Article (1):
To collect and preserve Iran’s national records in a unified organization, provide suitable conditions and facilities for public access to these records, and achieve administrative and employment cost savings by centralizing the non-current files of ministries, government, and government-affiliated institutions and the destruction of redundant papers, an organization called the National Archives Organization of Iran was established under the Administrative and Employment Affairs Organization.
Note: The records referred to in this article include all papers, correspondence, registers, files, photographs, maps, plates, charts, films, microfilms, audio tapes, and other records that have been prepared by the government or received by the government and have continuously or non-continuously remained in the possession of the government. These records hold permanent administrative, financial, economic, judicial, political, cultural, scientific, technical, and historical value as determined by the National Archives Organization of Iran.
Article (2):
The National Archives Organization of Iran will have a Head, a Council, and the necessary organizational structure.
Article (3):
The Head of the National Archives Organization shall be selected from among senior government employees with higher education and experience in research, expertise in administrative affairs, and archival records management. The appointment shall be made upon the recommendation of the Secretary General of the Administrative and Employment Affairs Organization and the approval of the Council of Ministers. The Head of the National Archives Organization is responsible for implementing the Council’s resolutions and managing the organization’s affairs.
Article (4):
The Council of the National Archives Organization will be composed of the following members:
- The Minister of Foreign Affairs
- The Minister of Culture and Higher Education
- The Attorney General
- The Secretary General of the Administrative and Employment Affairs Organization
- The Prosecutor of the Court of Audit
- Two experts in Iranian culture and history, nominated by the Minister of Culture and Higher Education and approved by the Council of Ministers, are appointed for a period of three years with the possibility of reappointment.
Instead of the members mentioned in the first four clauses, their deputies may attend the meetings. The Council members shall elect one of their own as the Chairperson.
Note (1): The Head of the National Archives Organization shall participate in the meetings as Secretary, but will not have voting rights.
Note (2): A representative of the ministry or organization whose non-current records or files are under discussion in the Council shall be invited to the meetings for consultation.
Note (3): The regulations concerning the organization of the Council meetings, the procedure for electing the Chairperson, and the methods of decision-making shall be approved by the Council.
Article (5):
The duties of the Council are as follows:
- To identify redundant papers that are eligible for destruction and to approve a detailed list of these papers, which has been previously prepared and organized by the National Archives Organization and the relevant ministry or government institution, in accordance with the provisions of this law.
- To approve the regulations concerning the process of appraising and transferring non-current files and national records.
- To approve regulations concerning the organization and preservation of national records, making them accessible to the public, as well as regulations related to confidential records and the procedure for accessing them.
- To approve regulations, standards, and criteria that ministries and government-affiliated institutions must follow in organizing, recording, and preserving files, documents, and records.
- To develop a tariff under which the National Archives Organization will charge fees for services such as the preparation of microfilms, photocopies, and certified copies, and for performing similar services provided to individuals (both natural and legal persons).
Note: The funds obtained from paragraph (e) of this article will be deposited into the government’s treasury account.
Article (6)
Regulation for the Destruction of Redundant Papers:
- Ministries, government, and government-affiliated institutions are required to organize their archives in accordance with the regulations approved by the Council of Ministers.The archives must follow uniform principles and methods prepared by the Council of the National Archives Organization under paragraph (d) of its duties. Each organization will be required to separate and classify non-current files from current files within the timeframe specified in the regulations for each organization.
- Ministries, government, and government-affiliated institutions are required to transfer all non-current records and files, which are no longer necessary for retention within the relevant organization, to the National Archives Organization for temporary storage. However, if forty years have passed since the creation or last paper of the file, the records must be permanently transferred to the National Archives Organization.
Note: Ministries, government, and government-affiliated institutions, as well as the Council of the National Archives Organization, are obliged to consider records and files transferred to the National Archives Organization under this article as confidential for the specified period. These records and files, whose disclosure could harm the rights of individuals or the interests of the government, must not be made accessible to the public except for authorized legal authorities. The organization must ensure that access to these records and files is not restricted until the specified period expires or until further notice is received from the relevant ministry or institution, or a decision from the Council.
Article (7):
The regulation related to the identification of redundant papers and their destruction procedure shall be proposed by the Head of the National Archives Organization, and upon approval by the Council, be passed by the relevant parliamentary committees.
Article (8):
The Ministry of Defense is exempt from the provisions of this law, and the procedure for the preservation and maintenance of national records, as well as the destruction of redundant papers within the Islamic Republic of Iran’s Army, shall be determined by a competent board, established for this purpose, with the knowledge of the National Archives Organization. The manner of formation of this board and implementation of the provisions of this article shall be governed by a regulation formulated and approved by the Ministry of Defense.