Privacy Act Personal Records Request — Make the Federal Government Give You Your Own File
What Is It?
The Privacy Act lets you ask a federal institution for records it holds about you.
Why It Helps
- It is often the right tool for immigration, benefits, border, or program records about yourself
- Personal-information requests are usually different from regular ATIP requests for general government records
- There is generally no $5 application fee for a Privacy Act request
What Most People Don’t Know
- This is usually better than Access to Information when the records are about you personally.
- You can ask for notes, internal decision records, and related personal-information files, not just final letters.
- A narrow request often moves faster than asking for “everything.”
Good To Know
- Be specific about date ranges, program names, and file numbers
- Ask for notes, internal correspondence, and decision records if those matter
- This is about your own personal information, not general government policy records