Dutch term – Openbaarheid

9 October 2017 by Leave a Comment

Openbaarheid means the status of a document as a public record. Records can have different statuses:

  • Openbaar [public]: the record is public and can be accessed without restrictions.
  • Beperkt openbaar [limited public]: the record is not public but can be accessed under certain conditions.
  • Niet openbaar [not public]: the record is not public and cannot be accessed.

Common reasons for records to not be public are to protect the privacy of living people or in the case of state secrets. In general, records of people born less than 100 years ago are beperkt openbaar and can only be accessed with their permission or with proof of death. Read about gaining access to these records.

Letters by the Duke of Marlborough, locked in a special case. Credits: Collection Nationaal Archief (public domain)

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About Yvette Hoitink

Yvette Hoitink, MLitt, CG®, QG™ is a professional genealogist, writer, and lecturer in the Netherlands. She has a Master of Letters in Family and Local History from the University of Dundee, and holds the Certification of Genealogist and Qualified Genealogist credentials. Yvette served on the Board of Directors of the Association of Professional Genealogists and won excellence awards for her articles in the National Genealogical Society Quarterly and the Association of Professional Genealogists Quarterly. Yvette has been doing genealogy for over 30 years. She helps people from across the world find their ancestors from the Netherlands and its former colonies, including New Netherland. Read about Yvette's professional genealogy services.

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