Application for access to documents for the purpose of research, submitted pursuant to Article 36 (1)(2) of the Act on the Institute of National Remembrance of 18 December 1998 (consolidated text as of 28 January 2021, Journal of Laws of 2021, item 177).
Any researcher in the field of humanities, social or economic studies, and/or law, or a person possessing a letter of recommendation from such a researcher, can apply to the IPN for access to the archived records.
Such persons must fill out the application for access to documents for the purpose of scientific research (Article 36.1, Item 2, of the Act).
Required documents:
- Application form
- In the case of persons who are not researchers – a recommendation from one.
Applicants are required to disclose the subject matter of the research. Signed applications should be sent to the Director of an IPN branch office competent for the applicant’s place of residence. As for the applicants residing abroad, the competent body shall be determined based on the applicant’s last place of residence or stay in Poland. For the applicants without present of past residence in the Republic of Poland, the competent authority shall be the Director of the IPN branch in Warsaw.
The time limit for processing the case is 7 days, on condition that the applicant is capable of supplying the file reference numbers of the required archival materials, and that the materials in question have been digitized. In other cases, the application will be processed without delay, and for particularly complex cases two months are allowed.
Applicants who submitted the form, and to whom the documents were made available bear legal responsibility for the manner they are used (pursuant to the Article 36.5 of the Act on the Institute of the National Remembrance).