ByThe FOIA—All the Information You Need in One Place
The Freedom of Information Act 1966 (FOIA) was established to allow anyone to request public access to records from federal and state agencies. If you want to look up such documents, you’ll have to file a FOIA request. The easiest way to do so is with DoNotPay!
What Is the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA)?
The FOIA is a federal law that allows people access to specific government records. You should be able to get the information you are looking for without trouble unless the record you’re interested in is on the list of exemptions or if it endangers:
- Law enforcement
- Personal privacy
- National security
The FOIA represents democracy and transparency, which is why agencies must share certain information online. The Office of Information Policy at the Department of Justice is the one in charge of issuing guidance on the FOIA in order to motivate other agencies to work in accordance with the Act.
Who Can File a FOIA Request?
Everyone can make a FOIA request—you don’t even have to be a U.S. citizen to do so. The only requirements are that the request:
- Is in writing
- Describes the information you are looking for
- Matches specific agency criteria
In case you are looking to send a FOIA request on yourself, you’ll need to show proof of identity to keep your privacy safe. This way, personal info won’t be disclosed to the wrong person.
What Types of FOIA Requests Exist?
Agencies divide FOIA requests into separate categories using multi-track processing. Depending on the complexity of the request and the number of days it will take to process it, agencies will place them in different processing tracks:
- Simple—one to five workdays
- Normal—six to 20 workdays
- Complex—21 to 60 workdays
- Extraordinary—over 60 workdays
The simple request involves a small volume of material that can be handled quickly. The more complex requests involve a high volume of material, and agencies need to take more steps to finalize the process.
How Long Does It Take To Process a FOIA Request?
A few factors affect the FOIA processing time, but agencies usually finalize a request from five to sixty workdays. Depending on how many similar requests have already been submitted at the agency, yours might have to wait for its turn a bit longer.
Another factor with a strong influence is the complexity of the request. Simple requests are processed faster, and the complex ones take way more time because of the need to search for the records in multiple locations.
To find out how to get a faster response and check the status of your request, you can contact the agency’s FOIA Requester Service Center.
How Much Does It Cost To File a FOIA Request?
You don’t have to pay a fee to submit your FOIA request, but you might have to spend some money for a full FOIA processing in some cases. To be more precise, there is no charge for the first two hours required to do the search or the initial 100 pages of duplication.
If you wish to avoid wasting too much money on the process, you are encouraged to add the amount you’re willing to spend as a part of your request. You can even request a fee waiver if appropriate.
How To File a FOIA Request With DoNotPay?
Filing FOIA requests can be time-consuming and confusing if you decide to go on with this task on your own. DoNotPay is here to help you deal with the process stress-free. These are the only steps you need to take:
- Access DoNotPay from a
- Find and open the FOIA feature
- Let us know if you’re dealing with a federal or state agency
- Type in the agency name
- Tell us if you need a fee waiver or expedited processing
DoNotPay will submit the request letter to the agency of your choice right away. Our feature works with federal, state, and local agencies.
What You Should Know Before Sending a FOIA Request
If you want to get the information under the FOIA, you need to make a request. This can be a complex process, and the instructions are agency-specific. In some cases, you won’t be able to fill out a FOIA request form. You can look for FOIA request templates online for some guidance on how to draft your request.
Here are some of the requirements for sending a FOIA request:
- Send a written request—agencies usually accept FOIA requests via fax, email, letter, or web-form
- Specify the format you want to receive the documents in—printed or electronic
- Describe the info you need in detail
Federal agencies have to release certain info automatically. Before you decide to file a request, you should always check if the information you are looking for is already available on the agency’s website.
In case you do send a request and it gets denied, you can file an appeal.
DoNotPay Can Send FOIA Requests to Any Agency
won’t have issues sending FOIA requests to agencies regardless of their field. Check out the table below for a brief overview:
| Immigration | Protection | Economy |
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We’ve only scratched the service with these examples, and you can find many more agencies to send FOIA requests to in our comprehensive database.
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