Response Timeline

Initial Response

20 days

Extension

20 days

4 weeks (calendar) from receipt. Acknowledgment due within 2 weeks. Extension of up to 4 additional weeks allowed for voluminous requests. Deemed refused if no response within deadline.

Any person may submit an FOI request regardless of nationality or residence. The Act grants the right to 'every person' (Section 11).

How to Submit a Request

Accepted Methods

Requests must be in writing and directed to the specific FOI body that holds the records. Must state it is made under the FOI Act 2014.

Required Elements

Foi statement — Must state the request is made under the Freedom of Information Act 2014
Description — Sufficient particulars about the records sought to enable the body to identify them
Preferred format — Specify preferred form of access (copies, inspection, electronic)

Optional Elements

Date range — Date range to narrow the search
Department — Specific department or unit likely to hold the records
Contact details — Phone number or alternative contact for follow-up clarification

Fees

Fee Type	Amount	Notes
Search (hourly)	EUR20.00
Copies (per page)	EUR0.04

Personal records are entirely free -- no application fee, no search/retrieval/copying charges. Review fees are reduced for medical card holders.

Fee Waivers

No fees of any kind for requests concerning the requester's own personal information — Personal Records — Request relates to the applicant's own personal information
Reduced review fees for medical card holders and their dependants — Medical Card Holder — Applicant holds a medical card or is a dependant of a medical card holder
No fee for appeals to Information Commissioner arising from a body's failure to respond (deemed refusal) — Deemed Refusal Appeal

The 2014 Act abolished the previous EUR 15 application fee. The fee structure is designed so that most requests cost nothing -- the EUR 101 minimum threshold means the first 5 hours of search time are effectively free.

Exemptions

Meetings of Government

Records of Cabinet discussions; 5-year embargo (reduced from 10 years under 1997 Act)
Deliberative Processes

Records relating to deliberative processes where disclosure could prejudice decision-making
Functions and Negotiations

Where disclosure could prejudice the body's ability to perform its functions or conduct negotiations
Parliamentary, Court, and Certain Other Matters

Contempt of court, parliamentary privilege. Tribunal of inquiry records absolutely exempt.
Law Enforcement and Public Safety

Where disclosure could prejudice law enforcement, prevention/detection of offences, or public safety
Security, Defence, and International Relations

Discretionary for general security/defence matters. Mandatory for intelligence records prepared for security/defence purposes. Ministerial certificates available.
Confidential Information

Information obtained in confidence where disclosure would breach a duty of confidence
Commercially Sensitive Information

Trade secrets: mandatory refusal. Other commercial sensitivity: discretionary with public interest test. Third-party consultation required (Section 38).
Personal Information

Disclosure of another person's personal information must be refused. Overrides available where public interest substantially outweighs privacy, or with consent.
Research and Natural Resources

Where disclosure could prejudice the well-being of cultural heritage or species/habitats
Financial and Economic Interests of State

Where disclosure could have serious adverse effects on the financial interests of the State
Enactments Relating to Non-Disclosure

Where another enactment prohibits disclosure
Records Already Publicly Available

Body may refuse if records are already available to the public

Exemptions are either mandatory ('shall refuse') or discretionary ('may refuse'). Discretionary exemptions generally require a public interest test. Additional absolute exemptions apply to records of the President, Attorney General (except general administration), and Director of Public Prosecutions.

Appeal Process

1

Internal Review

Request an internal review within 4 weeks of the decision. The public body must respond within 3 weeks. There is a €30 fee for internal review (€10 for medical card holders).

2

Information Commissioner Review

Apply for a review by the Information Commissioner within 6 months of the internal review decision. The Commissioner will investigate and issue a binding decision. There is a €50 fee (€15 for medical card holders; free for deemed refusals and personal records).

3

High Court Appeal (Point of Law Only)

Appeal the Commissioner's decision to the High Court on a point of law within 4 weeks. This is not a rehearing - the Court only reviews legal errors.

The Information Commissioner's decision is binding and can only be challenged in the High Court on a point of law. Internal review is a prerequisite for appealing to the Commissioner.

Request Templates

FOI Central Policy Unit Guide →

Government of Ireland

Official guidance on how to make an FOI request

Citizens Information FOI Overview →

Citizens Information Board

Comprehensive overview including fees, timelines, and appeal rights

Office of the Information Commissioner →

Information Commissioner

Appeals guidance and published decisions

FOI Body Contact List →

Government of Ireland

Directory of all FOI bodies with contact details

Irish Freedom of Information Request

Irish FOI Act 2014 request. Notes the 20-working-day deadline and €101 threshold above which fees may apply.

Records Retention

Retention Law

National Archives Act 1986

Authority

National Archives of Ireland

National Archives Act 1986 (No. 11 of 1986)

View retention law →

Retention schedule catalog →

Government departments must transfer records over 30 years old to the National Archives. Section 8(2) allows retention of records in regular use; certificates of retention must be reviewed every 5 years.

Sources & References

Bodies Covered

Which kinds of public body this law applies to, with the statutory basis for each claim.

Body type	Status	Statutory basis
Agencies and statutory bodies	Covered	FOI Act 2014 (No. 30 of 2014), s. 6(1) ('public body') Statutory and government-appointed agencies are swept in by s. 6(1)(b)-(c). Entity-specific carve-outs exist for bodies listed in Sch. 1 Pt. 1 (e.g. An Garda Síochána para (n), Central Bank para (b), NTMA paras (w)-(x)) - see practice notes.
Government departments	Covered	FOI Act 2014 (No. 30 of 2014), s. 6(1) ('public body') Departments of State are public bodies under s. 6(1)(a).
Local authorities	Covered	FOI Act 2014 (No. 30 of 2014), s. 6(1) ('public body') County and city councils are s. 6(1)(b) bodies (established under the Local Government Act 2001).
Public and voluntary hospitals	Covered	FOI Act 2014, s. 6(1)(h) (1997-Act prescribed bodies carried forward); voluntary hospitals prescribed by S.I. No. 329 of 1999 HSE statutory hospitals are covered through the HSE, an s. 6(1)(b) body established under the Health Act 2004; address those requests to the HSE National FOI unit. Voluntary hospitals are covered as bodies prescribed under the FOI Act 1997 (S.I. No. 329 of 1999) and carried forward by s. 6(1)(h); each handles its own requests. The current voluntary-hospital list is at https://foi.gov.ie/voluntary-hospitals/ (not s. 7: no order has been made under the 2014 Act's s. 7 prescription power).
Regional assemblies	Covered	FOI Act 2014 (No. 30 of 2014), s. 6(1) ('public body') The three regional assemblies are s. 6(1)(b) bodies established under the Local Government Reform Act 2014.
Research institutes	Covered	FOI Act 2014 (No. 30 of 2014), s. 6(1) ('public body') Statutory research bodies are s. 6(1)(b)-(c) bodies; the Institute of Public Administration and Royal Irish Academy are 1997-Act prescribed bodies carried forward by s. 6(1)(h). Verify body-level status against the register before relying on the type default.
Universities and higher education institutions	Covered	FOI Act 2014, s. 6(1)(g) Universities and publicly funded HEIs are covered as 'a higher education institution in receipt of public funding' (s. 6(1)(g)).
Commercial state bodies	Partially covered	FOI Act 2014, s. 6(2)(a) and Sch. 1 Pt. 1 ('Partially Included Agencies') Three regimes. (1) Most commercial semi-states are wholly exempt under s. 6(3) + Sch. 1 Pt. 2: An Post, ESB, Bord na Móna, Coillte, CIÉ and its bus subsidiaries, daa, IAA, the port companies. (2) Regulated network operators are FOI bodies only for their licensed monopoly functions under Sch. 1 Pt. 1: EirGrid para (i) (transmission system operator licence), ESB Networks para (j) (distribution system operator licence), Gas Networks Ireland/Gaslink para (l) (gas TSO/DSO licences); Iarnród Éireann appears at para (p) (Rosslare Europort and State freight operations), read with the s. 6(3) CIÉ-subsidiary exclusion. (3) Covered by other routes: Uisce Éireann (s. 6(1)(b)/(d), not listed in Sch. 1) is fully covered; RTÉ is covered only for management, administration, finance, commercial and communications functions per the FOI Act 1997 (Prescribed Bodies) (No. 2) Regulations 2000 (S.I. No. 115 of 2000), carried forward by s. 6(1)(h), with journalistic and programme-content records outside the Act; TG4 was prescribed by the same instrument (as Seirbhísí Theilifís na Gaeilge Teoranta) and its published FOI guide applies the same journalistic and programme-review exclusions under the 2014 Act.
Constitutional and independent offices	Partially covered	FOI Act 2014, s. 42 (Restriction of Act) Mixed, body by body. Records relating to the President are wholly outside the Act (s. 42(h)). The AG and DPP are subject only for general administration (s. 42(f)). The C&AG is covered except audit/inspection/investigation records, other than records pre-dating the audit and general administration (s. 42(g)). The Ombudsman is covered except examination/investigation records (Sch. 1 Pt. 1 para (z)). The Courts Service is an s. 6(1)(b) body, but records held by the courts relating to proceedings are excluded, other than records of proceedings held in public that the court did not create and records of the general administration of the courts (s. 42(a)). The Houses of the Oireachtas Service is covered subject to s. 42(k)-(l): members' private papers (Art. 15.10) and documents required to be treated as confidential are excluded.
Education and Training Boards	Partially covered	FOI Act 2014, s. 6(2)(a) and Sch. 1 Pt. 1 ('Partially Included Agencies') Education and Training Boards (Education and Training Boards Act 2013; s. 6(1)(b)) are FOI bodies, but Sch. 1 Pt. 1 para (h) excludes records that would enable compilation of comparative school academic-performance information (school league tables), including overall or comparative examination results by school.
Airports	Not covered	FOI Act 2014, s. 6(3) and Sch. 1 Pt. 2 ('Exempt Agencies') State airports are facilities, and their operators are outside FOI: Sch. 1 Pt. 2 directly names daa (Dublin Airport Authority plc.), Shannon Airport Authority plc. and Cork Airport Authority plc. as Exempt Agencies, and Shannon Group was exempted by S.I. No. 144 of 2015. Airport policy and oversight records are held by the Department of Transport and other covered bodies.
County	Not covered	FOI Act 2014, s. 6(1) (definition covers bodies, not geographic units or offices) Geographic unit; the county/city council is the FOI body.
Elected offices	Not covered	FOI Act 2014, s. 6(1) (definition covers bodies, not geographic units or offices) Records of an office holder are held by the underlying FOI body.
North/South implementation bodies	Not covered	FOI Act 2014, s. 6(3) and Sch. 1 Pt. 2 ('Exempt Agencies') The North/South Implementation Bodies and Tourism Ireland (Waterways Ireland, safefood, InterTradeIreland, the Special EU Programmes Body, An Foras Teanga, the Loughs Agency) are named Exempt Agencies in Sch. 1 Pt. 2, so the FOI Act does not apply. They instead answer requests under the joint Freedom of Information Code of Practice approved by the North/South Ministerial Council (in effect since 1 February 2006), modelled on the Irish and UK FOI Acts but statutory under neither: https://www.northsouthministerialcouncil.org/publications/freedom-information-code-practice-0
Primary and post-primary schools	Not covered	FOI Act 2014, s. 6(3) and Sch. 1 Pt. 2 ('Exempt Agencies') School boards of management (Education Act 1998, s. 14) are Sch. 1 Pt. 2 Exempt Agencies, and recognised schools without a board were exempted by S.I. No. 144 of 2015 (art. 3(2), Sch. Pt. 2(a)), in both cases except schools established or maintained by an ETB. ETB schools are reachable through their ETB; records about the school system generally are held by the Department of Education and other covered bodies.
Provinces (geographic)	Not covered	FOI Act 2014, s. 6(1) (definition covers bodies, not geographic units or offices) Geographic grouping with no government function.
All other public bodies	Covered	FOI Act 2014 (No. 30 of 2014), s. 6(1) ('public body') s. 6(1) sweeps in entities established by or under enactment and bodies controlled or majority-owned by public bodies. Verify body-level status against Sch. 1 Pt. 1 (partial inclusion), Pt. 2 (exempt), s. 42 record-class restrictions, and the register before relying on the default.

Coverage notes

An Garda Síochána: administrative records only FOI applies to the Garda Síochána only for 'administrative records relating to human resources, or finance or procurement matters, or records transferred to the Garda Síochána under section 159(2) of the Policing, Security and Community Safety Act 2024' (Sch. 1 Pt. 1 para (n), as amended by that Act). Bord an Gharda Síochána has the same HR/finance/procurement scope (para (ao)). Separately, s. 42(b) puts Garda records on listed security matters (Emergency Response Unit, Special Detective Unit, witness protection, covert intelligence and others) entirely outside the Act. FOI Act 2014, s. 6(2)(a) and Sch. 1 Pt. 1 ('Partially Included Agencies')
Central Bank and NTMA record-class carve-outs The Central Bank is an FOI body except for confidential personal, financial, commercial or regulatory information received for its statutory functions and Central Credit Register records (Sch. 1 Pt. 1 para (b)), plus records whose disclosure is prohibited by the Rome Treaty, ESCB Statute or Supervisory Directives (s. 42(i)). The NTMA is an FOI body except records on commercial Pt. 2-Schedule bodies, its NTMA (Amendment) Act 2000 Pt. 2 functions and staff terms (para (w)), investor/counterparty/purchaser records shared with NAMA and related bodies (para (x)), and Home Building Finance Ireland finance records (para (ak)). FOI Act 2014, s. 6(2)(a) and Sch. 1 Pt. 1 ('Partially Included Agencies')
Commercial state bodies: three regimes Most commercial semi-states are wholly exempt (Sch. 1 Pt. 2: An Post, ESB, Bord na Móna, Coillte, CIÉ, Dublin Bus, Bus Éireann, daa, Irish Aviation Authority, the port companies). The regulated network operators are FOI bodies only for their licensed monopoly functions (Sch. 1 Pt. 1: EirGrid para (i), ESB Networks para (j), Gas Networks Ireland/Gaslink para (l)); requests about competitive-market activities are outside scope. Iarnród Éireann's FOI position is defined by para (p) (Rosslare Europort and State freight operations) read with the s. 6(3) CIÉ-subsidiary exclusion. Uisce Éireann is fully covered (s. 6(1)(b)/(d), not in Sch. 1). RTÉ is covered only for management, administration, finance, commercial and communications functions (S.I. No. 115 of 2000, carried forward by s. 6(1)(h)), with journalistic and programme-content records outside the Act; TG4 was prescribed by the same instrument (as Seirbhísí Theilifís na Gaeilge Teoranta) and its published FOI guide applies the same exclusions under the 2014 Act. FOI Act 2014, s. 6(2)(a) and Sch. 1 Pt. 1 ('Partially Included Agencies') · RTÉ v Information Commissioner, [2004] IEHC 113 (judgment text as quoted in OIC decision OIC-115177)
s. 7 prescription power (unused) and the s. 6(1)(h) carry-forward s. 7 lets the Minister prescribe entities 'financed wholly or partly, or directly or indirectly' by the State as FOI bodies, but no s. 7 order has been located as of July 2026. State-funded non-statutory bodies that are FOI bodies today (voluntary hospitals, the Institute of Public Administration, the Royal Irish Academy) owe that status to prescriptions made under the FOI Act 1997 (e.g. S.I. No. 329 of 1999, S.I. No. 115 of 2000) carried forward by s. 6(1)(h); check the original prescribing S.I. for scope limits when targeting such a body. FOI Act 2014, s. 7 (ministerial power to prescribe State-financed entities; no s. 7 order located as of 2026-07)
Refusals must be justified: the presumption of disclosure On review, a refusal is presumed unjustified unless the FOI body satisfies the Information Commissioner that it was justified (s. 22(12)(b)). The Supreme Court held this applies to all records except those excluded from the Act under Part 5, so bodies must give reasoned, record-specific justification even for records claimed exempt as confidential (s. 35) or commercially sensitive (s. 36), and an FOI body cannot contract out of the Act through confidentiality clauses with service providers. FOI Act 2014, s. 22(12)(b) · Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources v Information Commissioner (eNet), [2020] IESC 57; [2022] 1 IR 1

Freedom of Information Act 2014