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How to Submit a CBP FOIA Request Online

(10/16/2012)Please follow the steps below when preparing your FOIA request:

Step One: Verify that CBP has the record that you would like to request. ( What Records Can CBP Provide Under FOIA? )

Step Two: NEW: ( Submit Online Request )

When submitting your FOIA request online, keep in mind the following:

• Provide a clear and detailed description of the records being requested. This information will help expedite the search process.
  
• Review Tips for Describing Records Requested under FOIA ( Tips for Describing Records Requested Under FOIA )

FOIA requests must include:

• Name/Aliases
  
• Date of birth/Dates of birth you may have used
  
• Address
  
• Consent (if a third party is submitting the request)
  
• Parental consent (if you are a minor)
  
• Sworn declaration under penalty of perjury or notarized affidavit of identity
  
• Death certificate, news article, or obituary (if you are requesting information in regards to a deceased person)
  
• Phone number: Include a daytime phone number at which you can be reached should there be any questions about your CBP FOIA request

Other information to assist CBP in locating the requested records:

• Alien number (if applicable)
  
• Parents’ names

A FOIA request can also be mailed or faxed to:

U.S. Customs and Border Protection
FOIA Division
799 9th Street NW, 10th Floor
Washington, DC 20229-1181

Fax number: (202) 325-0230

For questions, please contact the CBP FOIA Office at (202) 325-0150

See below for information regarding CBP FOIA processing times and expedited FOIA requests.

CBP FOIA Processing Timeframes

All federal agencies are required to respond to a FOIA request within twenty business days of receipt.

Under the FOIA, the response time may be extended for an additional 10 business days when:

• It is necessary to collect responsive records from various offices.
  
• The request is for a greater than average amount of records requiring additional time for processing.
  
• CBP must consult with another agency that has a substantial interest.

If the request cannot be processed within the time limits mentioned above, CBP will notify you and will provide you with an opportunity to modify the scope of your request or arrange an alternative time frame for processing the request.

Although CBP makes every effort to respond to FOIA requests as promptly as possible, in some cases it cannot do so within the specified time period. This may be due either to the size of a request or the volume of incoming FOIA requests.

Upon receipt of your FOIA request, the CBP FOIA Office will send you a letter of acknowledgement with an initial request number.

If your request does not contain all information needed to process your request, CBP will advise you of what additional information is required. For tips to help ensure that a FOIA request contains all information needed to process the request, review CBP FOIA Tips on Requesting Records. ( Tips for Describing Records Requested Under FOIA )

Expedited FOIA Requests

Under certain conditions, you may be entitled to have your FOIA request processed on an expedited basis:

1. A FOIA request will be expedited if the lack of expedited treatment could reasonably be expected to pose an imminent threat to someone's life or physical safety.

2. A request will be expedited if the information requested is urgently needed to inform the public concerning some actual or alleged federal government activity, and if it is made by a person primarily engaged in disseminating information to the public.

If you believe your request may qualify for expedited processing under one of the two standards listed above, you must specifically ask the component for expedited handling of your request.

The expedited processing request should include a statement certified to be true and correct to the best of your knowledge and belief explaining why you believe that your request qualifies under one of the two standards.