Who we are

The National Archives of Trinidad and Tobago is the treasure-trove and guardian of the collective memory of Government and its citizenry, with over 200 years of archival records.

For Government, we are the custodian of the past and present public record, guiding in its management and care to safeguard and strengthen our democracy, while preserving and providing public access to those records of enduring national archival, historical and cultural value.

For citizens, we provide free access to Government’s and the nation’s historical records in all formats, to support citizens’ claims to their rights and entitlements, to connect them to the nation’s collective memory, their identity and history, as well as to support their academic, genealogical, legal and other research.

What we do

• Acquire, process and manage public and private archival records of enduring historical, legal, academic, genealogical, and other research value, regardless of record format.
• Care for and preserve public and private archival records in a secure and climate-controlled storage environment, supported by the work of the Conservation and Digitization Labs.
• Provide guidance and advice on the management of public records throughout its life cycle – from active to semi-active records and archival records.
• Provide secondary storage facilities to Government Ministries, Agencies and Departments for their semi-active records.
• Provide public access to our archival collections in all record formats – documents, bound volumes, maps, microfilm, photographs, audio and video recordings, electronic -  in our Public Search Room located at #105 St. Vincent Street, Port of Spain.