The old Lithuanian chancery archives of Grand Duke and King Mindaugas did not survive: they were destroyed by numerous wars and fires.

The year 1852 saw the establishment of the Vilnius Central Archives of Early Register Books, the purpose of which was to preserve official files of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania.

After the declaration of the independent Republic of Lithuania, the Central State Archives were established in Kaunas on 19 October 1921.

On August 5, 1940 the new Council of Ministers laid the responsibility for archives management and preservation with the ministry of the Interior.

Activity documents of enduring value of non-governmental organisations, private legal and natural persons, as well as the documents of the historical heritage of Lithuania or related to Lithuania, or their copies, received from other states may be included to the National Documentary Fonds.