What Freeedom of Information is

Access to information promotes governmental accountability, transparency, and public participation in national decision-making. The Freedom of Information Law (2020 Revision) reinforces and gives further effect to these fundamental principles underlying the system of constitutional democracy by granting to the public a general right of access to records held by the Cayman Islands Government.

Freedom of Information is an essential human right enshrined in our Constitution. The Freedom of Information (FOI) Law was first enacted in the Cayman Islands in 2007 and came into force on 5 January 2009.

Many other laws and administrative procedures allow you to access information and records from the Cayman Islands Government, including your own personal information. Sometimes you must make a formal application and supply specific details (e.g. a police report), pay a fee (e.g. a birth certificate), or access the information in a specific way (e.g. inspection of a public register). It is also possible that the information you are seeking is available from a public authority in the normal course of business and you do not need to make a formal FOI request.

The FOI Law supplements other methods of access to information by encouraging proactive publication and granting you the right to request records that are not otherwise available to you.