The National Archives has published detailed metadata requirements for all federal agencies transferring UAP records to Record Group 615. These requirements define exactly how every document relating to “unidentified anomalous phenomena, technologies of unknown origin, and non-human intelligence” must be identified, described, and catalogued before transfer. The schema is publicly available and reveals the scope and structure of what is being assembled.
The UAP Record Identifier System
Every unique UAP document transferred to NARA under the Act must receive a UAP Record Identifier following this naming scheme: ###UAP00001, wherein the first digits represent the originating record group, the next segment is “UAP,” and the final five digits are a sequential document number. The identifiers ###UAP00001, ###UAP00002, ###UAP00003 and so on will eventually number every UAP-related document in the US government’s possession. This is not a document count. It is a serialised record of everything the government has ever created, received, or funded relating to these subjects.
What the Metadata Must Capture
Mandatory metadata fields include: transferring agency; any original agency-assigned identifiers at item, document, or file level; the UAP Record Identifier; title; creation date; and classification history. The schema is designed to create a complete chain of custody from original creation through classification through transfer to NARA. A document created in 1952, classified immediately, stored for 70 years, and now being transferred will have its full classification history documented alongside its UAP Record Identifier.
Digital Only
NARA will only accept digital versions of UAP records. Agencies must digitise all analog originals before transfer. This means that every paper document, every microfilm frame, every photographic print, every magnetic tape from the 1940s through 1990s must be scanned or captured in digital form. The digitisation requirement ensures the entire collection will be available online through the National Archives Catalog. There will be no inaccessible analog version locked in a vault. The records that can be publicly released will be publicly downloadable.
Redacted and Unredacted Copies
For any publicly releasable records that include redactions, agencies must simultaneously transfer both redacted and unredacted copies to NARA. The unredacted copies will be held by NARA but not publicly released. The redacted version goes online. The unredacted version is preserved for future review — meaning as classification periods expire or review decisions change, the unredacted version already exists at NARA and does not need to be re-requested from the originating agency. The infrastructure for complete disclosure is being built now, even if full release is years away.
Source: archives.gov/records-mgmt/uap-guidance. NARA AC 26.2024 and AC Memo 04.2025. UAP metadata form, updated May 9, 2024. 2024 NDAA Sections 1841–1843.