Submit a FOIA Request

Four methods are available for submitting FOIA requests:

  1. Online Form - The preferred method is to submit your request using the FOIA.gov portal. 

                                                  Submit a FOIA Request 
     
  2. Email - Submit your request to foiarequests@dodig.mil 
     
  3. Postal Mail or Courier -  Submit your request by mailing the required documentation to:
              Department of Defense Office of Inspector General
              ATTN: FOIA Requester Service Center, Suite 10B24
              4800 Mark Center Drive
              Alexandria, VA 22350-1500
     
  4. Facsimile (Fax) – Submit your request by facsimile to: (571) 372-7498

    The FOIA Public Liaison is responsible for assisting in reducing delays, increasing transparency and understanding of the status of requests, and answering questions requesters may have regarding responses to their FOIA requests. Requesters may contact the FOIA Public Liaison at (703) 604-9785, or by email at FOIAPublicLiaison@dodig.mil

Guidelines for Submitting a FOIA Request


Requesters should provide complete contact information (Full Name, Mailing Address, Telephone Number, and e-mail address, if available).

Requesters must reasonably describe the records sought and provide sufficient details to enable personnel to locate those records with a reasonable amount of effort. To avoid unnecessary delays in processing, requesters are encouraged to be specific about the description of the record(s) and when and by whom the record(s) was created (e.g., September 24, 1993, Memorandum from the DoD Inspector General, Subject: Fiscal Year 1994 Budget). We recommend that requesters keep their requests simple and to the point.

Before submitting a request, requesters may want to browse the Reports section of the DoD OIG website or the FOIA Reading Room for records that were previously released.

When submitting a request for records about yourself or another individual, a completed DoD OIG Certification of Identity is required. The purpose of this form is to ensure that information contained in a DoD OIG systems of record are not inadvertently disclosed to a third party. Requests for first-party records will not be processed until a completed certification of identity form is received.

Please be advised, Congress has provided special protection in the FOIA for three narrow categories of law enforcement and national security records. The provisions protecting those records are known as “exclusions.” The first exclusion protects the existence of an ongoing criminal law enforcement investigation when the subject of the investigation is unaware that it is pending and disclosure could reasonably be expected to interfere with enforcement proceedings. The second exclusion is limited to criminal law enforcement agencies and protects the existence of informant records when the informant’s status has not been officially confirmed. The third exclusion is limited to the Federal Bureau of Investigation and protects the existence of foreign intelligence or counterintelligence, or international terrorism records when the existence of such records is classified. Records falling within an exclusion are not subject to the requirements of the FOIA. So, when an office or agency responds to your request, its response will encompass those records that are subject to the FOIA.