General enquiries
The quickest way to get in touch is by using our Live Chat service, provided by staff at The National Archives (not by bots). Select the ‘Live chat now’ icon on this page to open a chat session.
Open Tuesday to Saturday between 09:00 and 17:00, Live Chat allows our team to provide answers to your questions about all of our services and collections.
If you would like detailed advice about researching our collections, please refer to our online research guides or make a records and research enquiry.
If you contact us by email, any personal information you send to us will be handled in accordance with our privacy policy.
Accessibility enquiries
If your online access is limited and you need to speak to someone about booking a visit to our reading rooms, you can call us during office hours on 020 3897 1575. This is not a manned service, so leave your number and message and we’ll call you back. Please only call if you need to – our Live Chat service is much quicker and easier to use.
You may also find our information for disabled visitors helpful.
Advice on research and reading room services
Make a records and research enquiry for queries about researching at The National Archives, including:
- visiting the reading rooms
- reader ticket applications
- document ordering
- requests for digital or paper copies of records
- advice on the records we hold.
British citizenship
Visit British citizenship services for evidence that someone obtained or renounced British nationality from 1949 to 1986, or confirmation that someone did not obtain British nationality up to 1986.
Compliments, complaints and comments
Provide your views about our on site (at Kew) and online services to us or see our comments and complaints procedure.
Contact our partners
Contact our partners to feed back on our commercial partners’ online services, including Findmypast and Ancestry.
Donating records
Find out what to do if you are interested in donating records or have materials that should be placed in an archive.
Education service general enquiries
To contact us with queries about our education service and online educational resources, please email education@nationalarchives.gov.uk.
Event enquiries
To contact us with queries about specific events, please email boxoffice@nationalarchives.gov.uk.
Freedom of Information
Make a Freedom of Information enquiry for information about The National Archives under the Freedom of Information Act.
International collaboration
To contact us if you are an international archive, government or cultural body interested in collaborating with The National Archives, please email iea@nationalarchives.gov.uk.
Ministry of Defence service records
To request a Ministry of Defence service record, see the research guide for British Army soldiers in service after 1918. Find further information in the MOD service records collection FAQs (PDF, 0.1 MB).
Public sector information
Contact us if you have a public sector information enquiry about Crown copyright, licensing and the re-use of government information.
Shop
See our FAQs for questions about your order. If you still need help, please email bookshop@nationalarchives.gov.uk.
Website
To contact us with queries about our website, not including advice about our catalogue, please email webmaster@nationalarchives.gov.uk.