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About FOIA & Other Information Access Programs
Introduction to Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) Guide
The Electronic Freedom of Information Act Amendments of
1996 (E-FOIA) was signed into law on October 2, 1996. The amendments
require agencies to prepare a guide for requesting access to information
from the Department. Consistent with these requirements, the Department
has prepared this E-FOIA Guide. The E-FOIA Guide provides links to helpful
reference guides and explains how you can obtain additional information
from the Department.
FOIA Highlights
The Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) is a federal statute.
FOIA generally provides that any person has a right to request access
to federal agency records, except to the extent the records are protected
from disclosure by any of nine exemptions contained in the law or by
one of three special law enforcement record exclusions. There are several
point to keep in mind regarding the FOIA.
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Your request must be made in writing and
you must provide a "reasonable description" of the records
you are seeking. |
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Agencies have 20 working days to provide
an initial response. |
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Agencies and requesters are encouraged to
work together to define the scope of the request and the timing of
the response. |
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Agencies may establish "multi-track"
response systems to facilitate the processing of simpler requests,
rather than putting all requests in a single "queue." |
FOIA Documents in the
Electronic Reading Room
The FOIA was recently amended by the Electronic Freedom
of Information Act Amendments of 1996 (E-FOIA). Among other things,
E-FOIA grants the public access to government documents via computer
telecommunications. The provisions of the FOIA, as amended by E-FOIA,
can be found at 5 U.S.C. 552.
In response to the requirements of the FOIA, the Department
has established a FOIA Electronic Reading Room on the Internet. Here
are some important points to consider regarding the EFOIA:
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Not all documents released in response to
a FOIA request are placed in the Electronic Reading Room, only those
which are or likely to become the subject of subsequent requests. |
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The first documents made available will
be those released since November 1, 1996. Documents of continuing
public interest released before that date will be added over time. |
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In general, the documents appear as they
were released to the original requester. Where necessary, however,
some information may have been withheld to prevent an unwarranted
invasion of privacy. Such deletions are shown at the place on the
document where the deletion has been made. |
If you cannot find the information you seek on this site,
you may wish to file a FOIA request.
Making a FOIA (Freedom of Information Act) Request
These guidelines will help the Department of State respond
to your request.
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FOIA requests must be made in writing. There
are no special forms needed for making a request. |
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You can submit your request by mail, fax, or through our electronic FOIA Request Aid |
Fax - (202)261-8579
Address - Margaret P. Grafeld, Information & Privacy Coordinator
Office of Information Resources Management Programs and Services,
A/RPS/IPS, SA-2
Department of State
Washington, D.C.20522-6001
Re: Freedom of Information Act Request
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Write "Freedom of Information Act Request"
on the envelope or on the subject line of your fax. |
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Include a daytime telephone number in case
we need to contact you. |
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To learn about Department of State records,
go to: |
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Describe the records you are seeking
as clearly and precisely as you can. If your request is vague
or too broad, we may ask you to be more specific, and this can
delay the processing of your request (See 22CFR171.10(a)) |
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State your willingness to pay the
applicable fees or provide a justification to support a fee waiver
(See 22CFR171.15
and Fee
Structure). |
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For information about how the Department
of State processes FOIA requests, refer to FAQs. |
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To understand the scope of the law, refer
to Text of the 1996 FOIA. |
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To learn what types of records maintained
by the Department of State may be exempted from disclosure under
FOIA, go to 22
CFR 171, section 171.11. |
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Your appeal rights are discussed in Appealing
a FOIA Decision. |
Please refer to the links below for additional guidelines
and reference materials.
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