In general, to file a request is simple and there are not many formalities.  
Requests can always be filed in writing. This generally means either sending by post or hand-delivering a written request to the public institution. In many countries you can also present requests by e-mail. A list of countries which permit e-mail requests is given in the chart below. Note that in some cases e-mail requests are a matter of practice rather than law (Netherlands, Serbia). In other countries requests can be submitted via web-based forms (this system is used in Turkey for example).

In the case of oral requests you can do them either by phone or in person. The practice is quite varied on this although in some countries it is permitted by law. Note, however, that in some of these countries (Slovenia) the request is not seen as formal for the basis of a legal appeal. In other countries (Armenia, Romania) the rules are slightly different for oral and written requests. It is therefore recommended that requests be filed in writing in order to have a record of the request in case an appeal is necessary.

Box E: Oral requests and Email requests

TIP!  We advise you to make your request in writing and to save a copy or a record of it so that in the future you are able to demonstrate that your request was sent, in case you need to make an appeal against failure to answer, for example. This also gives you some evidence of filing the request if you are planning to do a story on it. There are a number of ways that you can do this:

→ If you deliver the request by hand, take two copies and get one of them stamped
→ If you send it by post, we suggest using recorded or registered mail  
→ If you send an e-mail, do it with an automatic “return receipt”, but be aware that in many countries this is not yet a legal proof like a formal record of delivery by mail – and some people switch off that function on their computers.
→ It is also worth checking what the law is in your country: Is a simple e-mail a legal document? Is there a system for electronic signatures?

TIP!  You might want to scan a copy of your request before posting or a copy of the request that has been submitted with the official stamps on it. This makes a good image to illustrate your story and to post on your website.

Formal Acknowledgements: In some countries public authorities are required under the access to information law to issue a reference number to confirm that they received a letter or e-mail. This is the case, for example, at the EU level.