Preparation for transfer to The National Archives of FCDO annual departmental files
Under the Public Records Act, the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office must transfer files selected for permanent preservation to The National Archives.
In 2013 the UK government began its move towards releasing records when they are 20 years old, instead of 30. Government departments were required to transfer 2 years’ worth of their records to The National Archives (TNA) each year until 2022.
Until the merger of the Foreign & Commonwealth Office (FCO) and the Department for International Development (DFID) into the FCDO, the 2 former departments used distinct ways of prioritising their review of standard departmental files. In both cases the approach was adapted to the size and nature of their standard file collections and agreed with the independent Advisory Council on National Records and Archives.
The FCO prioritised the preparation for release of high priority annual departmental files created between 1983 and 2002. These high priority files are chiefly records created by the main geographical departments of the former FCO, although the historical significance of events reported in the files also comes into play in our prioritisation. Due to the volume of annual departmental files and the resources required for our non-standard files release programme, the FCO had to postpone the review of lower priority annual departmental files. The list of high priority files was considered again in 2025 to ensure those files of the highest public interest would be reviewed first.
By the end of March 2029 we expect to have reviewed all our FCO high-priority classes dating from between 1996 and 2002. We are currently planning the review and transfer programme that will take place from April 2029. In DFID’s case, owing to smaller volumes involved, all files have been reviewed over a designated 3-year time period, most recently DFID departmental files created between 1995 and 1997.
Timetable for preparing annual departmental files for release
This timetable shows the:
- order in which the FCDO is preparing 1996 and later files for release
- year when we expect the files to be ready for physical transfer from the FCDO’s archive to TNA
For forthcoming releases, the timetable does not show the date when the files will be available for public release at TNA. Following physical transfer, TNA needs more time to prepare the files for release.
Files that TNA is currently preparing are shown as ‘Transferred to TNA’. All high priority annual departmental files before 1996 have been transferred to TNA.
| TNA class and record description | Year | Readiness for transfer to TNA |
|---|---|---|
| FCO 7: Latin America | 1996 | 2026 |
| FCO 7: Latin America | 1997 | 2027 |
| FCO 8: Middle East | 1996 | 2026 |
| FCO 8: Middle East | 1997 | 2027 |
| FCO 9: Southern Europe | 1996 | 2026 |
| FCO 9: Southern Europe | 1997 | 2027 |
| FCO 15: South East Asia | 1996 | 2026 |
| FCO 15: South East Asia | 1997 | 2027 |
| FCO 21: Far Eastern | 1996 | 2026 |
| FCO 21: Far Eastern | 1997 | 2027 |
| FCO 30: European Integration | 1996 | 2026 |
| FCO 30: European Integration | 1997 | 2027 |
| FCO 33: Western Europe | 1996 | 2026 |
| FCO 33: Western Europe | 1997 | 2027 |
| FCO 37: South Asian | 1996 | 2026 |
| FCO 37: South Asian | 1997 | 2027 |
| FCO 40: Hong Kong | 1996 | 2026 |
| FCO 40: Hong Kong | 1997 | 2027 |
| FCO 58: United Nations | 1996 | Transferred to TNA |
| FCO 58: United Nations | 1997 | 2027 |
| FCO 82: North America | 1996 | Available at TNA |
| FCO 82: North America | 1997 | 2026 |
| FCO 87: Ireland | 1996 | Available at TNA |
| FCO 87: Ireland | 1997 | 2026 |
| FCO 93: Near East and North Africa | 1996 | 2026 |
| FCO 93: Near East and North Africa | 1997 | 2027 |
| FCO 98: European Integration (External) | 1996 | Available at TNA |
| FCO 98: European Integration (External) | 1997 | 2027 |
| FCO 169: Africa (Southern) | 1996 | 2026 |
| FCO 169: Africa (Southern) | 1997 | 2027 |
| FCO 170: Africa (Equatorial) | 1996 | 2026 |
| FCO 170: Africa (Equatorial) | 1997 | 2027 |
| FCO 175: Central Europe | 1996 | 2026 |
| FCO 175: Central Europe | 1997 | 2027 |
| FCO 176: Eastern Europe | 1996 | 2026 |
| FCO 176: Eastern Europe | 1997 | 2027 |
| FCO 177: Non-Proliferation and Defence | 1996 | 2026 |
| FCO 177: Non-Proliferation and Defence | 1997 | 2027 |
| FCO 178: Security Coordination | 1996 | 2026 |
| FCO 178: Security Coordination | 1997 | 2027 |
| FCO 179: Security Policy | 1996 | 2026 |
| FCO 179: Security Policy | 1997 | 2027 |
| FCO 182: Eastern Adriatic Department | 1996 | 2026 |
| FCO 182: Eastern Adriatic Department | 1997 | 2027 |
| FCO 192: Human Rights Policy | 1996 | Available at TNA |
| FCO 192: Human Rights Policy | 1997 | 2026 |