# Managing Countries

Vault provides the ability to manage details about countries through the _Country_ object. One of the benefits to using the _Country_ object over a picklist field is that users can find documents related to a country using any of the country's fields. For example, if the country _Germany_ has the abbreviation _DE_, users can search on "Germany" or "DE" to find documents.


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      <p><strong>Note</strong>: In eTMF, fields related to the <em>Country</em> object may be hidden and only editable for users through the <a href="/en/lr/4345/"><em>Study Country</em> object.</a> Each <em>Study Country</em> object data record references a specific <em>Country</em> object record.</p>
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## Accessing Country Records

You can work with _Country_ records from **Business Admin > Objects > Countries**. Some Vaults also include [custom object tabs](/en/lr/23516/) that allow access to records outside the **Admin** area. With the correct permissions, you can create, edit, and delete records from a custom tab.

Permission sets and custom sharing rules can control access for viewing, creating, editing, and deleting object data records.

## How to Add and Edit Countries {#add}

  1. Use the Countries page to add or edit countries:
     * To add a country, click **Create**.
     * To edit a country, click an existing country, and click **Edit**.

  2. Enter the **Country Name**.
  3. Fill in any additional country fields (such as **Country Abbreviation**) as needed. These can vary by Vault, depending on whether an Admin has customized the standard object.
  4. Set the **Status**. Users can only see and select active countries when setting the document fields.
  5. Click **Save**.


## How to Disable and Delete Countries {#disable}

Vault prevents deletion of countries that users have selected on at least one document or that Admins have used within a lifecycle rule, workflow, or _Study Country_ data record. If you cannot delete a country, prevent users from selecting it in the future by changing its status to "Disabled."

To delete a country:

  1. From the **Countries** page, hover over the country.
  2. Click the red **X** icon that appears.
  3. Click **Continue** in the confirmation dialog to permanently delete the country.