Unidentified Anomalous Phenomena Records Collection
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the Unidentified Anomalous Phenomena Records Collection?
Sections 1841–1843 of the 2024 National Defense Authorization Act, now codified at 44 U.S.C. 2107 note, require NARA to establish the ‘‘Unidentified Anomalous Phenomena Records Collection” and each federal agency to review, identify, and organize each UAP record in its custody for disclosure to the public and transmission to the National Archives. NARA has established Record Group 615, The Unidentified Anomalous Phenomena Records Collection.
What records are included under the Act?
The Unidentified Anomalous Phenomena (UAP) Records Collection will consist of “copies of all Government, Government-provided, or Government-funded records relating to unidentified anomalous phenomena, technologies of unknown origin, and non-human intelligence (or equivalent subjects by any other name with the specific and sole exclusion of temporarily non-attributed objects).”
Agencies must identify all UAP records that exist in any format. Agencies must make digital copies of these records and prepare them for transfer to NARA. NARA will only accept the digital versions of UAP records.
When will UAP records be transferred to NARA?
As of October 2024, NARA has not yet received any records from federal agencies for inclusion in Record Group 615. No later than September 30, 2025, federal agencies must transfer to NARA digital copies of all UAP records identified by October 20, 2024, that can be publicly disclosed, including those that were publicly available on December 22, 2023, the date of the enactment of the Act. NARA requests that agencies transfer materials on a rolling basis and as soon as possible rather than waiting until the deadline. (See AC Memo 04.2025: Transfer of Publicly Releasable Unidentified Anomalous Phenomena (UAP) Records.)
Further guidance on the review and transfer procedures for classified or otherwise restricted UAP records using the standards for withholding specified in Section 1843 of the Act will be forthcoming.
How will UAP records be transferred to NARA?
Agencies with publicly releasable UAP records should contact NARA as soon as possible to provide information as to their transfer plans and to initiate transfer of publicly releasable UAP records in advance of September 30, 2025. Each publicly releasable UAP record must include metadata according to the guidance to agencies announced in AC 26.2024.
For any publicly releasable records that include redactions, agencies must simultaneously transfer redacted and unredacted copies to NARA. NARA will only accept digital versions of UAP records. UAP records transferred to NARA in accordance with the Act will be part of Record Group 615, Unidentified Anomalous Phenomena Records Collection. Agencies will work with NARA to transfer records through established procedures for accessioning electronic records.
How will NARA provide access to UAP records once transferred to NARA?
All copies of UAP records submitted to NARA in accordance with the Act must be digital. NARA will make publicly releasable copies of these records available online in the National Archives Catalog. Digital copies will initially be available onsite in the research complex at the National Archives at College Park via public-access computers until they are available online in the National Archives Catalog.
How do I locate records related to UAPs/UFOs that were in NARA’s custody prior to the enactment of the 2024 NDAA?
The National Archives has in its custody records across multiple record groups and collections related to unidentified flying object (UFO) and UAP investigations, sightings, and reporting. NARA has created a web page for Records Related to Unidentified Anomalous Phenomena (UAPs) at the National Archives. The page includes links to descriptions of records, and where available, links to the digitized records that are available for viewing or download.