[1] It is a letter (a so-called diploma) issued on 28 January 1189 by Pope Clement III (1187–1191) to all clergymen in Norway.

The local archives are located in Bergen, Hamar, Kongsberg, Kristiansand, Oslo, Stavanger, Tromsø and Trondheim.

This includes census data from 1801, 1865, 1875, 1900 and 1910, a database of emigrants and scanned church, probate and court records.

[3] The agency publishes three magazines: Arkivmagasinet, Nytt fra Statsarkivet i Oslo and Bergensposten.

[5] The archives are open to anyone, but there are restrictions on certain types of documents that may contain sensitive or personal information, or could pose a threat to national security.