The basic part of the search documentation consists of a collection of patent documents systematically accessible in a manner suitable for searching. Additionally, periodicals and other publications of technical literature are put at the disposal of the examiners. This non-patent literature is accessible through in-house or external databases, some of which are arranged in the library in a manner suitable for consultation; parts thereof, such as particularly relevant articles, are selected and made available for direct access by incorporating these, or copies thereof, into the systematic documentation. The systematically accessible part of the search documentation includes the minimum documentation required for an International Searching Authority under Rules 34 and 36.1(ii) PCT and extends somewhat beyond these minimum requirements.

Furthermore, the Search Divisions at The Hague also have access to the documentation of the Netherlands Industrial Property Office (Bureau voor de Industriële Eigendom), and those at Berlin also have access to the documentation of the Technical Information Centre Berlin of the German Patent and Trademark Office. This documentation is in each case located in the same building and consists mainly of a collection of numerically arranged patent documents and of patent gazettes, a restricted collection of systematically arranged patent documents (primarily intended for use by the public), and a library collection of technical and juridical works and periodicals. The situation at The Hague is described in IX, 2 to 5, whilst points of difference at Berlin are summarised in IX, 6.