This is a list of record offices in Scotland. It starts with the national websites and then lists the county record offices, arranged in modern county order. They are a great place to search records of births, marriages & deaths, and also have numerous other archives you can look through. Check the relevant website before you visit, as you may need to book ahead.
On 1 April 2011, the General Register Office for Scotland merged with the National Archives of Scotland to become the National Records of Scotland (NRS). However the new website is not fully working yet, so we have left the two old sites below for now.
| County | Record Office | Address | Phone Number |
|---|---|---|---|
| Scotland | National Archives of Scotland (NAS) | The National Records of Scotland, H.M. General Register House, 2 Princes Street, Edinburgh, EH1 3YY | +44 (0)131 5351314 |
| Scotland | General Register Office for Scotland | 3 West Register Street, Edinburgh, Scotland, EH1 3YT | +44 (0)131 3340380 |
| Aberdeenshire (plus Banffshire & Kincardineshire records) | Aberdeen City and Aberdeenshire Archives | Aberdeen City and Aberdeenshire Archives, Town House, Broad Street, Aberdeen, AB10 1AQ | +44 (0)1224 522513 |
| Aberdeen City and Aberdeenshire Archives, Old Aberdeen House, Dunbar Street, Aberdeen, AB24 3UJ | +44 (0)1224 481775 | ||
| Angus | Angus Archives | Angus Archives, Hunter Library, Restenneth Priory, By Forfar, DD8 2SZ | +44 (0)1307 468644 |
| Angus | Dundee City Archives | Archive and Record Centre, Support Services, 21 City Square, Dundee, DD1 3BY | +44 (0)1382 434494 |
| Argyll (plus Bute records) | Argyll and Bute Council Archives | Argyll and Bute Council Archives, Manse Brae Area Office, Lochgilphead, Argyll, PA31 8QU | +44 (0)1546 604774 |
| East Ayrshire | East Ayrshire Archives | Burns Monument Centre, Kay Park Cottage, Kay Park, Kilmarnock, KA3 7RU | +44 (0)1292 521819 |
| North Ayrshire | North Ayrshire Heritage Centre | North Ayrshire Heritage Centre, Manse Street, Saltcoats, Ayrshire, KA21 5AA | +44 (0)1294 464174 |
| South Ayrshire | South Ayrshire Archives | Carnegie Library, 12 Main Street, Ayr KA8 8EB | +44 (0)1292 286385 |
| Banffshire | Banffshire records are in the Aberdeen City and Aberdeenshire Archives | ||
| Berwickshire (plus Peeblesshire, Roxburghshire & Selkirkshire records) | Scottish Borders Archive and Local History Centre | Heritage Hub, Heart of Hawick, Kirkstile, Hawick, TD9 0AE | +44 (0)1450 360699 |
| Bute | Bute records are in the Argyll and Bute Council Archives | ||
| Caithness | Highland Council Archive Service | Caithness Archive Centre, Wick Library, Sinclair Terrace, Wick, Caithness, KW1 5AB | +44 (0)1955 606432 |
| Skye & Lochalsh Archive Centre, Elgin Hostel, Dunvegan Road, Portree, Isle of Skye, IV51 9EE | +44 (0)1478 614078 | ||
| Clackmannanshire | Clackmannanshire Archives | Information Librarian & Archivist, Library Services, Alloa Library, 26/28 Drysdale Street, Alloa, FK10 1JL | +44 (0)1259 453600 |
| Dumfries (plus Kirkcudbrightshire & Wigtownshire) | Dumfries and Galloway Archive Centre | Archive Centre, 33 Burns Street, Dumfries, DG1 2PS | +44 (0)1387 269254 |
| Dunbartonshire | East Dunbartonshire Information and Archives | East Dunbartonshire Information and Archives, William Patrick Library, 2-4 West High Street, Kirkintilloch, G66 1AD | +44 (0)141 7773142 |
| East Lothian | John Gray Centre | John Gray Centre, 15 Lodge Street, Haddington, East Lothian, EH41 3DX | +44 (0)1620 820695 |
| Fife | Fife Archive Centre | +44 (0)1592 583352 | |
| Fife | University of St Andrews Library | University Library, University of St Andrews, St Andrews, KY16 9TR | +44 (0)1334 462283 |
| Glasgow (plus some Lanarkshire records) | Family History Centre | Family History Centre, Level 3, The Mitchell Library, North Street, Glasgow, G3 7DN | +44 (0)141 2872937 |
| Inverness-shire (plus some Nairn records) | Highland Council Archive Service | Highland Archive and Registration Centre, Bught Road, Inverness, IV3 5SS | +44 (0)1463 256444 |
| Lochaber Archive Centre, West Highland College, An Aird, Fort William, Inverness-shire, PH33 6FF | +44 (0)1397 701942 | ||
| Kincardineshire | Kincardineshire records are in the Aberdeen City and Aberdeenshire Archives | ||
| Kinross-shire | Perth & Kinross Council Archive | Perth & Kinross Council Archive, AK Bell Library, York Place, Perth, PH2 8EP | +44 (0)1738 477012 |
| Kirkcudbrightshire | Kirkcudbrightshire records are in the Dumfries and Galloway Archive Centre | ||
| Lanarkshire | North Lanarkshire Council Archives | NLC Archives and Records Centre, Records Manager, Learning and Leisure Services, 10 Kelvin Road, Cumbernauld, G67 2BA | +44 (0)1236 638980 |
| Midlothian | Midlothian Local Studies and Archives | Local Studies and Archives, 2 Clerk Street, Loanhead, Midlothian, EH20 9DR | +44 (0)131 2713976 |
| Midlothian | Edinburgh City Archives | Edinburgh City Archives, Level 1, City Chambers, 253 High Street, Edinburgh, EH1 1YJ | +44 (0)131 5294616 |
| Moray | Moray Local Heritage Services | Local Heritage Officer, Moray Local Heritage Centre, Institution Road, Elgin, IV30 1RP | +44 (0)1343 569011 |
| Nairn | Nairn records are in the Highland Council Archive Service in Inverness | ||
| Orkney | Orkney Library & Archive | Orkney Library & Archive, 44 Junction Road, Kirkwall, Orkney, KW15 1AG | +44 (0)1856 873166 |
| Peeblesshire | Peeblesshire records are in the Scottish Borders Archive and Local History Centre | ||
| Perthshire | Perth & Kinross Council Archive | Perth & Kinross Council Archive, AK Bell Library, York Place, Perth, PH2 8EP | +44 (0)1738 477012 |
| Renfrewshire | Renfrewshire Central Library | Paisley Central Library, Heritage and Information, 68 High Street, Paisley, PA1 2BB | +44 (0)141 889 2360 |
| Ross and Cromarty | Highland Council Archive Service | Highland Archive and Registration Centre, Bught Road, Inverness, IV3 5SS | +44 (0)1463 256444 |
| Skye and Lochalsh Archive Centre, Elgin Hostel, Dunvegan Road, Portree, Isle of Skye, IV51 9EE | +44 (0)1478 614078 | ||
| Roxburghshire | Roxburghshire records are in the Scottish Borders Archive and Local History Centre | ||
| Selkirkshire | Selkirkshire records are in the Scottish Borders Archive and Local History Centre | ||
| Shetland | Shetland Museum and Archives | Shetland Museum & Archives, Hay’s Dock, Lerwick, Shetland, ZE1 OWP | +44 (0)1595 695057 |
| Stirlingshire | Stirling Archives | Stirling Archives, 5 Borrowmeadow Road, Stirling FK7 7UW | +44 (0)1786 450745 |
| Sutherland | Highland Council Archive Service | Highland Archive and Registration Centre, Bught Road, Inverness, IV3 5SS | +44 (0)1463 256444 |
| Caithness Archive Centre, Wick Library, Sinclair Terrace, Wick, Caithness KW1 5AB | +44 (0)1955 606432 | ||
| West Lothian | West Lothian Archives | Archives and Records Centre, 9 Dunlop Square, Deans Industrial Estate, Livingston, West Lothian, EH54 8SB | +44 (0)1506 773770 |
| Wigtownshire | Wigtownshire records are in the Dumfries and Galloway Archive Centre |