Reader's Tickets
Reader's Tickets
Records open to public inspection are made available without charge, for the purposes of historical research, to holders of a reader’s ticket. A reader’s ticket is valid for up to three years; then it must be renewed.
How to Apply for a Reader's Ticket
A Reader's Ticket must be applied for in person on your first visit to the search room. Please ensure you bring the following documentation with you on your first visit:
- Proof of name, one of the following:
- Passport
- Driving licence
- Expired NRS readers ticket
- Bank/credit card
- National ID card
- Government/Government agency ID card
- Student ID card
- Police/Customs or Home Office warrant card
- Forces ID card
- Sea or Air Masters licence
- Blue Badge
- Freedom pass photo card
- Any travel passes issued in the UK for concessionary travel
including a 60+, disabled, Blind SmartPass, or under 22s bus pass
- Proof of address, one of the following (these must be physical, original documents and not scanned print outs, copies or printed PDFs):
- Utility bill
- Council tax bill
- Bank statement
- HMRC statement
- Passport (with address entered by the issuing authority)
- National ID card with address
- Driving licence with an address
- Home Office permit to stay
- University certificate for hall of residence
- Firearms licence
- Home insurance policy
- International student ID card with address
- Student Loans Company letter
- Pension or benefit agency letter
- Two recent passport-style photographs of yourself - these must be passport size, in colour and on photographic paper.
Rules on use of your Reader's Ticket
The following rules/procedures apply to the issue and usage of all Reader's Tickets:
- Reader’s tickets are only issued to people aged 16 years or older
- When entering the Historical Search Room, you must show your reader’s ticket to reception staff
- A reader’s ticket must not be loaned to anyone else. Any change of the details recorded on it, or any loss of the ticket, must be reported immediately
- A reader’s ticket remains the property of NRS. We reserve the right to charge for a replacement or withdraw a readers ticket if Conditions of Access are not adhered to
- Unreasonable behaviour towards other readers or staff may result in the withdrawal of a reader’s ticket