Archives Nationales de France

  • National Archives of France

Address

59 rue Guynemer
Pierrefitte-sur-Seine
Seine-Saint-Denis
93383 Pierrefitte-sur-Seine cedex
France

Phone

+33 (0)1 75 47 20 00
+ 33 (0)1 75 47 20 02

Email



Web

https://www.archives-nationales.culture.gouv.fr/contact

History

The French National Archives were created after the French Revolution; on 12 September 1790, the Constituent Assembly named it National Archives. Four years later, by the law of 7 messidor Year II (25 June 1794), the Convention specified the role of the National Archives and establishes a "central repository of the National Archives." The law then states three main principles which remain relevant:

  • centralized archives of the Nation;
  • providing free access of the archives to citizens;
  • the need for a national archival network. The Law of 5 Brumaire V (26 October 1796) introduced an archive in each department.

Administrative Structure

Organigram: https://www.archives-nationales.culture.gouv.fr/web/guest/missions-et-organisation;jsessionid=435314F28AB43C0E0C938A1843F8FED1

Building(s)

The Archives nationales is housed on three sites:

  • The Paris site: Public records from the Ancien Régime, original deeds produced by Paris notaries
  • The Pierrefitte-sur-Seine: Public archives from the French Revolution to the present day, private record groups (all periods)
  • Fontainebleau site: fonds publics spécifiques (dossiers de naturalisation ouverts depuis 1974, dossiers de carrière de fonctionnaires, dossiers de titulaires de la Légion d'honneur décédés avant 1977, etc.).

Archival and Other Holdings

The National Archives hold the records of the central state administration (except for the Ministry of Defence and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs), the minutes of the Parisian notaries and private funds of national interest.

The National Archives hold the records of the central state administration (except for the Ministry of Defence and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs), the minutes of the Parisian notaries and private funds of national interest. Until recently, the National Archives had three sites:

  • Paris: public archives of the Ancien Régime, minutes of the Parisian notaries
  • Pierrefitte-sur-Seine: Public Archives of French Revolution until today, private fonds (all periods)
  • Fontainebleau: specific public funds (naturalization records after 1930, career records of officials from the 1960s onwards, records approval of vehicles in particular), audiovisual archives, private archives of architects.

However, due to the risk of collapse of the two main buildings at the Fontainebleau site, it was decided to transfer the holdings to the Quadrilatère Rohan-Soubise, Paris and Pierrefitte-sur-Seine sites in 2016. Some fonds are now available at Pierrefitte-sur-Seine, but the completion of the transfer is planned for 2020-21. Consequently, a number of fonds from Fontainebleau will be inaccessible until then.

Among others, the National Archives hold documentation on restitution- and/or compensation-related materials: some of which are outlined on CIVS' website: "Guide to searching the Archives on Spoliations and Restitution" (2000).

Finding Aids, Guides, and Publication

It is possible to search the Archives nationales' online catalogues here:

http://www.archives-nationales.culture.gouv.fr/en/web/guest/salle-des-inventaires-virtuelle

Opening Times

Pierrefitte-sur-Seine reading room

Monday to Saturday from 9 a.m. to 4:45 p.m.

Requests to view documents on the day of a researcher's visit or the morning of the following day must be made before 3 p.m. On Saturdays, only documents that have been requested in advance or are still on hold can be consulted.

It usually takes between 45 to 90 minutes for documents to be delivered.

For more on the consultation conditions, see:

http://www.archives-nationales.culture.gouv.fr/fr/web/guest/conditions-de-consultation

Conditions of Access

Entry to the reading rooms of the National Archives is free, but researchers must register. It is possible to pre-register online. See:

https://www.siv.archives-nationales.culture.gouv.fr/siv/accueil/saisieDemande.action

Accessibility

The National Archives are wheelchair accessible. For information on getting to the archives by public transport and the location of disabled parking spaces, see:

http://www.archives-nationales.culture.gouv.fr/fr/web/guest/acces-handicap

Reproduction Services

Readers can photograph documents they consult (flash photography not allowed), except documents subject to clearance or authorisation, for which a specific request to copy must be submitted. They can also request a photocopy of documents in suitable material condition.

Requests for copies must be placed using the form in the online catalogue. Copies will only be made when the right reference number is provided. The Archives Nationales no longer make selections of documents to be copied due to an increased number of requests, the complexity of the task, and the low proportion of quotes accepted. The exception to this is easily identifiable files bearing a name (staff records, naturalisation records, and administrative and judicial requests, on presentation of supporting documentation). This takes several months due to the very large number of requests. Copies are only made once payment has been received. The copy made by the Archives Nationales may be a photocopy, photo, or scan. Microfilms can also be provided. Documents available for consultation as microfilm are only copied as microfilm. Documents available online are not copied. They may be downloaded from readers' personal workstations.

Sources

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