Understanding the Freedom of Information Act
The Freedom of Information Act (5 U.S.C. § 552) gives any person the right to request access to records held by federal agencies. Agencies must disclose any information requested under FOIA unless it falls under one of nine narrow exemptions covering national security, personal privacy, and law enforcement.
You don't need to be a U.S. citizen. You don't need a lawyer. You don't need to explain why you want the records. You just need to describe what you're looking for clearly enough that an agency can find it.
✍️ Build a FOIA request now → Multi-step wizard · Pre-loaded agency addresses · Free for everyone
How to File a Request
Step-by-step walkthrough with templates. The fastest path from "I want records" to a filed request.
Read →Agency Directory
Every major federal agency, their FOIA portal, expected response time, and notes from veteran requesters.
Read →Tips & Strategies
How to write specific requests, get fee waivers, escalate to OGIS, and avoid the most common mistakes.
Read →Understanding Exemptions
All 9 FOIA exemptions explained in plain language, with examples of how each is applied and challenged.
Read →Fees & Fee Waivers
When agencies can charge, the four fee categories, and the language that earns a waiver.
Read →Appeal a Denial
When and how to appeal, OGIS mediation, and what FOIA litigation actually looks like.
Read →Track Your Request
Where each agency posts status, how to know when you have a "constructive denial," and what to do next.
Read →FOIA by the numbers
Skip to the part you need
Or skip the wait — search what’s already declassified
Millions of records are already public. Search them free across every agency, or jump into a famous collection:
DeclassDB
FOIA search is fragmented and keyword-only. DeclassDB unifies seven federal archives — CIA CREST, FBI Vault, NSA, State, NARA, DoD, NSArchive — and adds AI semantic search, so you can find what you mean, not just what you typed.
AI semantic search
Find by meaning across 309,708 CREST documents (1.05M pages, full-text). The embedding model runs in your browser — no cloud round-trip. Pro & Researcher.
One query, every agency
Unified, blended, de-duplicated across seven federal sources. CIA / FBI / State always free; NSA / NARA / DoD / NSArchive unlocked on Pro.
Privacy-first by design
Vectors, AI summaries, and entity extraction all run on your device. No cloud, no search logs, no third-party trackers. Air-gappable for federal use.