public-service · NARA FOIA request requirements
Do You Need a FOIA Request for National Archives Records?
NARA's own FOIA page says most archival holdings need no request. Here is what to include if you do need to file one.
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Updated: Sources: 1
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What matters now
- Most NARA archival holdings are already open for research and require no FOIA request.
- A FOIA request is the exception path, not the default way to access records.
- A NARA FOIA request must specify itself as such and include specific contact and descriptive information.
- Requests about the requester's own record or a deceased person need extra documentation.
- FOIA requests go to a named NARA office at a specific mailing address.
For most records held by the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA), the answer is no. As NARA’s own FOIA-request page states: “Because of their age, most records in the National Archives’ archival holdings are unrestricted and are available for research without filing a FOIA request.” (NARA) When a FOIA request is needed, NARA’s page lists the information it requires.
This original record-reading guide is a general reading aid, not cited evidence. It does not depict a source record; the article text and source links provide the facts.
Key points
- Most NARA archival holdings are already open for research and require no FOIA request (NARA).
- NARA’s page describes its FOIA filing requirements for records accessed through that process (NARA).
- When a request is needed, NARA requires specific contact and descriptive information from the requester (NARA).
- Requests about the requester’s own record, or about a deceased person, require additional supporting documentation (NARA).
- The page names the NARA office and mailing address for requests (NARA).
No request needed for most records
NARA’s page states that most archival holdings are unrestricted and available for research without filing a FOIA request (NARA).
Required request details
NARA’s page states the request must specify that it is a FOIA request, then supply contact information consisting of complete name (first and last), mailing address, telephone number, and email address, plus a reasonable description of the records being requested. NARA’s page also notes that requests for a record about the requester, or about a deceased person, require additional supporting documentation beyond this baseline list (NARA).
Where to send the request
NARA’s page names one destination office for FOIA requests:
“Special Access and FOIA Program National Archives at College Park 8601 Adelphi Road, Room 5500 College Park, MD 20740-6001” (NARA)
When this information was last confirmed
The governing page carries its own review date: “This page was last reviewed on April 16, 2024.” (NARA)
What this article does not answer
This article does not state or estimate how long NARA takes to respond to a FOIA request; the governing page does not give a timeline. It also does not say which specific holdings count as restricted versus already open; that determination is not settled by this record. Finally, it does not address whether a given record has been digitized or is available online; that question is also not settled by the FOIA-request page this article is based on.