Records Management

About Department of State Records

The Department of State maintains records dealing with:

•  The formulation and execution of U.S. Foreign Policy
•  The administration and operations of the Department of State and U.S. Missions abroad
•  Applications from U.S. Citizens for U.S. Passports
•  Visa requests from non-citizens to enter the U.S.
•  Consular assistance given to U.S. Citizens abroad
•  Current and former employees of the Department of State

Generally permanent records 25 years and older, pre-1925 passport and pre-1940 visa records are property of National Archives and Records Administration (NARA).

For more information on the organization and responsibility of the Department of State, go to Department Organization.

Managing Department of State Records

As mandated by the Federal Records Act and reflected in 5 FAM 400, the Department must create and preserve records containing adequate and proper documentation of the organization, functions, policies, decisions, procedures, and essential transactions or operations of the Department and U.S. Embassies, Consulates, and Missions abroad.

Department of State records are organized into three basic file series:

  1. Central Foreign Policy file – contains all telegrams sent or received by the Department of State and selected internal memoranda, written correspondence, diplomatic notes, congressional requests, memorandums of conversations and documents from other agencies.
  2. Post files – the records of U.S. Embassies, Consulates and other diplomatic missions abroad.
  3. Lot files – collections of records generated by offices in the Department of State.

Records Disposition Schedules
Records Disposition Schedules documents the major records series (including electronic records) related to the activities of each office, identifies temporary and permanent records, and provides mandatory instructions for the retention and disposition (retirement or destruction) of each records series based on their temporary or permanent status. All Records Disposition Schedules are approved by the Archivist of the United States, National Archives and Records Administration. (NARA)

The Life of a Document  – learn more about the stages Department of State records pass through before they are destroyed or transferred to NARA.

For Record Schedules common to all government agencies, go to NARA’s General Records Schedules.

Records Management Policy & Procedures

For Department of State Records Management Policy and Procedures please go to our Foreign Affairs Manual, 5 FAM 400 and our Foreign Affairs Handbook, 5 FAH 4 links.

For more information on classifying, declassifying, and safeguarding information, go to 12 FAM 500.


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