Administrative Services Division (ASD)

A FOIA request is a written request for records. Records include files, e-mails, CDs/DVDs, books, maps, photographs, machine-readable materials, or other documentary materials. Regardless of form, an agency record refers to any record made or received by an agency of the U.S. government under federal law in connection with the transaction of public business.

Any person can file a FOIA request, including U.S. citizens, foreign nationals, organizations, universities, businesses, and state and local governments. Requests may also be made through an attorney or other representative on behalf of any individual. Federal employees may not use government time or equipment when requesting information under the FOIA.

Write a letter to the military command or installation likely to have the information you seek; annotate "Freedom of Information Act" on the request and envelope. FOIA requests should be submitted to the agency that originated the record.

For records 25 years or older: Please direct your request to the National Archives and Records Administration.

For all DoD personnel records of retired military or civilian personnel: Please direct your request to the National Personnel Records Center.

Agencies are required to respond within 20 working days of receipt of a request. An interim reply will be provided when an extension of the initial time limit is needed to search for and collect records from separate offices, examine a voluminous amount of records, or the need to consult with another agency.

Fees vary based on the type of FOIA request and processing time. All requesters should submit a willingness to pay fees regardless of the fee category. However, this does not mean you will be charged fees. Except for commercial requesters whose fees total more than $15, waivers may be considered. Fee waivers may be granted when disclosure of the records is in the public interest because it is likely to contribute significantly to public understanding of the operations or activities of the government.

The Privacy Act of 1974 is a federal law that establishes safeguard for the protection of records which the federal government collects and maintains on United States citizens and aliens lawfully admitted for permanent residence. The purpose of the Privacy Act is to balance the government’s need to maintain information about individuals with the rights of individuals to be protected against unwarranted invasions of their privacy stemming from federal agencies’ collection, maintenance, use, and disclosure of personal information about them.

If you are seeking records on yourself, this is a Privacy Act request. A Privacy Act request is a written request for records pertaining to an individual maintained in a Privacy Act system of records, unless the record is subject to an exemption or the record is information compiled in reasonable anticipation of a civil action or proceeding.

You will need to submit your request via mail at the address to the right. You must also provide proof of identity. Also, if you are seeking records of a personal nature on another living individual, you must provide a Privacy Act release from that party to obtain these records. This type of request is not appropriate for submission via electronic or facsimile transmission.

A System of Records is a group of any records under the control of any agency from which information is retrieved by the name of the individual or by some identifying number, symbol, or other identifier assigned to the individual. The Privacy Act requires each agency to publish notice of its systems of records in the federal register. This notice is generally referred to as a system of records notice (SORN).

The initial response time is the same as a FOIA request (20 days), except request for amendments. The Privacy Act systems manager normally acknowledges receipt of request within 10 working days and provides a determination within 30 working days.

If you are the subject of the file and the word "None" appears in the last entry in the systems notice entitled "Exemptions Claimed for the System," then the entire record will be released to you.