Step 1 — Who can file?

Any person. U.S. citizens, foreign nationals, corporations, non-profits, journalists, academics, and anonymous people all have the same FOIA rights. You do not have to identify yourself beyond providing a way to reach you with the response. Some agencies require a verified identity for Privacy Act requests (records about yourself), but not for ordinary FOIA requests.

Step 2 — What can you request?

FOIA covers existing records — documents, emails, memos, photographs, videos, slide decks, databases, audio recordings, briefing books, and so on. The agency must have created or obtained the record, and it must be in the agency's possession at the time of the request.

What FOIA does not cover:

• Records that do not yet exist (you can't ask an agency to research a question for you).
• Records held by Congress, federal courts, or the President's immediate staff.
• Records held by state/local governments (those have their own open-records laws).
• Records held by private companies, even if those companies do work for the government.

Step 3 — Identify the right agency

Most events involve multiple agencies. A foreign-policy decision in the 1970s could have records at CIA (intelligence assessments), State (cables and country desks), DoD (military implications), and the NSC (deliberations). Filing with one of them won't get you the others' files.

Useful tools:

• FOIA.gov agency directory ↗ — every component of every department.
• DeclassDB's Agency Directory → — curated for researchers, with response-time data.
• Search DeclassDB first — the document may already be declassified and indexed.

Step 4 — Write your request

Specificity wins. "All records about Project MK-Ultra from 1960-1965" works. "Everything about the CIA" will be rejected as unduly burdensome.

A strong request answers four questions clearly:

1. What records you want (topic, document type).
2. When the records were created (date range).
3. Who created or received them (offices, individuals, programs).
4. Format you want the response in (electronic preferred — faster and cheaper).

If you have a specific document identifier from a prior release, cite it: "I request document CIA-RDP80B01676R004000110001-7 referenced in [prior release]." Agencies process requests with specific identifiers far faster than open-ended searches.

Step 5 — Use the template

Copy this template and fill in the bracketed fields. It includes optional language for fee waivers, fee caps, and expedited processing.

[Your name]
[Your address]
[Your email]
[Date]

FOIA Officer
[Agency name]
[Agency FOIA office address]

VIA: [Agency's online FOIA portal / email / mail — pick one]

Dear FOIA Officer:

This is a request under the Freedom of Information Act, 5 U.S.C. § 552.

I request copies of the following records:

  [Describe the records as specifically as possible. Examples:
   - All emails between [Person A] and [Person B] regarding [topic],
     dated [start date] through [end date].
   - All final reports produced by [office or program] concerning
     [subject], from [year] to [year].
   - Document [specific identifier], referenced in [prior release or
     citation].]

I would prefer to receive the records in electronic format (PDF or
native digital file) delivered to the email address above.

[Optional — fee waiver:]
I am a [journalist / academic researcher / educator / non-commercial
requester] and request a waiver of all fees under 5 U.S.C. §
552(a)(4)(A)(iii). Disclosure of the requested records will contribute
significantly to public understanding of the operations or activities
of the government because [explain how — e.g., "I am preparing an
article for publication in [outlet] examining [issue]"]. I have no
commercial interest in the records.

[Optional — fee cap:]
If fees are charged, please notify me before incurring charges greater
than $25.

[Optional — expedited processing, if applicable:]
I request expedited processing under 5 U.S.C. § 552(a)(6)(E) because
[the matter primarily affects public confidence in government / there
is a compelling need / I am a person primarily engaged in disseminating
information].

Please contact me at the email above with any questions about the
scope of this request. I look forward to your response within the
20-business-day statutory window.

Thank you for your assistance.

Sincerely,

[Your name]

Step 6 — Submit it

Almost every major agency now accepts FOIA requests through an online portal. Mail is also accepted but slows things by 1-2 weeks. Email is sometimes accepted, sometimes not.

• Online portal (preferred): see each agency's entry in the directory →
• FOIAonline.gov — multi-agency portal used by EPA, DOC, and a few others. Also tracks status across them.
• By mail: mark the envelope "FOIA Request" and address it to the agency's FOIA office.

Step 7 — What happens next

Agencies are required to acknowledge the request within 20 business days. In practice:

• You'll get a confirmation letter with a case number within 2-4 weeks.
• "Simple track" requests (clear, narrow) may be processed in 1-3 months.
• "Complex track" requests (large scope, multiple offices, classified material) typically take 6-24 months at agencies like CIA, FBI, and NSA.
• If the agency misses the 20-day deadline without good cause, you have a "constructive denial" — automatic right to appeal or sue (see Appeals →).

Sample requests for common scenarios

I request all records, including but not limited to memoranda, cables,
intelligence assessments, and after-action reports, concerning
[event name] occurring on or around [date], from [agency office or
component]. Date range: [event date] through [event date + 5 years].

This is a combined Privacy Act and FOIA request under 5 U.S.C. §§
552 and 552a. I request all records the agency maintains about me,
[Your full legal name, date of birth, any prior names]. Enclosed
is a notarized statement of identity and a copy of my government ID.

I request all final reports, internal evaluations, budget documents,
and policy memoranda relating to [program name], from [program start
date] through [end date or "present"]. I am specifically interested
in materials that describe the program's objectives, scope, and
known outcomes.

I request records concerning [person's name] in their official capacity
as [title or role] at [agency or office] between [start date] and
[end date]. I do not seek information that would constitute an
unwarranted invasion of personal privacy under Exemption 6.