← FFCheckWho do I contact?IT
Government · Italy
Updated September 2026

📂 How do I request documents or information from a public body?

Direct answer

Every EU country has an access-to-information law: you can ask any public body for documents, without giving a reason, and they must answer within a legal deadline (often 15–30 days) — either with the documents or with a reasoned refusal citing an exception (privacy, security, ongoing decisions). Send the request to the body; if refused or ignored, Difensore civico / ANAC — accesso civico (anticorruzione.it) — the information commissioner or ombudsman for Italy — reviews it; Difensore civico regionale (difensorecivico.it) handles the procedural complaint; TAR — Tribunale amministrativo regionale (giustizia-amministrativa.it) is the court. Documents about you are also a data-protection right (GDPR access), which has no exceptions for "internal" notes.

Call firstDifensore civico / ANAC — accesso civico
Report toDifensore civico regionale
If that failsTAR — Tribunale amministrativo regionale

🗣️ What to say

"Under [access-to-information law] I request copies of [documents: description, period, subject], including [emails, reports, contracts]. Please provide them in electronic form within the legal deadline. If you refuse any part, please state the exception and the reasoning, and tell me how to appeal."

🪜 Step by step

  1. Describe, do not justifyWhat documents, which period, which department. No reason is needed; a clear description is.
  2. Send it in writingEmail to the body's official address or the online portal. Note the date — the deadline runs from receipt.
  3. Deadline passesA reminder citing the law; then a complaint to Difensore civico / ANAC — accesso civico for silence.
  4. RefusedRead the exception. Partial disclosure with redactions is the norm; a blanket refusal is reviewable at Difensore civico / ANAC — accesso civico.
  5. Documents about youUse both routes: access to information and GDPR access. The GDPR route reaches personal notes and assessments.

📇 All contacts

Difensore civico / ANAC — accesso civicoGeneral civic access (FOIA) and reviewWhen a body refuses access🔗 www.anticorruzione.it
Difensore civico regionaleComplaints about public administration, freeWhen the administration does not answer or acts unfairly🔗 www.difensorecivico.it
TAR — Tribunale amministrativo regionaleAppeals against administrative actsWithin 60 days of the act🔗 www.giustizia-amministrativa.it
Garante per la protezione dei dati personaliComplaints against companies, investigations, finesWhen the company does not answer within a month or misuses data📞 06 696771🔗 www.garanteprivacy.it

❓ Frequently asked

Can they charge me?

Copying costs at most; many countries provide electronic copies free. Excessive fees are appealable.

They say the documents do not exist

Ask how they searched; Difensore civico / ANAC — accesso civico can check. Emails and messages are documents too.

Can I ask a private company?

Only if it performs a public task or is publicly owned; otherwise, GDPR access for your own data.

📎 Sources

Last checked: 2026-09-26

🔎 Common searches

Recognise your own search? The answer above covers all of these.

  • “freedom of information request Italy”
  • “access to documents public body”
  • “foi request refused appeal”
  • “information commissioner Italy”
  • “request my file from authority”

🧭 Is this still correct?

We check this information carefully, but phone numbers, websites and rules change — and sometimes we get something wrong. Spotted a mistake or a change? Let us know below.

🔗 Related questions

⚖️Ombudsman→📩Object to a decision→💡Broken streetlight→🗑️Illegal dumping→

Your tools for Italy

Before it goes wrongCan I?What is allowed, what is not, which permit you need — with the official source.Energy · ItalyElectricity & gasThe rules that protect you as an electricity and gas customer in Italy, and who to contact. Every fact is checked on an official source.Recognise it firstIs dit veilig?Check a phone number, website or message against 47,000 scam dossiers.