FOIA Tips
- Keep a copy of your letter. You may need to refer to it again if there’s a question from the agency (U.S. Department of Justice, et al., 2009).
- Put the letter in a file where you can find it. If you write a lot of FOIA requests, you might consider creating a folder of pending request or a folder for each request or a folder for each agency that your send requests to. Do what works for you to help you keep track of your requests
- Put a note in your calendar or datebook 20 working days from the time you sent your request. That’s about four weeks. That way you’ll know when to expect a response.
- Some times the agency responds that they need more time to handle your request and they will provide a date. Mark that in your calendar.
- If you have phone conversations with a FOIA official, take notes and keep these with your requests. That way you can refresh your memory.
- Keep all additional correspondence with the first request. That way if your request is denied and you decide to appeal or you find that you need to file a second request because you’ve discovered you need more information, then you have a paper trail of your requests.
FOIA Online Guides
- Your Right to Federal Records: Questions and Answers on the Freedom of Information Act and the Privacy Act, published by U.S. Dept. of Justice, GSA Office of Citizen Services and Communications, Federal Citizen Information Center, (2009)
- A Citizen’s Guide On Using The Freedom Of Information Act And The Privacy Act Of 1974 To Request Government Records, written by the Committee On Government Reform and Published by the Government Printing Office (2005)
- Freedom of Information Act guide, published online by The National Security Archive (2009)
- Federal Open Government Guide, published by The Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press (Zarek, 2009