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Freedom of Information request (Ireland)
Ireland · in English
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10 questions · about 4 min
Made for use in Ireland
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For anyone who wants records held by a government department, council, the HSE, a public hospital, university, An Garda Síochána or another FOI body in Ireland. A request under the Freedom of Information Act 2014, addressed to the body's FOI officer, describing the records and the form you want them in, and asking for a decision within four weeks. Making a request is free; many bodies also take requests by their own email or online form. Send it by email or by registered post (An Post).
- Made for use in Ireland
- Last updated November 3, 2026
- Document in English
Published byDocMuse
When to use this document
- You want records a government department or council in Ireland holds about a decision.
- A public body will not tell you how it reached a decision that affects you.
- You are researching how the HSE or a public hospital spent money on a project.
- You want to make an FOI request in writing and keep a dated copy.
What you fill in
The details the document asks for.
- Sender
- Sender's address
- Town and county (e.g. Ennis, Co. Clare; or Dublin 8)
- Sender's Eircode
- Date
- Authority or body holding the information
- Address of the authority or body
- Information requested
- How you want to receive the information
Common questions
- Does the public body have its own way of taking FOI requests?
- Usually: most departments, councils, the HSE and other FOI bodies publish an FOI email address or online form, and you can use it, free. Any written request is valid if it is addressed to the body, says it is made under the Freedom of Information Act 2014 and describes the records clearly enough to find them. This letter gives you a clear, dated request of your own.
- How long does an FOI body in Ireland have to decide on my request?
- Four weeks from receiving it (section 13 of the Freedom of Information Act 2014). It may extend that time in some cases, for example for a large number of records, and must tell you why. If no decision reaches you in time, the request is treated as refused, and you can ask for an internal review. A body may charge for searching and copying some records, but making the request is free.
- What can I do if an FOI body refuses some or all of my request?
- Ask the body for an internal review within four weeks of its decision; the fee is €30, or €10 for a medical card holder, and the review is decided within three weeks. If you are still not satisfied, apply to the Office of the Information Commissioner for a review; the fee is €50, or €15 for a medical card holder, and oic.ie gives the time limit and how to apply.
How you can sign this document
- Print it and sign by hand. The signature lines in the document are left blank on purpose — sign on them in ink.
- Sign it yourself with a qualified electronic signature. If you already hold a QES — Evrotrust, B-Trust, StampIT, ZealiD or any qualified provider on the EU Trusted List, on a card, a USB token, in a mobile app or in the cloud — our signing guide explains step by step how to sign this exact file without invalidating it. Step-by-step help, and a way to check it worked
DocMuse sells documents, not legal advice. Acceptance always depends on the recipient's rules and your local law.
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