- Price
- €9.95incl. VAT, 2 pages included
- Delivery time
- Next working dayusually, after posting
- Proof
- Recipient's signature+ tracking
- Handed to the post
- Upload by 14:00UK time on a working day, posted the same day
- Counts as
- Inland Royal Mail letterprinted and posted in United Kingdom
Why post a subject access request Signed For?
Under UK data protection law you can ask any organisation for a copy of the personal data it holds about you: your employer, a bank, a landlord, a council. The request can be in any form, but the organisation's one-month deadline runs from the day it receives it.
A letter signed for at the organisation's address fixes that day. If the answer is late, you can show the ICO exactly when the month started.
What can you ask for?
A request is usually free. Ask for everything you want in one letter:
- A copy of all personal data the organisation holds about you, including emails and notes
- Why it uses the data and who it shares it with
- How long it keeps the data and where it got it from
- Whether any decision about you is made automatically
How long does the organisation have?
| Step | Deadline |
|---|---|
| Organisation receives your request | Day 1 of the month |
| Organisation answers | Within one calendar month |
| Complex or many requests | Up to two more months, if it tells you within the first month |
| It needs proof of who you are | The month starts when it has that proof |
| No answer or an incomplete one | Complain to the organisation, then to the ICO |
How do you send it?
- Find the address for data protection requests in the organisation's privacy notice.
- Write the request with enough detail to find your data: account numbers, dates, departments.
- Upload it as a PDF and choose the United Kingdom.
- Note the delivery date and diary the date one month later.
Sample subject access request
Address it to the data protection officer if the privacy notice names one.
[Organisation name]
Data Protection Officer
[Address]
[Date]
Subject access request
Dear Data Protection Officer,
Under Article 15 of the UK GDPR, please send me a copy of all personal data you hold about me, together with the purposes of the processing, the recipients, the retention period and the source of the data.
To help you find my data: [customer number, employee number, dates, departments].
Please send the information by email to [email address]. I expect your reply within one month of receiving this letter.
Yours faithfully,
[Name]
[Address]
What to check before you send
- Include a copy of an ID document only if the organisation asks for it. Black out anything it does not need, such as your passport number.
Frequently asked questions
Does a subject access request have to be in writing?
No. You can ask by email, form, phone or letter. A Signed For letter gives you proof of the date it arrived.
When does the one month start?
On the day the organisation receives the request, or the day it receives proof of your identity if it reasonably needs that.
Can they charge a fee?
Usually not. A reasonable fee is allowed only for requests that are manifestly unfounded or excessive, or for extra copies.
What if they do not answer?
Remind them in writing, then complain to the Information Commissioner's Office with your delivery record and copies.
Can I send it from outside the UK?
Yes. Your rights do not depend on where you live. You upload the request from anywhere and it is posted inside the UK.