Fees

    The Freedom of Information Act 2014 provides for a completely new FOI fees regime. The Ministerial Order establishing the new fees regime can be viewed here: S.I. No. 531 of 2014.

    The following is a summary of the new fee structure in respect of non-personal requests:

    • The €15 application fee has been abolished;
    • There is a minimum threshold of €101 below which no search, retrieval and copying fees can be charged. Once the charge reaches €101, full fees apply;
    • There is a cap of €500 on the amount of search, retrieval and copying fees that can be charged;
    • There is a further upper limit on estimated search, retrieval and copying fees at €700, above which an FOI body can refuse to process a request, unless the requester is prepared to refine the request to bring the search, retrieval and copying fees below the limit;
    • The fee for internal review under Section 21 is now €30 (€10 for medical card holders and their dependants);
    • The fee for appeals to the Office of the Information Commissioner under Section 22 is now €50 (€15 for medical card holders and their dependants).​