Filing a form with the U.S. Department of Justice starts with picking the right one, because the DOJ doesn’t use a single intake channel. Records requests go through the Freedom of Information Act with no set form at all. Injury claims against the federal government use Standard Form 95. Civil rights complaints go through an online portal. Requests for your own DOJ records use Form DOJ-361. Pardon applications use forms specific to the type of clemency you’re seeking. Knowing how to file Department of Justice forms is mostly a matter of matching your purpose to the correct form and sending it to the specific component or agency the instructions name.
Requesting Records Under FOIA
There is no mandatory form for a FOIA request. The DOJ’s guidance says the request “simply must be in writing, must reasonably describe the records you seek, and must also provide any other specific information that the component requires.”1U.S. Department of Justice. Make a FOIA Request to DOJ A letter, an email, or a web form submission all work.
The DOJ is split into components: bureaus, divisions, offices, and boards. Each processes its own FOIA requests, so the request moves fastest when you send it straight to the component you believe holds the records. All components now accept electronic submissions by web form, email, or fax.1U.S. Department of Justice. Make a FOIA Request to DOJ You can also file through the National FOIA Portal at FOIA.gov.2FOIA.gov. Freedom of Information Act If you can’t identify the right component, the Department’s Mail Referral Unit will route the request for you.
Once a component receives your request, it has 20 business days to decide whether to release the records and notify you of that decision. If the request is denied, you have at least 90 days to file an administrative appeal.3Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 5 USC 552 – Public Information; Agency Rules, Opinions, Orders, Records, and Proceedings Complex requests routinely take longer than the statutory clock allows in practice.
Describe the records precisely enough that someone unfamiliar with your situation could conduct a search. Vague requests either get bounced back for clarification or return very little.
Filing an Injury Claim With Standard Form 95
If a federal employee’s negligence caused you property damage, personal injury, or a family member’s death, the Federal Tort Claims Act requires you to file an administrative claim with the responsible agency before you can sue.4Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 28 US Code 2675 – Disposition by Federal Agency as Prerequisite; Evidence Standard Form 95 is the standard vehicle. The DOJ Civil Division notes that SF-95 “is not required to present a claim under the FTCA, but it is a convenient format for supplying the information necessary to bring an FTCA claim.”5U.S. Department of Justice. Civil Division – Documents and Forms In practice, nearly everyone uses it.
What the Form Requires
SF-95 collects your personal information, a description of the incident, and dollar amounts for damages under three categories: property damage, personal injury, and wrongful death. The description section, sometimes labeled “Basis of Claim,” is where you explain what happened, name the federal employee or agency involved, and connect their conduct to your loss.
The single most important entry is the sum certain. You must write a specific dollar figure for total damages. A vague request for “compensation” won’t count. Under 28 CFR 14.2, a submission without a sum certain “cannot be considered a valid presentation of a claim.”6eCFR. 28 CFR 14.2 – Administrative Claims; Evidence and Information to Be Submitted Choose the number carefully. If you later file suit, you generally can’t sue for more than the amount on the SF-95 unless you discover new evidence after filing.4Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 28 US Code 2675 – Disposition by Federal Agency as Prerequisite; Evidence
Attach supporting documentation: medical bills, repair estimates, photographs, police reports, and witness statements. The stronger the evidence package, the less likely the agency is to send follow-up requests or deny the claim outright.
Where to Send It
Send the completed SF-95 to the federal agency whose employee caused the injury, not to DOJ headquarters. The form itself instructs claimants to submit it “directly to the appropriate Federal agency.”5U.S. Department of Justice. Civil Division – Documents and Forms A Postal Service truck crash goes to USPS. A VA hospital injury goes to the Department of Veterans Affairs. Sending it to the wrong agency can waste months. Use certified mail so you have proof of delivery and a clear postmark.
Deadlines
You have two years from the date the claim accrues, typically the date of injury or the date you reasonably should have discovered it, to file the SF-95. Miss that window and the claim is permanently barred.7Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 28 USC 2401 – Time for Commencing Action Against United States
After filing, the agency has six months to settle or deny. If six months pass with no final decision, you can treat the silence as a denial and file suit in federal district court.8Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 28 USC 2675 – Disposition by Federal Agency as Prerequisite; Evidence If the agency sends a written denial by certified or registered mail, you have six months from the mailing date of that letter to file suit, or the claim is barred forever.7Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 28 USC 2401 – Time for Commencing Action Against United States That six-month post-denial window catches people off guard. It’s shorter than most state statutes of limitations, and it starts on the mailing date, not the date you receive the letter.
Reporting a Civil Rights Violation
The Civil Rights Division takes complaints through an online portal at civilrights.justice.gov.9U.S. Department of Justice. Civil Rights Division It covers hate crimes, discrimination by law enforcement, human trafficking, and disability discrimination, among other issues.10U.S. Department of Justice. Contact the Civil Rights Division There is no standalone form. You describe what happened through the interface, and the Division routes the report internally.
One deadline to note: Title II ADA complaints, covering state and local government services, must be filed with the DOJ within 180 days of the discrimination. The Department may refer certain cases to mediation, and if it investigates and cannot resolve the violation, it may file suit on your behalf.11ADA.gov. Guide to Disability Rights Laws
Requesting Your Own DOJ Records With Form DOJ-361
The Privacy Act of 1974 gives U.S. citizens and lawful permanent residents the right to access records the DOJ maintains about them personally. The DOJ uses Form DOJ-361, “Certification of Identity,” to verify who you are before releasing anything.12U.S. Department of Justice. Certification of Identity – Form DOJ-361
The form asks for your full name, citizenship status, current address, date and place of birth, and signature. Providing your Social Security number is voluntary, but the DOJ warns that without it, the Department “may be unable to locate any or all records pertaining to you.”12U.S. Department of Justice. Certification of Identity – Form DOJ-361 Including it materially improves the chance the search finds what you’re looking for.
Be accurate. Providing false information can trigger criminal penalties: up to five years in prison and a $10,000 fine under 18 U.S.C. ยง 1001, plus an additional fine of up to $5,000 under the Privacy Act itself for obtaining records under false pretenses.12U.S. Department of Justice. Certification of Identity – Form DOJ-361 If you aren’t a citizen or lawful permanent resident, the DOJ will process the request under FOIA instead, which has different exemption and fee rules.
Applying for a Pardon or Commutation
The Office of the Pardon Attorney handles applications for presidential pardons and sentence commutations. Different types of clemency use different application forms, all posted on the DOJ’s clemency page.13United States Department of Justice. Apply for Clemency A standard federal pardon uses the pardon application and instructions; a commutation of sentence, meant for federal inmates, uses a separate form available in English and Spanish; a simple-possession-of-marijuana pardon can be submitted online or by downloading the application; and a Vietnam War-era pardon for Selective Service violations uses its own designated form with a privacy statement.
For a standard federal pardon, there is a five-year waiting period. The clock starts on the date you’re released from confinement, or on the date of sentencing if no confinement was imposed. You should also have fully completed any probation, parole, or supervised release before applying. Waivers of the waiting period are “rarely granted and then only in the most exceptional circumstances,” and require a completed application with a cover letter explaining why your situation justifies an exception.14United States Department of Justice. Pardon Information and Instructions
Pardon applications don’t run on a guaranteed timeline. They move at the pace of the Office of the Pardon Attorney’s review and the President’s discretion.
Where to Find the Forms and How to Send Them
The DOJ maintains a central forms page at justice.gov/forms with downloadable documents from most divisions.15United States Department of Justice. Forms Some bureaus, including the Federal Bureau of Prisons and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, host their forms on separate websites. Individual divisions like the Civil Division, the Office of Information Policy, and the Civil Rights Division also maintain their own pages.
Most forms are downloadable PDFs, and some are fillable in a browser. All official DOJ forms are free. Third-party sites that charge for these forms are either overcharging for something free or serving outdated versions the Department will reject.
Keep a complete copy of everything you send, including attachments. For physical mail, use certified mail with return receipt so the postmark is documented. For electronic submissions, save confirmation emails and any tracking numbers. Write specifically: include dates, locations, names of people involved, and the specific agency or office at issue.16U.S. Department of Justice. Privacy Act Requests Federal reviewers carry heavy caseloads, and vague submissions either slow the process or generate requests for more information.