World Wide Diplomatic Archives Index: Turkey

Legislation

The Turkish Foreign Ministry is currently developing a system to catalogue its archives, so there is no cache of declassified or unclassified documents. However, Turkey has a Law on Right to Information that went into effect in 2004 that gives researchers the right to request access to diplomatic records. Also, the Ottoman State Archives (pre 1923) are open to research.

Location

The Directorate of Republican Archives and the Directorate of Documentation are based in Ankara. The Directorate of Ottoman Archives is based in Istanbul.

Procedures

From abroad, foreign researchers should contact the Turkish Embassy in their own countries to apply for a research visa and access to archives. In Turkey, local and foreign researchers may apply in person.

Website

State Archives