Making a FOIA Request

Identity of the Requester
A FOIA request may be made by “any person.” This means that all U.S. citizens, as well as foreign nationals, can use the Act to request information from government agencies. A request can also be made in the name of a corporation, partnership or other entity, such as a public interest group or news organization.

However, agencies that are part of the Intelligence Community are prohibited from providing records to: "(i) any government entity, other than a State, territory, commonwealth, or district of the United States, or any subdivision thereof; or (ii) a representative of a government entity described in clause (i)."

Procedural requirements
FOIA states that "each agency, upon any request for records which (i) reasonably describes such records and (ii) is made in accordance with published rules stating the time, place, fees (if any), and procedures to be followed, shall make the records promptly available to any person."

Requests for Fees and Fee Waivers
For more information, see Fee Categories and Fee Waivers

A requester may wish to include information identifying what fee category they fit into, and/or a request for a waiver of fees.

Expedited Processing
For more information, see Expedited Processing

A requester may wish to ask for expedited processing of their FOIA request.