U.S. FEDRegulation
State Department rewrites its FOIA and public-access-to-information rules
The Department of State revised its public-access-to-information regulations at 22 CFR part 171, effective October 21, 2026 (FR Doc. 2026-19223), reflecting organizational and procedural changes and the FOIA Improvement Act of 2016. Electronic FOIA and Privacy Act requests for the Information Access Programs Directorate and the Directorate for Passport Services are accepted only via FOIA.gov or the Department's FOIA website. The rule simplifies procedures for describing records sought and points requesters to current component contact information.
Key points
- The Department of State revised its public-access-to-information regulations at 22 CFR part 171, effective October 21, 2026.Federal Register
- FOIA and Privacy Act requests for the Information Access Programs Directorate and the Directorate for Passport Services go only via FOIA.gov or the Department website.Federal Register
- Procedures for reasonably describing records sought are simplified and consolidated.Federal Register
- The rule reflects the FOIA Improvement Act of 2016 and organizational and procedural changes.Federal Register
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RegulationU.S.State Department: Public Access to Information (FOIA) rule revisionRegulatoryFor practitionersFor governance