What are the steps to transfer permanent records to the National Archives?

Permanent records are those determined to have enduring value—legal, historical, or evidential—that warrant preservation beyond an agency’s operational needs. In the U.S. federal system, agencies do not keep these records forever; they transfer them to the National Archives, which then preserves them and makes them available to the public. The process is governed by an approved records schedule and by NARA’s transfer requirements.

Confirm the records are permanent and eligible

Every transfer begins with disposition authority. The records must be covered by an approved records schedule—either an agency-specific schedule or a General Records Schedule—that designates them as permanent and states when transfer should occur. Records become eligible for transfer once they reach the age or trigger event the schedule specifies and are no longer needed for current business.

Prepare and verify the records

Before transfer, agencies organize and screen the records:

• Arrange them in a logical, original order and remove any non-record or duplicate material.
• Confirm there are no unresolved access restrictions, or clearly document any that apply (for example, classified or privacy-protected material).
• Create or update finding aids, inventories, or metadata that describe what is being transferred.
• Ensure media are stable and readable—this matters especially for electronic records, which must meet NARA’s format and metadata requirements.

Coordinate the transfer with NARA

The transferring agency works with NARA to arrange the transfer, typically documenting it on the appropriate transfer or legal-transfer paperwork. This step identifies the records, cites the schedule authority, and notes any restrictions. NARA reviews the request and confirms it will accept the records.

Ship and accession

Once approved, the records are physically or electronically delivered to NARA according to its packaging, labeling, and transfer-method instructions. NARA then accessions the records—formally taking legal custody, verifying contents against the transfer documentation, and incorporating them into the National Archives.

After transfer

When accessioning is complete, legal custody passes to NARA, which becomes responsible for long-term preservation and public access. The originating agency should update its own recordkeeping to reflect that the records have left its custody.

For broader context on schedules, disposition, and lifecycle concepts, see the fundamentals topic hub.