How long will I have to wait?

If the public authority has to ask you for more details to help it identify exactly what information you are asking for, the 20 working days will only start once you have given those details.

However, if you believe your request was already clear enough you can ask the authority to review this.

In certain circumstances, public authorities can charge a fee for FOI requests (although this happens rarely).

If the public authority contacts you to tell you that you have to pay a fee, the 20 working day clock will be 'paused'. Once you pay the fee, the clock will start again.

For example, if the authority sends you a fees notice after 10 working days, and you decide to pay the fee, the authority has another 10 working days from the day it receives your payment to respond.

If a fee is charged, you don't have to pay, but you won't receive the information if you don't.

If you're unhappy with the fee that the authority is asking for, you can ask the authority to review this.

If you ask the Scottish Government for information that's no longer in regular use, it may have been transferred to the Keeper of the Records of Scotland. If this is the case, you may have to wait up to 30 working days, not 20, for a reply. For most information requests though, the 20 working day limit will apply.