Preservation of and access to Presidential Archives raise a number of specific and sensitive issues: What is the scope of the Presidential Archives? Who has the ownership of those records? Which institution should be in charge of their preservation? Do they need a specific law? Democratic countries have implemented different systems according to their administrative and political tradition. The Republic of Korea and South Africa have recently developed or are in the process of developing their own solutions. The experience of USA and France, where the presidential archives are increasingly used, will be presented. The strengths and weaknesses of the different systems and difficulties encountered will be explored in this session, especially in relation to acquisition and access.