Freedom of Information – when and how to complain

The Freedom of Information Act gives you the right to ask for official information from public authorities. If you think a public authority has wrongly withheld information or incorrectly handled a request, you can complain to us.

Please note that complaints made under the Freedom of Information Act should be submitted within six months of the outcome of internal review being issued.

Supporting evidence

For your complaint to be eligible for further consideration we will usually need you to provide us with supporting information or evidence.

If you send us this information together with your completed complaint form it will avoid delays that could result from us asking you to provide it later.

To find out what information you need to send us, please select the category below that most closely matches what you intend to complain about:

• they have failed to respond to your request within time limits (normally 20 working days)
• they have applied an exemption under the Act or otherwise explicitly withheld information
• they have refused your request on cost grounds
• they have not responded to a request for internal review

If you are still unsure what supporting evidence you will need to send to us, are not able to provide the information we need, or are unable to complete a form, please contact our Helpline on 0303 123 1113.

Make your complaint

Please note: some of our online complaints forms are undergoing development. In the meantime, please choose from the following options.

• By email: If all your supporting evidence is available electronically, you can send your form via email by taking the following steps. Please be aware that email may not be secure and could be intercepted before reaching the ICO.
  
  Freedom of Information Act complaints form (Word version)

1. Complete and save the form to your computer.
2. Open a new email, with 'Complaint to the ICO' in the subject line.
3. Attach this form and any other documents you wish to send us.
4. Send to casework@ico.gsi.gov.uk

• By post: If your supporting evidence is in hard copy, you can fill in the online complaint form, print it out and post it to us with your supporting evidence
  
  Freedom of Information Act complaints form (Word version)

Send to:
First Contact Team
Information Commissioner's Office
Wycliffe House
Water Lane
Wilmslow
SK9 5AF

For information about how we handle your data, please read our privacy notice.