The Archives of the Republic of Kosovo opened in 1948 following the end of World War II, when the Provincial Directorate for Education and Culture established the Archival Center to address the protection and documentation of archival material. On 20 March,1951, at the decision of the Provincial Council, the Kosovo State Provincial Archives were established. Until 1965, the institution operated under the direct supervision and funding from the Provincial Executive Council of Kosovo. In 1968, regional and municipal archives were established, which initiated an archival network within the territory of Kosovo that included inter-municipal archives in Prizren, Peja/Peć, Mitrovica, Gjilan/Gnjilane, Pristina, and the Historical Archives of Gjakova/Đakovica. When the Socialist Republic of Serbia (SRS) abolished autonomy in the province of Kosovo, and imposed violent measures within all institutions of the country, the Archives of the Republic of Kosovo became controlled by the SRS.

After the end of the recent war in Kosovo (1998 – 1999), the Archives of the Republic of Kosovo moved between various institutions in Kosovo. Initially, archival service was overseen by the Ministry of Culture, Youth, and Sports. On 13 July, 2006, archival administration within the government of Kosovo adopted a new form of organization based on other European models, under law no. 02 / L-80. Archives were organized by the State Agency at the office of the Prime Minister until 31 December 2016. At the decision of the government on 1 January 2017, operations returned to the Ministry of Culture, Youth, and Sports.