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Subject access request to an organisation (UK)
England, Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales · in English
€2.00Fill it in online free — pay only to download
12 questions · about 5 min
Made for use in England, Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales
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For anyone in the UK who wants a copy of the personal data an organisation holds about them: an employer or former employer, a bank, a council, a landlord, a phone company or a parking operator. A request under Article 15 of the UK GDPR: it asks for all your data, or the parts you name, and the information about how it is used, and reminds the organisation that it has one month and may not charge. Sent by email to the data protection officer. The ICO publishes a free template too.
- Made for use in England, Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales
- Last updated October 28, 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 know what personal data your former employer in the UK holds about you.
- Your bank or phone company will not explain what information it keeps on you.
- A parking company keeps writing to you and you want to know where it got your details.
- You want to send a SAR, also called a DSAR, and keep a copy of what you asked.
What you fill in
The details the document asks for.
- Sender
- Sender's address
- Town or city
- Sender's postcode
- Date
- Data controller
- Controller's address
- Recipient's postcode
- Account number
- Information requested
- Period the data covers
Common questions
- Is there a free template for a subject access request?
- Yes. The ICO publishes free guidance and a template for asking an organisation for your data, and many organisations have their own online form or a privacy email address you can use instead. No particular form or wording is required: any clear request counts, even one made by phone. This letter sets the request out in full, with the information you are entitled to and the time limit, so that you keep a record of exactly what you asked.
- How long does an organisation have to answer, and can it stop the clock?
- One month from receiving the request, extendable by up to two further months for a complex request or several requests, if it tells you within the first month. Since the Data (Use and Access) Act 2025 the clock stops while it waits for information it has reasonably asked for, such as proof of identity, and it need only make reasonable and proportionate searches. It cannot normally charge.
- What can I do if an organisation ignores my subject access request?
- Complain to the organisation first: since 19 June 2026 it must have a complaints process and acknowledge a data protection complaint within 30 days. If that fails, complain free to the ICO, which has been run by the Information Commission since 30 September 2026 and keeps the name ICO. You can also ask a court to order the organisation to comply, which is a separate claim with its own costs.
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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