What is the International Tracing Service?

The International Tracing Service in Bad Arolsen (ITS) serves the victims of Nazi persecution and their families by documenting their fates on the basis of information held in its archives. The ITS is responsible for the maintenance and preservation of its historical collections, while at the same time making them accessible to researchers.

Who runs the International Tracing Service?

The ITS operates under the auspices of the eleven member states¹ of the International Commission for the International Tracing Service (ICITS), as established in the Bonn Agreements of 1955 and the amendment protocols of 2006. By order of the Commission, the ITS is managed and administered by the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC).

¹) Belgium, France, Germany, Greece, Israel, Italy, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Poland, United Kingdom, USA.

What steps were necessary to open the ITS archives to the public?

In order to open the ITS archives to historical research all eleven member states of the International Commission for the International Tracing Service had to ratify the 2006 amendment protocols to the Bonn Agreements of 1955. This process has been completed on the 28 November 2007. Since this day the archives are open.

What were the stages of the ratification process?

The Bonn Agreements are based on two main building blocks: The agreement between the eleven states of the International Commission for the International Tracing Service and the agreement on the relationship between the International Commission and the International Committee of the Red Cross, as manager of the Tracing Service. Both agreements were amended in May 2006 and these amendment protocols had to be ratified by all member states before historians are permitted to research the records.

The amendments to the first protocol took effect on the 28 November 2007, the date on which all signatory states had informed the German government that their national requirements have been met and that they have ratified the amendments.

The amendments to the second protocol took effect from the date on which all member states of the International Commission and the International Committee of the Red Cross had informed the Chairman of the International Commission (in 2007: Poland) that they have fulfilled their respective internal requirements for the amendment of the Bonn Agreements.

Who will receive a copy of the records?

Each member state of the International Commission for the International Tracing Service may receive a copy of the database on request. It is up to the individual states to decide which institution to charge with the task of managing the documentation.

A batch of data has already been handed over to the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum, to Yad Vashem in Jerusalem and to the Institute of National Remembrance in Warsaw.

Which data are being transferred?

The first batch of digitised archival records comprises 10 million pages and takes up 1.4 terabytes of memory. The collection contains documentation from more than fifty concentration camps, ghettos and incarceration sites, and includes transportation lists, death books and medical reports. The second batch of data containing the Central Name Index was transferred in autumn 2007.

Further archive collections covering documentation on forced labourers, displaced persons and correspondence are currently being scanned and indexed and will also be transferred on completion. The entire handover process is expected to be completed by 2011.

Why were copies being transferred before completion of the ratification process?

At the 2007 annual meeting of the International Commission for the International Tracing Service the data transfer procedure was discussed. Representatives of the member states agreed that certain collections of the archival material may be transferred – with a specified retention period - before the ratification process is completed in all eleven member states. This will allow each of the states to prepare for the opening of the archives, ensuring immediate access to the records on completion of the ratification process in all eleven countries.

Why is the archive not accessible on the Internet?

According to Article VIb of the second protocol each government may grant access to the records for research purposes on the premises of an appropriate archival repository on its territory and in accordance with the relevant national law and national archival regulations and practices.

The documents that make up the archive were brought to Bad Arolsen over sixty years ago in an effort to reunite families torn apart by the war. This vast collection of records is structured in such a way that it is extremely difficult and often impossible to navigate without the help of an expert. In addition, the indexing of the data is incomplete, making it impossible to create a user-friendly environment at present.

Have measures been taken to protect personal data?

The archive’s records furnish detailed descriptions of the manner in which the Nazis persecuted their victims. They contain highly sensitive and personal information. To protect the rights of the individual, article VIc of the second Protocol stipulates that: “In providing access to the copies, Governments shall give particular attention to the protection of personal data contained therein”.

Historians wishing to conduct research at the International Tracing Service in Bad Arolsen are able to do so, providing that they sign a prior declaration on the protection of personal data.

Who has access to the archives?

Once the ratification process has been completed the archive will be open to the public for research purposes. Survivors and their relatives, researchers, and also interested third parties will then have access to the documentation. You can view the » regulations for access on our website.

Does ITS still receive requests from victims?

Roughly 10,000 individual, person-related tracing requests are received on an annual basis from about 60 countries. The applications are submitted by survivors or their family members, as well as institutions involved in commemorative work.

How long does it take to answer an inquiry?

New incoming tracing requests will generally be answered within eight weeks. Exceptional cases may prove to be more research-intensive, involving complex tracing in co-operation with outside institutions - also at international level – resulting in a longer processing period.

Is there a current backlog of tracing requests?

Resulting from the flood of inquiries received in the 1990s and the subsequent concentration of ITS efforts on the Forced Labourer Compensation Fund (2000-2004) a significant backlog has accumulated. In September 2007 the amount of unfilled requests numbered 60,000. All of these inquiries are expected to be answered by the end of 2008.

Does the ITS hold information on life insurance policies?

The ITS records do not have any specific collections of life insurance policies. However, it cannot be ruled out that information relating to policies may be among the vast holdings of the archive. Should such information come to light while researching a tracing request it will, of course, be communicated to the applicant.