Official website of the Department of Homeland Security
Freedom of Information Act (FOIA)
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. FOIA also establishes a presumption that records in the possession of agencies and departments of the Executive Branch of the U. S. government are accessible to the people, 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.
CLICK HERE TO SUBMIT A FOIA REQUEST
How To Submit a FOIA Request
Information on how to submit a FOIA request and how to submit a Privacy Act request; fee structure, waivers, processing information and limits on FOIA requests.
Check Status of Request
DHS Requests Response Time for Processed and Pending Requests - Average No. of Days Simple is 21.24 Days and Complex is 111.59 Days. For component specific response times, please refer to the latest FOIA annual report.
eFOIA Mobile App
With the DHS eFOIA Mobile App, you can submit FOIA requests or check the status of requests, access all of the content on the FOIA website, and receive updates, event notices, and recently published documents.
FOIA Library
DHS maintains FOIA libraries for itself, the Office of the Secretary (including the Military Advisor’s Office and the Office of Intergovernmental Affairs), and the following components: CISOMB, DNDO, ESEC, FEMA, MGMT, NPPD, OHA, OGC, OLA, OPA, PLCY, and TSA.
FOIA Contact Information
Contact information for filing Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests.
FOIA Exemptions
Concise Descriptions of the FOIA Exemptions and examples of Information DHS May Withhold under each exemption.
FOIA Statutes & Resources
Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) Statutes and online Resources.
Subscribe to FOIA Library Notifications
Sign up to receive free e-mails to get updates on different DHS.gov topics.
DHS Component FOIA Libraries
Click on a link to access a specific DHS Component FOIA library
FOIA Appeals Mediation
The Office of Government Information Services (OGIS) was created to offer mediation services to resolve disputes between FOIA requesters and Federal agencies as a non-exclusive alternative to litigation.