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Agency Directory

Every major federal agency, their FOIA portal, expected response time, and notes for requesters.

26 agencies listed
Agency Submit a request Avg response Notes
Central Intelligence Agency
CIA
Searchable in DeclassDB 		FOIA portal ↗
Reading room ↗ 		12-18 mo Some requests must be mailed; eFOIA limited to certain record types.
Federal Bureau of Investigation
FBI
Coming soon 		FOIA portal ↗
Reading room ↗ 		6-12 mo eFOIA portal preferred; PFA/specific-case requests can be faster.
Department of State
State
Coming soon 		FOIA portal ↗
Reading room ↗ 		12-24 mo Diplomatic cables and country files; complex requests often require fees.
National Security Agency
NSA
Coming soon · Pro 		FOIA portal ↗
Reading room ↗ 		12-18 mo Heaviest redactions of any agency; most material falls under (b)(1) or (b)(3).
National Archives & Records Administration
NARA
Coming soon · Pro 		FOIA portal ↗
Reading room ↗ 		3-6 mo Fastest response times in the federal government; access many records without FOIA.
Department of Defense
DoD
 FOIA portal ↗ 12-24 mo Route to the specific branch (Army, Navy, AF, Marines) for fastest turnaround.
Department of Justice
DOJ
 FOIA portal ↗
Reading room ↗ 		6-18 mo OIP handles policy + cross-agency coordination; component-specific portals exist.
Department of Homeland Security
DHS
 FOIA portal ↗
Reading room ↗ 		6-12 mo Route to USCIS, ICE, CBP, or TSA for the relevant subcomponent.
Department of Energy
DOE
 FOIA portal ↗
Reading room ↗ 		6-12 mo Nuclear history, Manhattan Project records, national-lab archives.
Department of the Treasury
Treas.
 FOIA portal ↗ 6-12 mo Includes IRS for tax-administration records (separate process for those).
Department of Health and Human Services
HHS
 FOIA portal ↗
Reading room ↗ 		4-9 mo Includes FDA, CDC, NIH — each has its own FOIA office.
Environmental Protection Agency
EPA
 FOIA portal ↗
Reading room ↗ 		3-9 mo On FOIAonline — multi-agency portal also tracks DOC, NARA, MSPB.
Department of Veterans Affairs
VA
 FOIA portal ↗ 4-9 mo Personal-records requests for veterans are usually handled outside FOIA channels.
Department of the Interior
DOI
 FOIA portal ↗ 6-12 mo Includes BIA, BLM, NPS, USGS — route by subcomponent.
Department of Transportation
DOT
 FOIA portal ↗ 3-9 mo FAA accident files often easier via NTSB directly.
Department of Commerce
DOC
 FOIA portal ↗ 3-9 mo On FOIAonline. Includes Census, NIST, NOAA.
Department of Labor
DOL
 FOIA portal ↗ 3-9 mo —
Department of Education
ED
 FOIA portal ↗ 3-9 mo —
Department of Housing and Urban Development
HUD
 FOIA portal ↗ 4-9 mo —
Department of Agriculture
USDA
 FOIA portal ↗ 6-12 mo Includes USFS, FSA, FSIS.
Office of the Director of National Intelligence
ODNI
 FOIA portal ↗
Reading room ↗ 		12-18 mo Coordinator for the broader IC; expect heavy referrals to component agencies.
U.S. Postal Service
USPS
 FOIA portal ↗ 1-3 mo Generally responsive.
Securities and Exchange Commission
SEC
 FOIA portal ↗
Reading room ↗ 		2-6 mo Enforcement and investigation files often heavily redacted.
Federal Communications Commission
FCC
 FOIA portal ↗
Reading room ↗ 		2-4 mo On FOIAonline.
Federal Trade Commission
FTC
 FOIA portal ↗ 2-6 mo —
Office of Government Information Services
OGIS
 FOIA portal ↗ n/a FOIA ombudsman. Use for dispute mediation when an agency goes silent or denies improperly.
Disclaimer: This guide is for informational purposes only and does not constitute legal advice. Consult an attorney for FOIA litigation or appeals involving complex legal questions.

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