Sample FOIA Request
Here is an example of a FOIA request from A Citizen's Guide to Using the Freedom of Information Act and the Privacy Act of 1974 to Request Government Records, published by the Committee on Government Reform and Oversight, 2005.
Dear FOIA Officer:
This is a request under the Freedom of Information Act.
I request that a copy of the following documents [or documents containing the following information] be provided to me: [Identify the documents or information as specifically as possible.]
In order to help to determine my status for purposes of determining the applicability of any fees, you should know that I am [insert a suitable description of the requester and purpose of the request].
[Examples:
- A representative of the news media affiliated with the ____newspaper, magazine, television station, etc., and this request is made as part of news gathering and not for a commercial use.
- Affiliated with an educational or noncommercial scientific institution, and this request is made for a scholarly or scientific purpose and not for a commercial use.
- An individual seeking information for personal use and not for a commercial use.
- Affiliated with a private corporation and am seeking information for use in the company's business.]