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Form DOJ-361 Certification of Identity
What Is Form DOJ-361?
Form DOJ-361, Certification of Identity , is a legal document completed by individuals who wish to get access to their Department of Justice records or authorize the release of these records to other individuals. This form was released by the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ). You can download a DOJ-361 fillable form through the link below.
Federal agencies maintain systems of records that collect, maintain, use, and disseminate information about various individuals. It is forbidden to disclose this information to any other individual or agency without a written request of the individual to whom the record pertains. DOJ-361 Form collects personal data sufficient to identify the individual who submits a request and ensures that this individual's records are not wrongfully disclosed without explicit authorization.
Form DOJ-361 Instructions
Provide the following information on Form DOJ-361:
- Write down the full name of the requester (e.g., the individual whose records are being sought).
- Indicate the requester's citizenship status. To submit this request, you must be either a U.S. citizen or a permanent resident.
- Enter your Social Security Number (SSN). This is voluntary: you may provide your SSN only to facilitate the identification of records that relate to you. Without the SSN, the Department may be unable to locate some of the records that pertain to you.
- State your current address, date, and place of birth.
- Authorize the release of your DOJ records to another person by writing down this individual's full name.
- Confirm the information in the form is true and correct, you are the individual named in the request, and you understand the falsification of this document might lead to criminal prosecution.
- Sign and date the form.
Once you complete the Certification of Identity, you need to decide where to send your request. Since the DOJ has multiple components (bureaus, offices, boards, and divisions), each of them processes its own records to respond to the request contained in the DOJ-361 Form. You may address this form to the component that you believe has the records you wish to be released: Office of the Attorney General, Civil Division, Criminal Division, Drug Enforcement Administration, etc.
If you are uncertain about which component has the records, mail the form to the FOIA/PA Mail Referral Unit, Department of Justice, Room 115, LOC Building, Washington, DC 20530-0001. Personnel of the Mail Referral Unit will forward your documentation to the component that is most likely to maintain the sought records.
