Cifas subject access request: get your report
Updated 28 October 2026. General information, not legal advice.
In short
A Cifas subject access request is how you get a free copy of what Cifas holds on you. Apply online at cifas.org.uk/dsar with your full name, date of birth, addresses for the last 6 years and proof of identity. Cifas must reply within one calendar month. Send a second request to your bank the same day.
Why you need it
Your Cifas report is the starting point for everything. It shows whether there is a marker, which member filed it, when and under which category. Cifas will not review a complaint unless you have done this first.
How to apply
Go to cifas.org.uk/dsar and fill in the online form. Give:
- your full name, and any other names banks may have for you,
- your date of birth,
- every address from the last 6 years,
- your email and phone number,
- the identity documents Cifas asks for.
It is free. Cifas has one calendar month from a complete application.
Send the second request the same day
The Cifas report tells you what the marker says. The bank's own records tell you why. Under UK data protection law you can ask the bank for a copy of the personal data it holds about you, including notes, call recordings and the reasons linked to the closure and the marker.
Send it to the bank's data protection officer. Their contact details are in the bank's privacy notice. The bank normally has one month, and up to three months for complex requests if it tells you. It can hold back some information where sharing it could harm fraud prevention, but it should say that it has.
No answer after a month? Send a reminder, and if that fails you can complain to the Information Commissioner's Office.
Write down the dates
Note the day you sent each request. Every later deadline builds on them.
What comes next
With the report and your evidence, you complain to the bank that filed the marker. Here is the full route.
Questions
Is a Cifas DSAR free?
Yes. Cifas does not charge for a data subject access request.
How long does Cifas have to reply?
One calendar month from receiving a complete application.
Do I also need to ask my bank?
It helps. The Cifas report shows what the marker says; the bank's data can show what it relied on. You can ask for both on the same day.