The Virginia FOIA Council in a Nutshell

The Virginia Freedom of Information Advisory (FOIA) Council is a state agency providing guidance for FOIA requesters and helping both sides—an agency and a requester—to resolve disputes over FOIA issues.

This article will give you insight into the Virginia FOIA Council’s services. We’ll also help you understand FOIA requests in VA, and we’ll recommend the fastest and most efficient way of filing a FOIA request—DoNotPay.

The Virginia Freedom of Information Act (VFOIA)

The Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) dates back to 1966. FOIA is a federal law allowing the public full or partial disclosure of information, records, and documents. Its purpose is to ensure transparency and strengthen democracy.

The Virginia Freedom of Information Act gives access to public records to:

1. Citizens of the Commonwealth
2. Newspaper and magazine representatives with circulation in the Commonwealth
3. Radio and TV stations broadcasting in or into the Commonwealth

What Does the FOIA Council in Virginia Do?

The FOIA Council in Virginia is open to answering questions regarding access to the public records and meetings in Virginia. All citizens, state and local public officials, and the media can refer their FOIA questions to the Council.

The Council’s website is also a vast knowledge base of useful guides, samples, and publications that may help you with your FOIA requests.

Here’s an overview of some of the Virginia FOIA Council’s services:

The VA FOIA Council’s Guide to Making FOIA Requests

The VA FOIA Council’s guide for FOIA requesters includes two crucial steps for any FOIA request, including the one on yourself.

Here’s a breakdown of the process:

How Do I Contact the FOIA Council in VA?

You can contact the Virginia FOIA council if you have any questions regarding FOIA, your request, or the request denial. If you wish to make a comment on the quality of the response or assistance from an agency in Virginia, you can use the Council’s public comment form.

Choose any of the following options to reach out to the FOIA council:

• Phone:
  • 804-698-1810
  • Toll-free 866-448-4100
• Fax: 804-698-1899
• E-Mail: foiacouncil@dls.virginia.gov

DoNotPay Fast-Tracks the VA FOIA Request Process

Our FOIA feature makes it easy to file any FOIA request in Virginia and other states, such as Ohio, Florida, Indiana, Michigan, and Massachusetts.

DoNotPay will ask you several questions, and we’ll compose the FOIA request letter and send it to the agency of your choice. Not only can we send requests to federal agencies but also to state and local ones.

Once you access DoNotPay from a web browser, follow these instructions:

1. Type in FOIA or Public Records
2. Enter the agency’s name and what information you want to request
3. Say whether you want to apply for a fee waiver or expedited processing

You can check out our articles about the specific agencies we can assist you with so that you familiarize yourself with their processes. They include:

• Internal Revenue Service (IRS)
• Central Intelligence Agency (CIA)
• Federal Aviation Administration (FAA)
• Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI)
• U.S. Office of Personnel Management (OPM)
• U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)
• Office of Biometric Identity Management (OBIM)
• Executive Office for Immigration Review (EOIR)
• U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS)
• U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC)

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