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Freedom of information request to a Scottish public authority (Scotland)
Scotland · in English
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Made for use in Scotland
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For anyone who wants information held by a Scottish public authority — the Scottish Government, a council, a health board, Police Scotland, a school or a university: a request under the Freedom of Information (Scotland) Act 2002, also covering environmental information, asking for a reply within 20 working days (Scottish bank holidays excluded). No reason is needed. Many authorities have their own online form or FOI email address, free. A UK-wide body such as HMRC or the DWP answers under the UK Act instead: use the Freedom of information request to a public authority (UK).
- Made for use in Scotland
- Last updated October 29, 2026
- Document in English
Where a UK document reproduces the words of legislation or of a government publication — UK, Scottish or Northern Irish — it contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
Published byDocMuse
When to use this document
- You want to find out what your council in Scotland spent on a project.
- You want papers from the Scottish Government or Police Scotland about something that affects you.
- A health board will not share figures you think the public should be able to see.
- You want a clear, dated request for information to a Scottish public body.
What you fill in
The details the document asks for.
- Sender
- Sender's address
- Town or city
- Sender's postcode
- Date
- Authority or body holding the information
- Address of the authority or body
- Information requested
- How you want to receive the information
Common questions
- Which law applies to an FOI request to a council or health board in Scotland?
- The Freedom of Information (Scotland) Act 2002, for Scottish public authorities: the Scottish Government, councils, health boards, Police Scotland, schools, colleges and universities. A UK-wide authority in Scotland, such as HMRC, the DWP or a UK government department, answers under the Freedom of Information Act 2000 instead; for those, use the Freedom of information request to a public authority (UK). Most Scottish authorities have their own FOI form, and the free site WhatDoTheyKnow sends Scottish requests too.
- What must a Scottish FOI request include, and must I give a reason?
- It must be in writing or another form that can be kept, such as email, give your name and an address for the reply, and describe the information you want. No reason is needed, and anyone may ask. The 20 working days run from the day after the authority receives it and leave out weekends, Christmas Day and Scottish bank holidays, including 2 January and St Andrew's Day.
- What if a Scottish public authority does not answer my FOI request in time?
- Send it a requirement for review within 40 working days, saying that it has not answered or why you disagree with its answer; it must reply within 20 working days. If you are still dissatisfied, or it does not reply, apply free to the Scottish Information Commissioner within six months, through the Commissioner's online form. The Commissioner's decision can be appealed on a point of law to the Court of Session.
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
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