Request systems access

All applicants requesting access to archaeology systems must complete the 4 steps below, including those that have:

• changed employers
• changed Business BCeID details
• lost previous access to our systems
• not applied before
• not submitted a request since January 2019
• access to some systems and want others
• access to data via other government systems

On this page

• Step 1: Verify your eligibility
• Step 2: Get a Business BCeID or government IDIR
• Step 3: Submit an Archaeological Information Sharing Agreement
• Step 4: Check your inbox for access details

Step 1: Verify your eligibility

• For APTS access, you must be one of the following:
  • a professional consulting archaeologist that will be holding permits
  • a staff member that will be supporting a consulting archaeologist in data entry
  • an archaeology branch or BC Oil and Gas employee
     
• For RAAD access, you must be one of the following:
  • a professional consulting archaeologist
  • an accredited researcher
  • a member of an Indigenous government office
  • a member of local, provincial or federal government involved in resource or land use planning
     
• For PARL access, you must be one of the following:
  • a professional consulting archaeologist 
  • an accredited researcher
  • a member of an Indigenous government office
  • a member of provincial or federal government involved in resource or land use planning
    _{* ​Please note local governments are not eligible for PARL access.}
     
• For further details, see the Archaeological Information Access Policy (PDF 243 KB).
• ​For access to other government applications that contain archaeological information like ILRR or FNCS, please contact the application's administrator and follow their instructions. 

Step 2: Get a Business BCeID or Government IDIR

What if I already have a Personal BCeID, Basic BCeID, or an old Business BCeID under a former company?

Access to our systems is granted and linked to a specific active Business BCeID or provincial government IDIR - not to your name or email address - which means that we are unable to issue systems access without one. 

Personal BCeIDs and Basic BCeIDs are not sufficient for access.

Business BCeIDs are permanently linked to the company that you were working for when you were granted access to APTS, and cannot be changed in the system. Since the company you work for is able to view and edit all of your files, and you theirs, old Business BCeIDs should be deactivated by the employer as part of the offboarding process to protect everyone's privacy. To protect citizens' personal information, if your former employer has neglected to deactivate your account when you reapply for systems access under your new employer, the branch will do it. 

A new access request MUST be made each time you change companies or change your Business BCeID username, whether it is due to a change of employer, forgotten credential, or account inactivity.

Each time you request access, you MUST choose a Business BCeID username that is unique from your previous usernames. If you do not, we will reject your application with instructions to reapply when you have done so. This is because your BCeID username is unbreakably tied to the company it was linked to at time of your system account's creation, and it cannot be transferred or reused. If you attempt to reuse a username, accounts and files will become tangled, causing systems like APTS to behave in unexpected ways; this is the most prevalent cause of personal service disruption and privacy concerns, and the reason why we will reject your application if your BCeID username has been used before.

How can I get a new or replacement Business BCeID, or manage my current one?

• If you are an independent consultant follow the instructions on this page to create your own Business BCeID and download the Business BCeID Account Profile Management Guide (PDF 1.4 MB) so you know how to manage it.
   
• If you are working for a B.C. consulting company, First Nations Government, educational or research institution, or if you are an out-of-province/international user, look up your affiliated organization’s Business BCeID Administrator and contact them to request one be created for you. An email template is provided in the menu below to help you make the request. If your company doesn’t have a profile manager yet, or if you’d like a bit more information, the BCeID website has a great Getting Started page and a Business BCeID Account Profile Management Guide (PDF 1.4 MB) to walk you through the things you'll need to do.
   
• If you are an out-of-province/international user unaffiliated with a provincial organization, please contact archdatarequest@gov.bc.ca to discuss your options.

Where can I get help for my Business BCeID? 

Please note that the branch has no control over Business BCeIDs and cannot fix related issues such as password resets or changes. Contact your company's Business BCeID account administrator or the BCeID helpdesk to troubleshoot issues.

To help inform your external requests and investigations, we have compiled below some solutions and information reported back to us by our users.

Step 3: Submit an Archaeological Information Sharing Agreement

1. Download and complete an Archaeological Information Sharing Agreement (PDF 1.5 MB)
2. Click "Save As" and name it in this format: LASTNAME FIRSTNAME COMPANYNAME DD-MMM-YYYY
3. To prevent your request from being rejected, close your saved PDF and then and reopen it to make sure: 
   1. Your information was saved properly
   2. You have answered all questions
   3. You have not requested access to items you are unsure of, or do not qualify for
   4. You have signed your name
   5. You have included all 3 pages of the PDF
4. Email the completed document to archdatarequest@gov.bc.ca

Step 4: Check your inbox for access details

Once we review your agreement and process the approved access requests, the branch will send you an email with instructions regarding how to activate your new accounts.