legal and official purposes.

Does the increase in fee discriminate against those people requiring a naturalisation certificate?

The amount of work required to provide a naturalisation certificate is greater than the general record copying process and this is reflected in the fee. This is the fee a person pays whatever their background or home country.

I’m on a low / fixed income, I can’t afford record-copying.

Our fees cover only our costs; we do not make a profit. If you can travel to our site at Kew, you can make digital copies of records using your personal device. If you cannot get to Kew, you can access our website via local services such as a library where you can make copies of any digitised records on our catalogue.

If the record you want to copy has not been digitised and you are unable to travel to Kew, you will have to pay for the record to be copied.

Is it legal for you to charge for some services?

Yes. The Public Records Act s.2(5) allows the Keeper to charge a fee 'for the inspection of records[…],for authenticated copies or extracts from such records and for other services afforded by officers of the Public Record Office'. Fees that the Keeper currently chooses to charge are set out in The Public Record Office (Fees) Regulations 2025 (‘PRO Fees Order’).

Are your fees listed anywhere?

Yes, they are listed on the 'Our Fees' page on this website.

Why are you no longer offering black & white (monochrome) paper copies?

Monochrome printing now costs the same as the colour printing due to increase in ink costs.