36 CFR § 1258.12 - When does NARA provide records reproductions without charge?

---
identifier: "/us/cfr/t36/s1258.12"
source: "ecfr"
legal_status: "authoritative_unofficial"
title: "36 CFR § 1258.12 - When does NARA provide records reproductions without charge?"
title_number: 36
title_name: "Parks, Forests, and Public Property"
section_number: "1258.12"
section_name: "When does NARA provide records reproductions without charge?"
chapter_name: "NATIONAL ARCHIVES AND RECORDS ADMINISTRATION"
subchapter_number: "C"
subchapter_name: "PUBLIC AVAILABILITY AND USE"
part_number: "1258"
part_name: "FEES"
positive_law: false
currency: "2026-03-24"
last_updated: "2026-03-24"
format_version: "1.1.0"
generator: "[email protected]"
authority: "44 U.S.C. 2116(c) and 44 U.S.C. 2307."
regulatory_source: "76 FR 62632, October 11, 2011, unless otherwise noted."
cfr_part: "1258"
---


# 1258.12 When does NARA provide records reproductions without charge?

At the discretion of the Secretary of the NATF, customers are not charged a fee for records reproductions or certifications in the instances described in this section.

(a) When NARA furnishes copies of records to other elements of the Federal Government. However, a fee may be charged if the appropriate director determines that the service cannot be performed without reimbursement;

(b) When NARA wishes to disseminate information about its activities to the general public through press, radio, television, and newsreel representatives;

(c) When the reproduction is to furnish the donor of a document or other gift with a copy of the original;

(d) When the reproduction is for individuals or associations having official voluntary or cooperative relations with NARA in its work;

(e) When the reproduction is for a foreign, State, or local government or an international agency and furnishing it without charge is an appropriate courtesy; and

(f) For records of other Federal agencies in NARA Federal records centers only:

(1) When furnishing the service free conforms to generally established business custom, such as furnishing personal reference data to prospective employers of former Government employees;

(2) When the reproduction of not more than one copy of the document is required to obtain from the Government financial benefits to which the requesting person may be entitled (*e.g.,* veterans or their dependents, employees with workmen's compensation claims, or persons insured by the Government);

(3) When the reproduction of not more than one copy of a hearing or other formal proceeding involving security requirements for Federal employment is requested by a person directly concerned in the hearing or proceeding; and

(4) When the reproduction of not more than one copy of a document is for a person who has been required to furnish a personal document to the Government (*e.g.,* a birth certificate required to be given to an agency where the original cannot be returned to the individual).