32 CFR § 1800.12 - Requirements as to form and content.

---
identifier: "/us/cfr/t32/s1800.12"
source: "ecfr"
legal_status: "authoritative_unofficial"
title: "32 CFR § 1800.12 - Requirements as to form and content."
title_number: 32
title_name: "National Defense"
section_number: "1800.12"
section_name: "Requirements as to form and content."
chapter_name: "NATIONAL COUNTERINTELLIGENCE CENTER"
part_number: "1800"
part_name: "PUBLIC ACCESS TO NACIC RECORDS UNDER THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA)"
positive_law: false
currency: "2026-03-24"
last_updated: "2026-03-24"
format_version: "1.1.0"
generator: "[email protected]"
authority: "5 U.S.C. 552."
regulatory_source: "64 FR 49879, Sept. 14, 1999, unless otherwise noted."
cfr_part: "1800"
---


# 1800.12 Requirements as to form and content.

(a) *Required information.* No particular form is required. A request need only reasonably describe the records of interest. This means that documents must be described sufficiently to enable a professional employee familiar with the subject to locate the documents with a reasonable effort. Commonly this equates to a requirement that the documents must be locatable through the indexing of our various systems. Extremely broad or vague requests or requests requiring research do not satisfy this requirement.

(b) *Additional information for fee determination.* In addition, a requester should provide sufficient personal identifying information to allow us to determine the appropriate fee category. A requester should also provide an agreement to pay all applicable fees or fees not to exceed a certain amount or request a fee waiver.

(c) *Otherwise.* Communications which do not meet these requirements will be considered an expression of interest and NACIC will work with, and offer suggestions to, the potential requester in order to define a request properly.