At present there are no regulations governing access to the Department of Archives by researchers of foreign nationality, and in each case a full and detailed request must be submitted to the Prime Minister's Office outlining the purpose of the research.

In 2007 a foreign researcher applied successfully to use the archives. Here is his account of what happened:

'I wrote a detailed research proposal addressed to the Director of the Department of Archives. I also submitted a letter from the National University of Laos, with whom I was affiliated. I was told that if not affiliated with the University, a letter from one's embassy would be acceptable - though personally I'm not entirely sure about this. Being already accepted by the system (University/Ministry of Education) would appear to help. The application was processed within a couple of weeks - a pretty short time for something like this in Laos, and a pleasant surprise.

There is no comprehensive list of documentary materials (ie files), so one is at the whim of the staff there to source relevant files. I should add that I found the staff to be very helpful.

On the other hand, there are catalogues/inventories of administrative journals/bulletins and other published materials, reports etc (not very extensive though).'