Service Declaration

What kind of help can you expect?
We are happy to answer questions about our archives, but we must prioritize certain types of inquiries. Our highest priority is questions related to documentation needed to secure your rights and professional needs.

Rights
By rights, we mean questions concerning personal matters, such as divorce or biological parents. Request access by filling out the form for confidential information, or use one of our purpose-specific forms.

Other examples may relate to financial matters, such as finding service time for seafarers for pension calculations, compensation cases, or rights to real estate.

Professional Needs
By professional needs, we mean information you require to complete work tasks professionally, for example as a researcher, master’s or doctoral student, or journalist. You must conduct your own research, but we can perform simple lookups in archives with access restrictions.

You may submit a request for copies of archival material, but you must provide an exact archival reference.

Researchers can apply for collaboration on digitization projects.

Other Questions
You can conduct your own research in material without access restrictions (clauses), either on the Digital Archive or in a reading room.

We may consider providing copies if you have an exact archival reference and take into account the geographical distance to a reading room.

We can also look up individual pieces of information in archives with access restrictions.

We provide guidance and information about our archives via the guidance phone line, in reading rooms, and in the Archive Portal.

Processing of Inquiries
Use the form for questions about information from our archives.
If you cannot use our digital services, you may send a regular letter by post.
We respond as quickly as possible, usually within 30 working days. Some questions may take longer.
If we cannot respond immediately, we will send a temporary reply and inform you when you can expect a complete answer.
Your name will appear in the public journal if your inquiry is subject to registration and we have no legal basis to shield it.