Can a private citizen request that a specific classified record be declassified?

Yes. In the United States, a member of the public does not have to wait for an agency to declassify records on its own schedule. Two established avenues let a private citizen ask that a specific classified record be reviewed for release.

Mandatory Declassification Review (MDR)

The executive order that governs classified national security information gives any requester the ability to ask an agency to review a specific record and remove the classification if it no longer meets the standards for protection. This process is generally known as Mandatory Declassification Review.

Key features of MDR:

• The requester must describe the record with enough specificity that the agency can locate it with a reasonable effort.
• The agency reviews the record and declassifies any portions that no longer require protection, releasing what it can.
• If the agency declines, the requester typically has the right to appeal within the agency, and ultimately to an interagency panel that resolves classification disputes.

MDR is especially useful when a record is too old or too narrowly described to fit neatly into a broad records request.

Freedom of Information Act (FOIA)

A citizen may also request classified records through FOIA. The agency must then determine whether any exemption — including the national security exemption — still applies. If the basis for classification has lapsed, the material may be released. FOIA includes its own appeal rights and, ultimately, judicial review.

Practical points to keep in mind

• These processes apply to records held by U.S. federal agencies; state, local, and foreign records follow their own rules.
• Some information remains protected even after review if it still meets classification standards or falls under another statute.
• Older records may also become available automatically through automatic declassification once they reach a set age, unless an agency has exempted them.

Citizens, journalists, and researchers use these tools routinely, and oversight bodies track agency compliance. To learn more about how classification and review work in practice, see our declassification topic hub.

In short, a private citizen can absolutely request that a specific classified record be declassified — through MDR, FOIA, or both — and is entitled to a decision and to appeal it.