ByFOIA Request Template—Can You Use It?
If you are looking to access some government information for the first time, you probably don’t know what the request for that info should look like. FOIA request template should give you an idea of the most important information you need to include in your letter. We’ll tell you more about using FOIA request templates and how to ask to see the government records the easy way—with .
What Is The Freedom of Information Act?
The Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) is a law established in the United States in 1966. The point of this law is to allow everyone an equal opportunity to access federal records. You can request to see information from any agency as long as that specific record is not one of the nine FOIA exemptions.
You may even search for records about yourself and see what the government knows about you. That’s exactly what a man named Scott Crow did in 2011 and gained some useful insight on how the FBI was tracking him.
Can You Find a FOIA Request Sample?
To make it clear right away—there is no such thing as a FOIA letter template that will work for all requests. Too many factors affect the way your request should look like:
- The agency you are sending a request to
- The complexity of your request
- The info you are looking for
- The state you are asking the info from
You can’t copy and paste info from one FOIA letter to another and change the contact information. It’s more complicated than that.
Even if you look for FOIA template letters, you should be as specific as possible—the sample requests for CIA and IRS would look very different. Whatever the agency, using DoNotPay is faster than writing a FOIA request from scratch.
Use DoNotPay To Send a FOIA Request
If you wish not to bother yourself with writing the FOIA request and looking at templates available online, you can use DoNotPay. You won’t even find a single FOIA template to use for any request. Forget about all the tedious steps and requirements—answer some questions from our questionnaire, and we will handle the rest.
These are the instructions you need to follow:
- Access DoNotPay from your
- Find and open the FOIA feature
- Tell us where you are sending the request—state or federal agency
- Enter the agency’s name
- Let us know if you need a fee waiver
With all the info we gathered, we’ll write and send the request letter on your behalf right away.
How Can You Send a FOIA Request on Your Own?
Before writing the request and submitting it, it would be smart to check whether the info you need is already shared online. If not, you can continue with the process normally—if you insist on doing this the hard way.
Once you write the FOIA request letter, you’ll need to send it to the agency. The question is how? This depends on the agency, and you can’t find a general FOIA request template that fits all cases. Usually, you can send the FOIA request via:
- Fax
- Web-form
Each of the options can get complicated and take more than you hope. If you wish to avoid all the potential unpleasantries, you should check out DoNotPay. We can write and send the request for you.
How To Write a FOIA Request—Guidelines
Even though you can’t find a magical FOIA request form, there are some general rules for writing a FOIA request. We’ll go to the required info in the table below:
| The Info To Include in Your FOIA Request | A Brief Explanation |
|
Agency’s Contact Information | Include the agency’s full name, address (state, ZIP code, street number, etc.) |
|
The Reason for Writing | Explain in detail the information you are looking for. The more specific you are, the better |
|
Requester Description | If you are looking for the info about yourself or if you are a journalist who needs the info for a newspaper, for example |
|
The Amount of Money You Want To Spend on Fees (Optional) | Be clear on how much money you are willing to spend on the entire research process because the final cost may be a lot more than you what you had in mind |
|
Few Waiver Request (Optional) | Ask for a fee waiver if you have a proper reason to do so. The agency might waive the fees completely |
|
Your Contact Information | Include your contact info in case the agency has more questions about your request |
Even if you write a perfect FOIA request letter, the agency might find a reason to reject it. If you feel like they’ve wronged you, you can always file an appeal.
How Much Does It Cost To File a FOIA Request?
Sending a request is free, but you may need to pay a fee for the FOIA processing. Agencies usually charge hourly for this part, and it depends on how complex your request is.
The request complexity will also determine how long you are going to wait for the results of the research. Agencies usually offer a way of checking the status of your FOIA request.
DoNotPay’s FOIA Feature Works With All Agencies
In addition to writing and sending the request letter for you, DoNotPay can also deal with any agency—local, state, and federal. Here are some examples:
- Food and Drug Administration (FDA)
- Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC)
- Office of Biometric Identity Management (OBIM)
- United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS)
- U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE)
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