New Archives Act makes government more transparent

A new Archives Act tailored to the digital age will come into force on 1 January 2027. The Senate approved the law on 12 May 2026. Governments will now have 10 instead of 20 years to transfer important information to an archive service. This will make government more transparent, better protect cultural heritage and give researchers and journalists faster access to crucial information.

Minister Rianne Letschert (OCW): “With the new Archives Act, we are ensuring that digital government information is properly preserved and accessible to all. Because only if government information remains findable, reliable and readable can citizens, politicians, journalists and researchers follow and question the government. This strengthens trust in government and the democratic rule of law.’’

Findable and accessible

The Archives Act requires that government information be preserved, findable and accessible. The law applies to the entire government: from ministries, High Institutions of State to provinces, municipalities and water boards.

The current law from 1995 is outdated, having been written for a time when governments still worked mainly with paper documents. The new Archives Act better reflects today's digital reality.

For example, the law requires governments to properly manage digital information from creation. This means, for example, that e-mails, instant messages, video footage and websites must be stored in a durable and accessible way right from creation, so that they are not lost in the event of system changes or technology obsolescence. This is also necessary because information evolves so quickly and in such quantities that retrospective arrangement does not work. The law also strengthens oversight of information management in government, including a reporting obligation and fines.

Well-managed public sector information

The new law better reflects the practice of information management: concepts have been translated to the digital environment, responsibilities are more clearly defined, the diploma requirement for archivists is modernised and there is more emphasis on professionalisation through better training provision. In this way, the Archives Act lays a solid foundation for good management of digital government information.