LetterAgent
Mail physical letters by just asking your AI assistant.
Write to the FOIA office of the federal agency that holds the records: describe what you want clearly enough to search for, include your contact info and a fee agreement or waiver request, and date the letter. Agencies generally have about 20 business days to respond, and you can appeal a denial.
This is general information, not legal advice.
| Element | What to write |
|---|---|
| The right recipient | The agency's FOIA office or FOIA officer, not the agency head or a general inbox |
| Record description | Specific enough to search: dates, subject, offices involved, document types |
| Your contact info | Name, mailing address, phone, and email |
| Fee statement | Agree to pay up to a dollar amount, or request a fee waiver |
| Fee category | State whether you are commercial, news media/educational, or "all other" requester |
| Expedited processing | Request it only if you qualify: imminent threat or urgent public-interest need |
FOIA lets agencies charge for search, review, and duplication, but what you pay depends on your fee category. Commercial requesters pay full freight. News media and educational requesters get search free and pay only duplication beyond a free allowance. Everyone else, which is most individuals, gets the first two hours of search and the first 100 pages free, then pays beyond that. State your category in the letter and cap your agreement ("I agree to pay up to a stated cap; contact me before exceeding it") so a big search cannot surprise you with a bill.
You can also ask for a fee waiver by arguing that disclosure is in the public interest and you are not primarily seeking commercial gain. Journalists, researchers, and nonprofits win these regularly; state the case plainly in a paragraph.
FOIA has nine exemptions covering things like classified material, internal deliberations, personal privacy, and law enforcement records. Expect redactions rather than full releases on sensitive topics. If the agency refuses to confirm or deny that records exist at all, that is called a Glomar response, and it is a recognized (if frustrating) practice in national security and law enforcement contexts. A denial is not the end: every denial letter must explain your right to appeal, usually within 90 days, to the agency's FOIA appeals office.
Canada's parallel is the Access to Information Act, and requests go to the ATIP coordinator of the specific federal institution holding the records, not to a central office. There is a small application fee, and institutions generally must respond within 30 days. Provincial freedom-of-information laws work similarly but run through each province's own coordinator and fee schedule. If your records might sit with a provincial body, file there, not federally.
Yes. Describe the request to your AI assistant, approve the exact quoted price, and it is printed and mailed to the agency's FOIA office. Use the registered option (US Certified Mail) so you have dated proof of when the agency received it: that receipt is what starts the response clock ticking and what you will cite if you later appeal a delay.
Ready to mail it? Send your letter with LetterAgent: describe it to your AI assistant, approve the exact quoted price, and it is printed and mailed.
LetterAgent is a working name. Prices include print, postage, and our service fee. US prices in USD, Canadian prices in CAD (Canadian prices exclude applicable sales tax, added at checkout). Currently in private testing.
Need help? Ask your assistant: it can check a job's status any time. If it ever can't handle something: hello@getletteragent.com