Thank you for visiting FOIA.gov, the government’s central website for FOIA. We’ll continue to make improvements to the site and look forward to your input. Please submit feedback to [email protected] .

The basic function of the Freedom of Information Act is to ensure informed citizens, vital to the functioning of a democratic society.

This site can help you determine if filing a FOIA request is the best option for you and help you create your request when you’re ready.

Start your FOIA journey

Learn about the FOIA process Use our search tool to find public records or the correct agency Start a request with a specific agency

Before making a request, first see if the information is already publicly available. You can find a lot of useful information on individual agency websites and you can also search across the government for information.

If the information you want is not publicly available, you can submit a FOIA request.

It’s important that you identify the correct agency for your request. There are over 100 agencies and each is responsible for handling its own FOIA requests. You can use our search tool to help you identify the correct place to find the information you seek. You may also search for a specific agency here .

The agency will typically first search for the records and then review them to determine what can be disclosed. While FOIA allows for many records to be released, there are also nine exemptions that protect certain types of information, such as personal privacy and law enforcement interests. The length of time to respond to your request will vary depending on its complexity and any backlog of requests.