Order documents in advance

  • 1 Place order
  • 2 Check order
  • 3 Order complete

Place an order

This form allows you to pre-order original documents held by The National Archives to view onsite at Kew. Find out more in How to order, view and copy documents.

To proceed with your order, you will need to know the following:

  • Your reader’s ticket number. If you don’t have one, apply online for a reader’s ticket - it only takes 15 minutes.
  • Date of visit. Orders for next day delivery must be placed by 16:00. Documents held off site will need to be ordered three working days in advance.
  • Catalogue reference(s). You can order up to 12 documents, and have up to 24 active on your ticket at any given time. You search the catalogue and locate references in advance, or search and populate the order fields from this page.

Please note: when a document has been digitised, or is available on microfilm or micofiche, you will usually not be able to order the original record. Find out more.

Step 1

Enter the number located on the back of your reader’s ticket, or the temporary number issued to you at the end of the reader’s ticket registration process.

Step 2

Select the date you plan to visit. Check our opening times.

Step 3

Enter your catalogue references into the fields below.

If you need to order more than 12 documents from the same series, you may be able to place a bulk order.

Tell us if you have any accessibility requirements or special requests. We cannot guarantee that all documents ordered will be available.

If you would like to specify a particular table, please look at the floor plan (PDF, 526kb) and enter the table number here.

Step 4

Enter email address to receive a copy of your order.

The National Archives takes your privacy seriously and we are committed to the responsible handling of personal information in accordance with our Information Charter. See our privacy policy for more details.