Access to the Archive materials
The archival materials in the Military Archives can be used for scientific and research work, publishing services and other needs of legal and physical entities and for identifying rights of physical and legal entities from the country and abroad, after the date of 50 years since their creation has passed, if that is not contrary to the interests of the Ministry of Defense, the Serbian Armed Forces and Law on Personal Data Protection (“Official Gazette of the Republic of Serbia“, No. 97/08, 104/09, 58/10).
Certain documents can be available to the public earlier, only upon the approval of the commander of HQ, unit and institution (or legal successor) whose work included the creation of the archival materials.
The archival materials of great importance for the security and defense of the country can be closed for a longer period by the decision of the Minister of Defense or his delegate.
Legal and physical entities can submit their requests and applications that can be solved with necessary documents from the archival materials closed for researchers (documents created 50 years ago) and handed to be kept in the Military Archives, to Commands, units and institutions of the Ministry of Defense and the Serbian Armed Forces and respective Regional Centers of the Ministry of Defense of the Republic of Serbia (documents creators, or legal successors).
Procedures for the use of the archival material
Citizens of the Republic of Serbia
The user of the archival material must be reported and registered in the user register book. Registration is conducted in the library of the Archives where a standard form is filled – application stating research topics. If the user does not research for his own purposes, he/she should submit an authorization with the application – a recommendation of the institution or other organization, which requested research from the user.
The received application is reviewed and the Archives determine whether they have the archival materials that the user wants to use, and then the Director of the Archives approves the research of the archival materials.
The approval for the use of the archival materials is valid until the user works on the topic for which he/she requested the approval, and not later than a year. After that deadline, he/she can submit an application again.
The user submits a new application and if he changes a research topic before the expiry of one year. The previous approval is not valid at the moment when a new application is submitted.
If the user wants to use documents from the other archival funds that are not directly related to the submitted application, he/she should submit a new application and asks for the approval.
First, the available scientific and information resources are shown to the users.
Only the arranged and registered archival materials with their scientific and information resources are issued to the users.
Exceptionally, in reasonable cases, the users can be permitted to use the archival materials and the archival funds which do not have the prescribed scientific and information resources, and by the approval of the Director of the Archives.
Original archival materials published in the editions and collections, as well as copied, microfilmed and digitized materials will not be issued to the users.
The archival material is only used in the Archives library and premises upon the approval of the Director of the Archives. If the archival materials are currently outside of the depot (for the purpose of binding, arranging, recording and etc), the user must be informed when the materials will be available for the use.
Physical and legal entities, citizens of the Republic of Serbia have the right to use the archival materials under the same conditions. The use of the archival materials is free of charge, apart from the costs of technical services. The cost of technical services is determined by Regulations on the method of using the archival materials and service fees in the Military Archives.
Foreign citizens
The military Archive is not authorized to have a direct communication with foreign legal and physical entities. Foreign citizens, who would like to use the archival materials of the Military Archive, submit an application to the Diplomatic and Consular Office of the Republic of Serbia in their country or their Diplomatic and Consular Office in the Republic of Serbia. The received application is submitted to the Office of the Minister of Defense for approval.
When a foreign researcher visits a scientific institution of the Republic of Serbia and submits an application to that institution or directly to the Military Archives, his application with the opinion will be submitted to the Cabinet of the Minister of Defense.
If a foreign researcher does not speak Serbian language, he/she should provide a translator.
General rules on the use of archival materials for foreign citizens are the same as for citizens of the Republic of Serbia and described in the part of procedures concerning citizens of the Republic of Serbia.