With the Kew site closed, signed-in users can download digital records for free

While The National Archives is closed to visitors, the Public Record Office is making digital records available on its website free of charge.

Registered users will be able to order and download up to 10 items at a time, to a maximum of 50 items over 30 days.

To access the service and download for free, users will be required to:

  • Register/sign in to their Discovery account before adding items to their basket (maximum ten items per basket)
  • Abide by the fair use policy
  • Complete the order process to receive a download link, which will remain active for 30 days. (The link will also be saved in ‘Your orders’ in your account for 30 days)

The initiative will be of interest to records-based researchers, and you will be able to download records digitised by The National Archives and published through Discovery (their online catalogue). These include:

  • First and Second World War records, including medal index cards
  • Military records, including unit war diaries
  • Royal and Merchant Navy records, including Royal Marine service records
  • Wills from the jurisdiction of the Prerogative Court of Canterbury
  • Migration records, including aliens’ registration cards and naturalisation case papers
  • 20th century Cabinet Papers and Security Service files
  • Domesday Book

The National Archives website contains further information on how to register and download items, as well as a more comprehensive list of available digitised collections.