Whilst many archives held in the Public Record Office of Northern Ireland (PRONI) are available to view, some records may be closed to public access for a number of reasons. Before submitting your request, please visit PRONI’s eCatalogue to identify the records you require and establish whether they are ‘OPEN’ to the public or ‘CLOSED’ Access.

Explore the different types of closed access requests you can make and how to submit them below.

I require closed records for an application to the Victims’ Payment Board (VPB)

PRONI has an Information Sharing Agreement in place with the Victims’ Payment Board. This means that you do not need to request information from PRONI ahead of completing your application. The VPB will request all relevant records from PRONI on your behalf and will gain access to these much faster than through a regular request made to PRONI for closed records.

Similarly, if you require records for an appeal to the Victims’ Payment Board, the VPB will request all relevant information from PRONI directly. If you are aware of PRONI references that may be useful to your appeal, please contact vpb@communities-ni.gov.uk who will advise the VPB that these records will potentially be of use and can be requested from PRONI on your behalf.

Please see the Victim's Payments Board's Guidance to Applicants for further details.

I require closed records for an investigation by the Independent Commission for Reconciliation and Information Recovery (ICRIR)

PRONI has an Information Sharing Agreement in place with the ICRIR. This means that you do not need to request information from PRONI ahead of providing the Commission with information. The ICRIR will request all relevant records from PRONI on your behalf and will gain access to these much faster than through a regular request made to PRONI for closed records.