Not all of our records are available to view online but you can search for brief descriptions of them in Discovery, our catalogue.
See Also
Why Visit the National Archives?Online DatabasesFinding and Evaluating Archives | Society of American ArchivistsThe National Archives - HomepageSearch our catalogue using keywords and dates to find descriptions of records you are interested in.
Your search results will let you know if the records can be viewed online or not.
If a record is not viewable online, you have three options:
- visit us in Kew, London to do your own research. Remember to bring the correct ID, as you will need a reader’s ticket to see original documents
- request a paid search
- order copies of documents if you have the full document references
Looking for records that are not online can be a time-consuming process and, as with any search in archival records, there is never a guarantee of success.
A good place to start is with our research guidance A-Z.
You can also search records of other archives using filters in Discovery, our catalogue.
If you visit us in person come prepared so you can make the most of your visit.
Ready to start?
- Search our records using Discovery, our catalogue
- Use our research guides
Want to ask us a question?
- You can contact us, via our online forms, by email, phone or live chat
