Records Related to Unidentified Anomalous Phenomena (UAPs) at the National Archives
The National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) has established an ‘‘Unidentified Anomalous Phenomena Records Collection," per sections 1841–1843 of the 2024 National Defense Authorization Act (Public Law 118-31). Unidentified anomalous phenomena (UAP) records received by NARA from federal agencies in accordance with the 2024 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) will be accessioned into Record Group 615, Unidentified Anomalous Phenomena Records Collection. All publicly releasable records within Record Group 615 will be made available online through the National Archives Catalog within 180 days of transmission to NARA from federal agencies. NARA has issued guidance to federal agencies regarding identification, preparation, and transfer of UAP records, but has not yet accessioned records into Record Group 615. For more information about the Unidentified Anomalous Phenomena Records Collection, please see our frequently asked questions.
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. Record groups and collections are the highest level of archival description. Record group numbers are assigned by NARA to large organizations, such as federal departments or agencies. For example, NARA has assigned Record Group 255 to the records of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA).
National Archives Identifiers (NAID) are unique numbers assigned to all descriptions in the National Archives Catalog. NAIDs can be assigned at all levels of description, from record groups down to individual items.
Please explore the links below to find out more about records related to UAPs/UFOs in NARA’s holdings. Links to items in the National Archives Catalog are downloadable and can be republished with attribution to the National Archives and Records Administration.
Digitized and born-digital records related to Unidentified Anomalous Phenomena (UAPs) in the National Archives Catalog are available in bulk downloads produced from the Catalog records at Bulk Downloads for Records Related to Unidentified Anomalous Phenomena (UAPs). The downloadable zip files containing image, video, and PDF files are linked from this web page, along with JavaScript Object Notation (JSON) format files containing metadata for each record.