Most FOIA requests do not involve any fees. However, if an agency informs you that there are fees associated with your request, you may request a fee waiver under the standard provided in the FOIA. You may request a fee waiver at any time during the processing of your request. The agency will grant a fee waiver when disclosure of the requested information is in the public interest because it is likely to contribute significantly to public understanding of the operations and activities of the government and is not primarily in the commercial interest of the requester. Requests for fee waivers from individuals who are seeking records pertaining to themselves usually do not meet this standard. Additionally, a requester’s inability to pay fees is not a legal basis for granting a fee waiver. When making a request for a fee waiver you must explain how your request meets the standard described above.

INFORMATION ON FEES AND WAIVERS »

Agencies generally process requests on a first-in, first-out basis. Most agencies also use separate tracks to process simple and complex requests. Under certain circumstances, your request may qualify for placement into a separate, expedited track where the agency will process it as soon as practicable. The standards for expedited processing are set out in the FOIA and in the regulations of each federal agency. Under the FOIA, a requester may qualify for expedited processing if they can demonstrate a “compelling need” for the records. A “compelling need” can be shown by: (1) establishing that the failure to obtain the records on an expedited basis “could reasonably be expected to pose an imminent threat to the life or physical safety of an individual;” or, (2) if the requester is a “person primarily engaged in disseminating information,” by demonstrating that there exists an “urgency to inform the public concerning actual or alleged Federal Government activity.” Agencies may also establish additional standards for granting expedited processing, which they describe in their FOIA regulations. Requesters must demonstrate how they meet one of the standards in order to have their request processed on an expedited basis.

Leave this blank if you are not requesting expedited processing. When making a request for expedited processing you must explain how your request meets one of the expedition standards described above. This agency has additional standards for expedited processing detailed at 32 C.F.R. § 286.8(e).