FOIA

 

***Please note this FOIA office is for Department of State and Broadcasting Board of Governors (BBG) OIG inquiries ONLY. This office does not handle inquiries regarding individual states (Virginia, Maryland, New York, etc.) Please contact your state OIG for such requests.

 

HOW TO FILE A FOIA/PRIVACY ACT REQUEST

 


Before submitting requests for Office of Inspector General (OIG) reports, please visit OIG's FOIA reading room and library to ensure the material you are requesting has not already been posted there.

 


Before submitting your request to OIG, please also visit the Department of State's FOIA Web site. Please note the Electronic FOIA Request form (EFR) is for the submission of requests to the Department of State's Office of Information Programs and Services and not to OIG. Please do not use the EFR when submitting your OIG request.

 


Your request should meet the following criteria:

 

1. Be in writing and signed by the person making the request (if sending via mail or

fax).

2. Reasonably describe the records being requested. For example, include

information such as the date and place the records were created, subject matter,

and other pertinent details that will help identify the records.

 

3. Identify the "category" of the requester so that OIG may determine the

appropriate fees for the request. As provided in the FOIA, there are four

categories of requesters: commercial, educational, media, and other.

 

  • Commercial: A requester who seeks information to further his or her commercial, trade, or profit interests.
  • Educational: A requester who seeks information to further scholarly research (i.e., not for commercial use).
  • Media: A requester who seeks information to publish or broadcast news to the public.
  • Other: Requesters who do not fall under the "commercial" "educational" or "media" categories

 


WHERE TO FILE A FOIA/PRIVACY ACT REQUEST

 


OIG is a separate component within the Department of State and responds to requests for records that are exclusively OIG-related, i.e. inspections, audits, or investigations.

 


If OIG maintains the records you seek, please send your request through one of the methods below:

 


U.S. Department of State

Office of Inspector General

Office of General Counsel

Washington, DC 20520-0308

ATTN: FOIA officer

 

Email (preferred): Click here

(oigfoia@state.gov; oigwebmaster@state.gov)

 

Fax: (202) 663-0390

Phone: (202) 663-0383 (***Please note this number is for Freedom of Information Act inquiries ONLY. For all other inquires, please click here for the appropriate contact information.)

 


FEES

 

By making a FOIA request, it shall be considered an agreement by you to pay all applicable fees charged under 22 CFR 171.14, up to $25.00, unless a fee waiver has been granted. If the total charges due for processing a request are $25.00 or less, no fee will be charged.

 

If OIG determines that a fee waiver will not be granted, the requestor will be notified. Fees will differ depending on the "category" of the requestor. Please see the Department of State FOIA regulations, 22 CFR Part 171, for more details.