Credit Freeze Removal Request

A Credit Freeze Removal Request is a letter used by someone to ask that a credit reporting agency remove a credit freeze from their account.

A credit freeze is an important tool that is used to restrict access to a person's credit report. By restricting this access, it makes it significantly more difficult for identity thieves to open new lines of credit in the person's name. However, it also limits the person from having access to their own credit. So, if a person who has placed a credit freeze on their account using a Credit Freeze Request letter would like to access their credit again, by getting a credit card, loan, or mortgage, for example, they can send a Credit Freeze Removal Request letter to their credit reporting agency to unfreeze their credit.

How to use this document

This letter includes all of the information a person would need to ask that their credit reporting bureau remove a credit freeze from their account, also known as a credit thaw. They must first provide identifying information, including their name, address, birthdate, and social security number. They must also provide the PIN when they should have received from their credit reporting agency when they placed the credit freeze on their account. They should then be prepared to provide proof of their identity, such as copies of a driver's license, state-issued ID, passport, or other official identity documentation. They should also provide proof of their address, using copies of documents such as utility bills, bank or mortgage statements, property titles, or other similar documentation that would prove their residence.

After providing this basic information, the person requesting that the credit freeze be removed from their account should sign and date this letter and then send it, along with the necessary proof and documentation, to the credit reporting agency using a secure method. By using a secure method, such as certified mail, the person will have written documentation that their request successfully made it to the agency and when it was received by them in case of future dispute or issues. Once a credit reporting agency receives a request to remove a credit freeze, it generally takes several business days for the credit thaw to happen.

Applicable law

Identity theft and credit reporting are the subject of both state and federal laws that govern how these issues are handled. According to the Economic Growth, Regulatory Relief, and Consumer Protection Act, a federal law passed in 2018, it is unlawful for any credit reporting agency charge for a credit freeze or thaw, regardless of which state the person making the request lives in.

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