> For the complete documentation index, see [llms.txt](https://docs.openiam.com/llms.txt). Markdown versions of documentation pages are available by appending `.md` to page URLs; this page is available as [Markdown](https://docs.openiam.com/end-user-guide-for-selfservice/requests.md).

# Requests

How asking for access works, from the catalog through approval to being granted.

A **request** is how you ask for something you don't have — an application, a group, a role, a bundle of access for a new joiner. Requests exist so that access is granted deliberately, by someone accountable, with a record of who asked and who agreed.

## The shape of a request

Every request follows the same path, whatever you are asking for:

{% stepper %}
{% step %}
**You choose what you need.**

From the service catalog, from a colleague's profile, or as a ready-made [access profile](/end-user-guide-for-selfservice/your-access/access-profiles.md).
{% endstep %}

{% step %}
**You answer any questions asked.**

Many requests include a short questionnaire — why you need it, which project, a ticket reference. This is what your approver reads.
{% endstep %}

{% step %}
**You submit, and get a request number.**

Keep it. It identifies your request in [Request history](/end-user-guide-for-selfservice/requests/request-history.md) and in any conversation about it.
{% endstep %}

{% step %}
**Approvers decide.**

One or several people, in sequence. Typically your manager first, then the owner of what you asked for. Each can approve or reject.
{% endstep %}

{% step %}
**Approved access is granted.**

OpenIAM creates or updates your accounts in the relevant systems. The access then appears in [Your access](/end-user-guide-for-selfservice/your-access.md).
{% endstep %}
{% endstepper %}

## What to expect

* **It is not instant.** A request waits for people. How long depends on your approvers, not on the portal.
* **Rejection is normal and not personal.** Approvers reject requests that don't fit the job, duplicate existing access, or conflict with another permission. The reason is recorded and visible to you.
* **You are notified.** Approval and rejection both generate a notification to the address on your profile.
* **Being granted is not the same as being approved.** After the last approval, the access still has to reach the application itself. That is usually quick, but not always instantaneous.

## Requesting for other people

If you manage people or hold a delegated-administration role, you can request on someone else's behalf. See [Requesting for other people](/end-user-guide-for-selfservice/requests/request-for-others.md), and [Your team](/end-user-guide-for-selfservice/your-team.md) for the wider set of things a manager can do.

## Two things that save time

**Check you don't already have it.** Look at [Your access](/end-user-guide-for-selfservice/your-access.md) first. Where the catalog knows you already hold an item it marks it *Entitlement Granted* rather than letting you request it twice.

**Say why you need it.** Most requests have a justification box. An approver reading "needed for the quarter-end close, per Jane" decides quickly; one reading "access please" asks questions or rejects it.

## In this section

| Page                                                                            | What it covers                                                       |
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | -------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| [Requesting access](/end-user-guide-for-selfservice/requests/request-access.md) | Asking for something from the catalog, including time-limited access |

\| [Requesting for other people](/end-user-guide-for-selfservice/requests/request-for-others.md) | Raising requests for your team, singly or in bulk | | [Giving up access](/end-user-guide-for-selfservice/requests/revoke-access.md) | Handing back access you no longer need | | [Request history](/end-user-guide-for-selfservice/requests/request-history.md) | Tracking what you asked for and what happened |


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