The House of Representatives has approved the new Archives Act. Thanks to this act, information that needs to be preserved permanently will be handed over to a public archive institution after just 10 years. Moreover, the law is more in line with today’s digital society.
Government records that need to be preserved will become public sooner as the transfer period is reduced from 20 years to 10 years under the new act. Over time, it is becoming increasingly challenging to organise and comprehend all this digital information. The law encourages public agencies to ensure proper archiving. And to destroy files in time once they no longer need to be preserved.
The previous Archives Act dates back to 1995. The new act is more aligned to today’s world, in which most information is exchanged digitally. The Association of Dutch Municipalities (abbreviated VNG in Dutch), the Association of Provincial Authorities (IPO) and the Union of Water Authorities (Unie van Waterschappen) jointly called for its adoption. The Archives Act will take effect in mid-2026.
