Sustainable accessibility becomes the standard
Information must not merely exist later; it must also be found, opened, understood and trusted. This links records management directly to metadata, file formats, quality control, context and governance.
Dutch Archives Act 2026 · According to the Dutch government from 1 January 2027
The general rule becomes ten years. The real work starts today.
The new Dutch Archives Act is not merely a call to move boxes or files faster. It requires public information to remain sustainably accessible throughout its lifecycle: findable, available, readable, interpretable, reliable and future-proof.
20 → 10 years
A shorter period, with transitional rules
Section 5.4 sets a ten-year period for documents designated for permanent preservation. Section 12.3 provides that documents created or received before the Act takes effect do not have to be transferred before they reach twenty years of age.
The information chain has expanded
The Act covers public information in many forms. Alongside files and registers, this includes digital documents, databases, websites, email, audiovisual material and chat messages.
The entire lifecycle matters
A usable transfer starts when information is created, organised and used. Gaps in structure or context do not shrink by themselves; the shorter period makes early action more important.
Public access remains a careful assessment
After transfer, documents are public in principle. The responsible public body may restrict access on statutory grounds; such a decision must be carefully prepared and substantiated.
From law to implementation
Six workstreams that need to connect
Every organisation starts from a different point. Each route supports a concrete part of the preparation.
The principle
Digitisation is a means, not final proof
Millions of scans without context do not solve an information need. Value emerges when material, selection, metadata, privacy, quality and digital delivery form one verifiable chain.
Well-prepared source data can later also support reuse, analysis or local AI. That is a potential next step, not a separate requirement of the Archives Act.
Map information flows and backlogs
Which information is permanently preserved, where is it held, in what form, with which metadata and under whose ownership? Start with risk, volume and use rather than the scanner.
Test a representative collection
A pilot reveals where arrangement, preparation, privacy, file formats, OCR or quality control determine the route. This creates an executable model rather than a theoretical plan.
Define evidence and transfer in advance
Decide before production which checks, metadata, reports and delivery structure are required. Afterwards, it remains demonstrable what was received, processed, checked and delivered.
Make ownership explicit
Define who decides on selection, privacy, quality, acceptance and management. Clear roles prevent technical delivery from being confused with administrative or legal approval.
Clear roles
What 2dA does and does not do
2dA can support inventory, preparation and implementation of adopted selection and destruction decisions, digitisation, metadata, quality control, anonymisation and digital delivery. We connect conservators, archivists, scanning specialists, IT and software around one workable route.
We do not provide a blanket guarantee that an organisation thereby meets every legal requirement. Policy, formal decisions, legal assessments and statutory responsibility remain with the responsible public body.
This general explanation is informational and does not replace legal advice on a specific situation.
Official information
Read the primary sources
FAQ
When does the Dutch Archives Act 2026 take effect?
According to the Dutch government, the new Archives Act takes effect on 1 January 2027.
Must all government information be transferred after ten years?
No. Section 5.4 concerns documents older than ten years that a selection decision designates for permanent preservation. Under the transitional rule in section 12.3, documents created or received before the Act takes effect do not have to be transferred before they reach twenty years of age. Earlier transfer, postponement and exemption are also possible under specified conditions.
FAQ
Is digitisation enough under the new Archives Act?
No. A scan is useful only when information also remains findable, available, readable, interpretable, reliable and future-proof. This requires structure, metadata, quality control, formats and management.
Does working with 2dA automatically make an organisation compliant with the Act?
No. 2dA supports concrete implementation activities, while the responsible public body remains accountable for policy, formal decisions, legal assessments and demonstrable compliance within its own information management.
Related routes
Explore the implementation
Next step
Do not make 2026 a waiting year
A short inventory can reveal the largest implementation risks and quickest improvements. We are happy to review this without imposing a standard solution in advance.