Make an FOI request to the Department of Justice

You can ask for the following records held by a department or certain bodies:

1. Any records relating to you personally, whenever created.

Please note that all requests for personal information whether submitted by an individual or a solicitor on their behalf must be accompanied by the following:

• on behalf of an individual – consent of the individual and photographic identification to be one of the following – a current passport, a current drivers licence or a current public services car
• individual seeking their own personal records – a current passport, a current drivers licence or a current public services card

2. All other records created after 21 April 1998.

A ‘record’ can be a paper document, information held on computer, printouts, maps, plans, microfilm, microfiche, audio-visual material, and so on.

What bodies are covered by FOI?

A list of government departments and public bodies covered by the FOI Act can be found through this link.

There is no charge for personal or non personal requests.

Other charges may be applied for the time spent finding records and for any photocopying costs incurred by the department in providing you with the material requested. It is very unlikely that any fees will be charged in respect of personal records, except where a large number of records are involved. Section 27 of the FOI Act provides for fees.

List of fees

• €30 internal review fee - non personal requests
• €10 internal review fee (medical card holders)
• €50 appeal to the Information Commissioner
• €15 appeal to the Information Commissioner (medical card holders)
• €20 per hour for search and retrieval
• €0.04 per sheet for a photocopy

The following requests or applications are exempt from a fee:

• a request under Section 12 for a record or records containing only personal information related to the requester
• an application under Section 9 (right of amendment of records relating to personal information)
• an application under Section 10 (right of person to information regarding acts of public bodies affecting the person).

Under the Act, a request for records must be acknowledged within two weeks and, in most cases, responded to within four weeks. A week is defined in the Act to mean five consecutive weekdays, excluding Saturdays , Sundays and public holidays. If a third party is involved, there may be another three weeks before a response issues.

Request for Internal Review

If you are dissatisfied with the department's response, you can seek to have a decision re-examined by a more senior member of staff within the department. Applications for review of a decision, together with an appropriate fee (see below; note that these fees apply only to non-personal requests) should be addressed to:

The department must complete the review within 15 working days.

A standard fee of €30 must accompany an application for internal review. A reduced fee of €10 applies if the person bringing the application is a medical card holder or a dependant of a medical card holder.

The following internal review applications are exempt from fees:

• an application for internal review concerning records containing only personal information related to the applicant
• an application for internal review in relation to a request under Section 9 (right of amendment of records relating to personal information)
• an application for internal review in relation to a request under Section 10 (right of person to information regarding acts of public bodies affecting the person)
• an application for internal review in relation to a request to charge a fee or deposit, or a fee or deposit of a particular amount

Request for review by the Office of the Information Commissioner

If you are still unhappy with the decision, you have the right to appeal the decision to the Information Commissioner. Applications with appropriate fees (see below; note that these fees apply only to non-personal requests) should be forwarded directly to the following address:

A standard fee of €50 must accompany applications to the Information Commissioner for review of decisions made by public bodies under Section 34.

A reduced fee of €15 applies if:

• the person bringing the application is a medical card holder or a dependant of a medical card holder or
• the person is specified in Section 38, that is, a third party with the right to apply directly to the Information Commissioner where a public body decides to release their information on public interest grounds

The following applications to the Information Commissioner are exempt from a fee:

• an application concerning records containing only personal information related to the applicant
• an application in relation a decision under Section 9 (right of amendment of records relating to personal information)
• an application in relation to a decision under Section 10 (right of person to information regarding acts of public bodies affecting the person)
• an application in relation to a decision to charge a fee or deposit exceeding €10 under Section 27 in respect of search and retrieval and photocopying of records
• an application in relation to a decision to charge a fee under Section 27, or a fee of a particular amount under Section 27, on the grounds that the records concerned do not contain only personal information related to the requester or the requester is not a medical card holder or a dependant of a medical card holder

To access a record you must fill in the form below and return it to:

If you are seeking personal records, you should include photographic identification. Should you need assistance in making your request, you can contact foi@justice.ie or alternatively ring 01 602 8654.