Legislation on archives has been amended
The "Uzarchive" Agency held a briefing on the substance of the Law of the Republic of Uzbekistan "On Amendments and Additions to Certain Legislative Acts of the Republic of Uzbekistan," dated August 13, 2026.
Anvarjon Aliyev, head of the agency's information service, provided the following information:
-This law was adopted by the Legislative Chamber on March 11, 2026, and approved by the Senate on August 8, 2026.
The main objective of the law is to align the field of archival work with modern requirements and to widely implement digital technologies in this area.
The law introduces a number of important amendments and additions to the Law "On Archival Affairs." One of the innovations in the field of archival work is the clarification of key concepts. A number of new concepts have been introduced into the law.
In particular, an archive is defined as a legal entity, or a separate subdivision without the status of a legal entity, that carries out activities for the collection, accounting, storage, and use of archival documents. An electronic copy of an archival document is defined as a duplicate that allows for reading or viewing the information from the original by digitizing it. An electronic archive was introduced as a system of technical means aimed at carrying out archival activities in electronic form.
The law also defines the powers of the Ministry of Justice. The new Article 61 of the Law clearly establishes the powers of the Ministry of Justice as the body implementing a unified state policy in the field of archival work.
Specifically, the ministry develops and approves the regulatory legal acts governing the sector. It determines the procedure for conducting expert appraisals of the value of documents. It also approves the procedure for state archives to provide paid services and approves a model list of documents indicating their retention periods.
At the same time, the "Uzarchive" Agency retains its role as a body that provides practical assistance to the Ministry in this field.
According to the law, departmental archives are to be mandatorily established in state bodies and organizations, as well as in enterprises with state participation—including, where there is a practical need, in their directly subordinate separate subdivisions and branches—for the collection, accounting, storage, and use of archival documents, in the manner prescribed by law. For non-state enterprises, institutions, and organizations, however, this is done on a voluntary basis.
The legal framework for establishing non-state archives and electronic archives has been defined. The law introduced new Articles 191 and 192 into the Law "On Archival Affairs."
Non-state archives may be established to collect, store, and use documents from the non-state portion of the National Archival Fund. They cannot be created by state bodies and organizations but are operated by registered legal entities through a notification procedure to the authorized body.
For the first time, the concept of an "electronic archive" has been legally enshrined at the regulatory level, opening up new opportunities for the sector.
In terms of definition, the electronic archive has now acquired legal status as a "system of technical means aimed at carrying out the archival activities of an archive and departmental archives in electronic form." The concept of an "electronic copy of an archival document" was also introduced, establishing that a digitized document can have legal force equal to that of the original.
In terms of practical capabilities, the law (Article 192) established specific requirements for electronic archives, thereby creating a number of opportunities.
Specifically, it allows for collecting, recording, and storing documents electronically rather than in paper form; quickly searching, managing, and remotely accessing archival documents; technically ensuring the identity (authenticity) of a digitized document with the original; and securely storing documents through a system that meets information and cybersecurity requirements.
Systemically, this concept is intrinsically linked to the Unified National Archival Information System (Chapter 51). State bodies and organizations must integrate their electronic archives into this unified system, which in turn will enable document circulation to transition to a centralized, efficient, and user-friendly form of electronic services for citizens.
Within the framework of the new Chapter 51 introduced into the law, the concept of the "Unified National Archival Information System" and its legal basis have been defined.
This system will belong to the "Uzarchive" Agency and will ensure its use by other departments. It makes it mandatory for state bodies, organizations, and enterprises with state participation to integrate their own electronic archival systems into it (with the exception of documents constituting state secrets).
Information exchanged through the system is recognized as an official document in accordance with the law. The retention periods for documents have also been clarified.
The law also amends the retention periods for various categories of archival documents in departmental archives. Specifically, the period for confidential documents is set at 30 years, for personnel documents (created before January 1, 2019) at 75 years, and for personnel documents (created after January 1, 2019) at 50 years.
The law establishes benefits for citizens. According to the new amendment, archival certificates necessary for the social protection of citizens' rights and legal interests, as well as archival certificates and copies of documents provided to state bodies, will be issued free of charge.
Gulnoza Boboyeva,
UzA
