Legal Deposit

Legal deposit is a legal obligation that South African publishers (or producers) of all types of documents, including audio-visual publications, must deposit a certain number of copies of each of their published documents to designated places of legal deposit.

Legal deposit is mandated by law and administered by the Ministry of Arts and Culture via an appointed Legal Deposit Committee, to ensure that South Africa’s cultural heritage is preserved for future generations. (Click here to read the Legal Deposit Act 54 of 1997). The Legal Deposit Act 54 of 1997 was promulgated to provide for the preservation of the national documentary heritage through the legal deposit of published documents.

Please note that in terms of Section 2 of the Legal Deposit Act, 1997 you are required to supply free of charge copy of every document you publish to a place of legal deposit/ to places of legal deposit depending on your print run. If you have published more than 100 print copies, you are obliged to deposit 1 copy to each legal deposit library. If you have published less than 100 print copies, you are obliged to deposit 1 copy to National Library of South Africa (Pretoria or Cape Town)

Please note: The National Film, Video and Sound Archives only receives audio-visual material.

All e-publications must be deposited at the National Library of South Africa (Pretoria) via email to: legaldeposit@nlsa.ac.za  and the completed SANB form should form part of the email.

Legal Deposit submission

Click here to download the SANB information sheet, complete it and return it together with a copy of your book to the legal deposit library. (Please see below places of Legal Deposit with full addresses and Contact persons)