The City Council of Reykjavík decided on 7 March 2023 that the City Archives of Reykjavík’s projects and collections would be transferred to the National Archives of Iceland and subsequently the City Archives would be decommissioned in its current form. The City Archives and the National Archives have prepared an action plan for the transfer of the City Archives’ projects and collections to the National Archives. This website contains information and timeliness about the project.

Timing of project transfers and portfolio options

On 1 January 2024 the following projects and collections will be transferred to and under the responsibility of the National Archives of Iceland:

On November 1st 2025 the following projects and collections will be transferred to and under the responsibility of the National Archives of Iceland:

Delivering paper documents from the institutions and administrations of the City of Reykjavík

From January 1, 2024, the institutions and administrations of the City of Reykjavík will submit their paper documents for preservation to the National Archives of Iceland. Rules and instructions for submitting paper documents of persons required to submit to the National Archives can be found here.

Electronic data transmission from the institutions and administrations of the City of Reykjavík

From January 1, 2024, the institutions and administrations of the City of Reykjavík will submit their electronic data for preservation to the National Archives of Iceland. Rules and instructions for electronic returns of parties required to submit to the National Archives can be found here.

Advisory services on archiving and records management for the City of Reykjavík

From January 1, 2024, the National Archives of Iceland will assume the role of City Council Offices regarding advising the institutions and administrations of the City of Reykjavík on archiving and document management. This includes approving case documents, archiving plans and archiving, handling notifications on electronic databases, accepting requests for the delivery of paper documents and deciding through grist of documents.

The archivists of the National Archives of Iceland provide advice and guidance on the archiving of documents for the parties responsible for the delivery. You can contact the archivists of the museum by sending an e-mail to or calling 590 3300 during these telephone hours:

Instructions and forms on the records management of the delivering parties can be found here.

With the transfer of tasks from the City Archives to the National Archives, the role will be to oversee the records management of the City of Reykjavík, to provide internal advice, i.e. to issue instructions to employees, to provide education to ensure good administrative management as well as to have internal supervision of implementation according to rules on records management. The office will also be the City of Reykjavík's contact point with the National Archives of Iceland. This includes assistance and advice to institutions and areas of the city in the making of case documents, archiving plans, handling of documents and information and general advice on information and records management and more. The Office of Information and Document Management has the e-mail address.

Supervision of the archives and records management of the City of Reykjavík

From January 1, 2024, the National Archives of Iceland will become the supervisor of archives and records management in Reykjavík City, see Article 13(4) of Act No. 77/2014 on Public Archives. The National Archives conduct supervision, including electronic control checks, supervisory visits and initiative checks. Information on the National Archives' supervision can be found here.

Reception of private archives from individuals, organisations and companies in Reykjavík

The National Archives of Iceland will receive private archives from individuals, organisations and companies in Reykjavík who are interested in submitting their private documents to the Archives for preservation. Those interested in submitting their private documents for preservation can contact the archivists by sending an e-mail to or calling 590 3300 during these telephone hours:

Further information on private archives and their reception can be found here.

Collections from the City Archives

Until 1 November 2025, the City Archives of Reykjavík will process documents from the archives of the museum that had been received by the museum as of 31 December 2023. From 1 November 2025, the archives of the City Archives will be transferred to the National Archives of Iceland and the responsibility for processing it will be transferred to the National Archives of Iceland. Persons who request access to documents from the archives of the City Archives, a copy or have queries related to documents in the custody of the City Archives should therefore contact the archivist of the City Archives by phone 411 6060 or via the e-mail address.

The website and digital restoration of the City Archives

The City archives website, as well as the archives published there and digital restoration of documents, will be available on the domain until November 1, 2025, when the website will be transferred to and in the possession of the National Archives of Iceland.

The website of the Reykjavík City Archives: