Freedom of Information Act (FOIA)

The Freedom of Information Act, or FOIA (5 U.S.C. 552, as amended), generally provides any person with the statutory right, enforceable in court, to obtain access to Government information in executive branch agency records. This right to access is limited when such information is protected from disclosure by one of FOIA's nine statutory exemptions.

• See the National Archives and Records Administration Freedom of Information Act Reference Guide.
  ([icon-link label="PDF version of the FOIA Guide" icon="file-pdf-o" classes="" link="/foia/foia-guide.pdf" /])
  This Guide provides instructions for obtaining information from NARA using the Freedom of Information Act.
  
  
• The Electronic Reading Room contains information routinely available to the public as well as documents frequently requested under the Freedom of Information Act. The list of items will continue to grow as we add records in which the public expresses an interest.
  
  
• Learn more about our FOIA Regulations
  (36 CFR 1250)
  
  
• FOIA Annual Reports
  • Current FOIA Annual Report (2015) (PDF)
  • Current FOIA Annual Report (2015) (XML)
    
    (Right click and save file, it cannot be viewed in a web browser)
  • Archive of FOIA Annual Reports
  • Archive of Chief FOIA Officer's Annual Reports
  • Quarterly Reports FY 2013 to Present

• The Office of Government Information Services (OGIS) is a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) resource for the public and the government. Congress has charged OGIS with reviewing FOIA policies, procedures and compliance of Federal agencies and to recommend changes to FOIA based on what they see. Their mission also includes resolving FOIA disputes between Federal agencies and requesters.
  
  
• See Department of Justice FOIA Guidance
  
  
• Read the text of the Freedom of Information Act (5 U.S.C. 552)
  
  
• See our Privacy Program Resources