Copying and Certification

Whether for research purposes, legal reasons or as a keepsake, you can make use of PRONI’s copying and certification services. Find out more about the options available and our procedures below. For a detailed breakdown of the associated costs, please see our Service Costs page.

Self-service copying

Woman in a blue top with a book on a large cushion under a large white machine.
Self-service scanner in the PRONI Reading Room

If you have ordered records onsite at PRONI, our Issue Desk staff will advise you if copying is not permitted for a particular record. If copying is permitted, however, you can take photographs of the record (no flash) or make paper or digital copies of the record using our self-service scanners, available in the Reading Room. 

To use the self-service scanners, you will need to purchase single copy or multi-copy cards at the Issue Desk. 

Digital copies from the self-service scanners can only be uploaded to a USB, which can also be purchased at the Issue Desk. You will not be able to use a USB you have brought from home.

A full list of costs for the self-service scanners can be found on our Service Costs page.

Self-service copying will only be suitable if:

  • the record is in good condition
  • the record is small enough in size
  • you do not require a copy larger than A3
  • you do not require high quality images

Copy Order Service 

Man with latex gloves standing behind large equipment that shines a bright light onto a surface.

If the records you are consulting onsite are not suitable for the self-service scanners, or you need to request a copy of PRONI records remotely, you can use our Copy Order Service. 

If you are visiting in person, you can request a Copy Order Payment Form at the Issue Desk. For remote orders, email us at proni@communities-ni.gov.uk and our staff will issue the form to you. 

If you are requesting a copy for anything other than personal use (e.g. exhibitions and publications), please specify this on the form as this may require additional copyright checks.

You must identify the item you wish to have copied by including the unique PRONI reference on the form. For wills, you must note the name of the deceased. 

Any contact details you give will be processed in line with the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and the Data Protection Act 2018. Further information can be found on the DfC Privacy Notice.

Order processing 

Once you have returned the completed Copy Order Payment Form, our team will send it on to our dedicated Reprographics Team, who will aim to process the order within 20 working days of receipt.

Orders can exceed this timeframe if:

  • the order is particularly large
  • the records are oversized
  • the records are in poor condition

Our Reprographics team may also get in touch with you if there is an issue processing your request or if there are additional costs.

Please be aware that your requested record may not be suitable for copying on preservation or copyright grounds.

Copy Order charges

PRONI’s charges for a Copy Order is comprised of:

  • a copy administration fee
  • a cost per page or digital image
  • postage and packaging (if applicable) 
  • USB (if applicable, digital copies only)

During processing, our Reprographics team may also find that special attention is needed for some orders at an additional cost. This can include:

  • unusually large orders
  • records that require preparatory work before copying
  • quality enhancements for legibility once copies have been made. 

This additional work will not be carried out unless it has been agreed with you and paid. 

For a detailed list of all the charges associated with the Copy Order Service, please visit our Service Costs page.

Certification 

For legal purposes, you may wish to have copies of PRONI records be certified as copies of original documents. You can request this as part of or following a Copy Order, or as a separate service, using the Copy Order Payment Form.

Once you have returned the completed form in person or via email, we will aim to have it certified within 20 working days. If the request is part of a wider Copy Order, the certification will be completed at the end of the process. 

Image of a stamp with black text on white background with information on certifying that a copy has been made of a document.

Charges for certification are calculated per page and postage charges may apply for remote requests. For a detailed list of all of PRONI’s charged services, please visit our Service Costs page.