What to keep – corporate retention schedules (accessible)
Updated 17 November 2025
© Crown copyright 2025
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This publication is available at https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/home-office-retention-and-disposal-standards/what-to-keep-corporate-retention-schedules-accessible
1. Introduction
This schema details how long all Home Office units, including Migration and Borders, His Majesty’s Passport Office, and General Register Office, will keep its corporate information. It is recommended that all arms length and non departmental bodies follow these instructions.
2. Scope
This schema relates to all corporate information held by the department. A separate schema covers Operational Information. It helps clarify what information should be kept for business, legislative and historical reasons as well as indicating when it should be deleted. Information that could be selected for permanent preservation at The National Archives will be subject to a review at the end of its retention period. Information that is not in this category can be destroyed at the end of its retention period.
There is a standard approach of the following periods, which begin when the record is closed or from the date last modified –
- 2 years - destroy
- 5 years - review/destroy
- 7 years - review/destroy
- 15 years - review/destroy
- 100 years from birth - destroy
The application of this policy is mandatory. Failure to comply with the requirements as outlined may result in disciplinary action.
Note: A blanket moratorium to prevent the destruction of all Home Office business information, including all operational records and case files, was introduced in 2015 as a result of the Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse (IICSA).
Although the requirement to preserve information for IICSA no longer exists, the mechanisms to prevent the destruction of information will remain until replaced by targeted moratoria, to meet the requirements of the current independent inquiries.
3. Corporate records
3.1 Policy, Governance & Development
| What to keep | Where to keep it | Who should save it | When should it be deleted |
|---|---|---|---|
| Policy Drafts for Comment | Accredited corporate storage/Registered Paper File | Originator | When superseded |
| Policy Drafts of significant changes in approach - Major (impacts on society or reflects main Home Office objectives) - Minor |
Accredited corporate storage/Registered Paper File | Originator | Review 15 years after last modification (Major) Destroy 7 years after last modification (Minor) |
| Final Policy Versions - Major (impacts on society or reflects main Home Office objectives) - Minor |
Accredited corporate storage/Registered Paper File | Originator | Review 15 years after last modification (Major) Destroy 7 years last modification (Minor) |
| Board Record sets (mtgs/papers) - Major - Minor |
Accredited corporate storage/Registered Paper File | Originator | Review 15 years after record closed (Major) Destroy 7 years after record closed (Minor) |
| Board Admin | Accredited corporate storage/Registered Paper File | Originator | Destroy 5 years after record closed |
3.2 Information Requests
| What to keep | Where to keep it | Who should save it | When should it be deleted |
|---|---|---|---|
| Responses to Information request Under FOI investigated by ICO | Accredited corporate storage/Registered Paper File | FOI lead/Team | Destroy 5 years after record closed |
| Responses to Information request Under FOI - routine leading to precedent | Accredited corporate storage/Registered Paper File | FOI lead/Team | Destroy 5 years after record closed |
| Responses routine FOI requests | Accredited corporate storage/Registered Paper File | FOI lead/Team | Destroy 5 years after record closed |
| Responses routine SAR requests | Accredited corporate storage/Registered Paper File | FOI lead/Team | Destroy 2 years after record closed |
| Responses routine Environmental Information requests | Accredited corporate storage/Registered Paper File | FOI lead/Team | Destroy 5 years after record closed |
| Responses to Inquiries - e-Discovery Searches | Accredited corporate storage/Registered Paper File | FOI lead/Team | Destroy 7 years after end of Inquiry |
| Responses to inquiries Nuix searches | Accredited corporate storage/Registered Paper File | FOI lead/Team | Destroy 7 years after end of Inquiry |
3.3 Ministerial Business
| What to keep | Where to keep it | Who should save it | When should it be deleted |
|---|---|---|---|
| Parliamentary Questions (replies) | Accredited corporate storage/Registered Paper File | Private Office | Destroy 5 years after record closed |
| Ministerial correspondence Ensure systems for recording incoming correspondence and replies are adequate, including where correspondence is managed centrally. |
Accredited corporate storage/Registered Paper File | Private Office | Destroy 5 years after record closed |
| Briefings for Ministerial visits/visitors | Accredited corporate storage/Registered Paper File | Private Office | Destroy 5 years after record closed |
| Ministers’ Notebooks and aide memoires Ministers’ notebooks are public records. Tell ministers that they may be transferred to The National Archives after 20 years. Keep ministers’ aides-memoire and notes, whether handwritten or digital. |
Accredited corporate storage/Registered Paper File | Private Office | Review 15 years after record closed |
| Official Diaries Keep the final version showing what actually took place (rather than what was planned) |
Accredited corporate storage/Registered Paper File | Private Office | Review 15 years after record closed |
| Submissions Keep submissions with ministers’/permanent secretary’s comments. Keep correspondence reporting ministers’ responses along with background provided to ministers’/permanent secretary. |
Accredited corporate storage/Registered Paper File | Private Office | Review 15 years after record closed |
| Policy | Accredited corporate storage/Registered Paper File | Private Office | Review 15 years after last modification |
| Ministers’ meetings Keep records of ministers’ meetings on substantive issues whatever the medium (not party-political meetings). |
Accredited corporate storage/Registered Paper File | Private Office | Review 15 years after record closed |
| Permanent Secretary’s mtgs Keep records of internal and external meetings, including meetings with ministers or their special advisers, other officials, other departments, external interest groups and lobbyists and MPs. For Ministers and Perm Secs, record the date, time, location or format (in person, online, via non-corporate channels), attendees and decisions or undertakings. |
Accredited corporate storage/Registered Paper File | Private Office | Review 15 years after record closed |
| Other communications Record and transfer to the Corporate records, decisions arising from telephone or online meetings or any other medium including via non-corporate communication channels, such as WhatsApp. |
Accredited corporate storage/Registered Paper File | Private Office | Review 15 years after record closed |
| Commissions Keep records of ministers’ requests for policy development. |
Accredited corporate storage/Registered Paper File | Private Office | Review 15 years after record closed |
3.4 Projects and Research
| What to keep | Where to keep it | Who should save it | When should it be deleted |
|---|---|---|---|
| Large scale (Gateway) projects – closed (one or more of the following applies: public facing, involves national security implications (protects the interest of national security and reduces illegal entry to the UK, crime and/or counter terrorism; holds data above official), processes financial payments, has potential political implications (required as a result of government legislation, meets legal obligations, has a high public profile)) |
Accredited corporate storage/Registered Paper File | Originator | Review 15 years after closure |
| Large scale projects - rejected | Accredited corporate storage/Registered Paper File | Originator | Review 15 years after closure |
| Test Management / Evidence Large Project (one or more of the following applies: public facing, involves national security implications (protects the interest of national security and reduces illegal entry to the UK, crime and/or counter terrorism; holds data above official), has over 10,000 users, processes financial payments, has potential political implications (required as a result of government legislation, meets legal obligations, has a high public profile)) Small Project (falling outside the definition given above of high profile projects) |
Accredited corporate storage/Registered Paper File | Originator | Destroy 7 years after closure (Large Project) Destroy 5 years after closure (Small Project) |
| Routine (Small) Projects/committees/groups | Accredited corporate storage/Registered Paper File | Originator | Destroy 7 years after record closed |
| High profile research/reports | Accredited corporate storage/Registered Paper File | Originator | Review 15 years after record closed |
3.5 Stakeholder Management
| What to keep | Where to keep it | Who should save it | When should it be deleted |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dealing with the media and public: Press releases Press conferences Correspondence |
Accredited corporate storage/Registered Paper File | Originator | Destroy 5 years after record closed |
| Prep work for publications | Accredited corporate storage/Registered Paper File | Originator | Destroy 5 years after record closed |
| Consultations | Accredited corporate storage/Registered Paper File | Originator | Destroy 5 years after record closed |
| Other Stakeholder Correspondence | Accredited corporate storage/Registered Paper File | Originator | Destroy 5 years after record closed |
3.6 Administration
| What to keep | Where to keep it | Who should save it | When should it be deleted |
|---|---|---|---|
| Directorate Mgt Information: Risk Registers, Asset Registers, Staff Resource registers | Accredited corporate storage/Registered Paper File | Originator | Destroy 5 years after record closed |
| Directorate Mgt Information: meetings, events, etc | Accredited corporate storage/Registered Paper File | Originator | Destroy when no longer required or superseded but retain no longer than 5 years |
| All process guides | Accredited corporate storage/Registered Paper File | Originator | Review 7 years after last modification |
| All Building Architectural, Structural reports, surveys plans, inspections, Maps & Drawings, certificates, photographic, legal, contracts etc | Originator | Covered under Ministry of Justice schema as a Shared Service | |
| All Maintenance logs, reports, contractor | Accredited corporate storage/Registered Paper File | Originator | Review 15 years after record closed |
| Finance (not relating to building, fraud, theft) (Relating to building, Fraud, theft) |
Accredited corporate storage/Registered Paper File | Originator | Destroy 7 years after record closed Review 15 years after record closed |
| Contracts (Not relating to building) | Accredited corporate storage/Registered Paper File | N/A | Review 7 years after contract closed |
| All Audit | Accredited corporate storage/Registered Paper File | Originator | Destroy 7 years after record closed |
| HR Lifecycle records (record of service for pay and pension purposes). HR Performance Management paper files |
Accredited corporate storage/Registered Paper File | Originator | Destroy when subject aged 100 years Destroy 7 years after the performance year for which it was recorded. |
| Litigation | Accredited corporate storage/Registered Paper File | Originator | Destroy 7 years after record closed |
| Data Protection Impact Assessments (DPIA) | Accredited corporate storage | Originator | Destroy 7 years after the processing has ceased |
4. End of document
This schema has been created or is managed by the Home Office Knowledge & Information Management Unit.
Effective Date: 01 February 2016
Last Review Date: 22 October 2025
Next Review Date: 22 October 2026
Consulted: KIMU Policy and Guidance Stakeholder Group
Approved by: KIM Community Review Group
Audience: All staff and the public