Instructions

These are suggested starting points for tracking the responses to your FOIA request. Please edit or add additional categories that are helpful to your own process.

• DATE
  Date of each communication. Note that sometimes you may receive a response many dates after the agency letter is dated, so you may want to note any discrepancies.
• AGENCY
  Note the agency, and if applicable, the specific office or component of the agency. For example, “ICE – Office of Policy.”
• ID # ASSIGNED
  Agencies will assign your request an ID # that you will need to include in any responses. Administrative appeals will often be assigned a separate ID # as well.
• SUMMARY
  A place to give a general summary and any thoughts about the agency response or what you might have included in your own letter to an agency.
• FEE WAIVER?
  If you make a request for a fee waiver, note whether or not it was granted, denied or ignored.
• EXPEDITED PROCESSING?
  If you make a request for expedited processing, note whether or not it was granted, denied or ignored.
• DEADLINE FOR AGENCY DETERMINATION
  It can be helpful to log the deadline for when you or the agency must respond next. For example, if the FBI acknowledges your FOIA request on Monday, March 2, 2020 and tells you it is taking the 10-day extension for making a determination, then 30 working days from March 2 would be Friday, April 3. So the FBI must make a determination on your request by April 3, 2020.
• FOLLOW-UP
  Place to note any further follow-up you need to do or plan to do.