> 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/request-access.md).
# Requesting access
Ask for access from the service catalog, using the four-step request wizard.
Open **Requests → Create Request**.
The page opens on the **Create Request** tab, headed **Create Request for** your name. Requesting is a four-step wizard, and the step you are on is shown across the top:
**1 Select Application → 2 Select Access → 3 Questionnaire → 4 Preview**
## Making a request
{% stepper %}
{% step %}
**Select an application.**
Under **Select from Service Catalog**, choose a category:
* **Business apps**
* **Directories**
* **Folders and Storage**
* **Hardware**
* **Infrastructure**
* **Mail and Collaboration**
* **Non-IT Resources**
The **Select Applications by Category** table below then lists what that category holds, with a name and description for each. Pick the one you need and choose **Next**.
If the table shows **No Data Found**, that category has nothing you are allowed to request — try another, or see [If you can't find what you need](#if-you-cant-find-what-you-need) below.
{% endstep %}
{% step %}
**Select the access you want within it.**
An application usually carries several things you could be granted — roles, groups, or individual entitlements. Choose the specific access rather than everything on offer.
Items you already hold are marked **Entitlement Granted**, so you can see at a glance what would be a duplicate.
Where the access can be time-limited, set a **Count** and a **Time unit** — **Hours**, **Days**, **Months**, or **Years**. If you ask for longer than the item allows you are told *"The requested duration exceeds the maximum allowed."*
{% endstep %}
{% step %}
**Answer the questionnaire.**
Many requests ask for extra information before they go for approval — why you need the access, which project it is for, a ticket reference, or a manager's name.
This is not a formality. The questionnaire is what your approver reads, so a specific answer here is the difference between a decision today and a query tomorrow.
Some requests have no questions, in which case this step passes straight through.
{% endstep %}
{% step %}
**Check the preview, then submit.**
The **Preview** step shows exactly what you are about to request — the application, the access, the duration, and your answers. Read it before submitting; this is the last point at which a correction is free.
Submit, and note the request number. Track it in [Request history](/end-user-guide-for-selfservice/requests/request-history.md).
{% endstep %}
{% endstepper %}
## Requesting for someone else
The wizard is headed **Create Request for** whoever the request is about. If you are permitted to raise requests for other people, you choose them before starting — see [Requesting for other people](/end-user-guide-for-selfservice/requests/request-for-others.md).
## Time-limited access
Requesting access with an end date is a good habit, not a restriction:
* **You don't have to remember to hand it back.** It lapses on its own.
* **Approvers say yes more readily** to access that expires than to access that lasts forever.
* **It keeps your access tidy**, which makes access reviews shorter for everyone.
If you turn out to need it longer, request an extension before it expires rather than after.
{% hint style="info" %}
For anything tied to a project, a cover arrangement, or an investigation, request it for the length of the work. Permanent access should be for things your job genuinely requires permanently.
{% endhint %}
## Privileged access
Some organizations use this catalog for **privileged access** — administrator rights, or the use of a shared service account. Those requests are handled more strictly, and you may see:
> *"You may only request privileged access to one service account at a time."*
That is deliberate: privileged access is granted narrowly and one at a time, so each grant is deliberate and reviewable. Submit the first request, and raise the next once it is dealt with.
## If you can't find what you need
* **Try another category.** Catalog entries are grouped by what they are, not by who uses them — a shared drive sits under **Folders and Storage**, not under the team that owns it.
* **Check an access profile.** What you want may be part of a bundle for your job — see [Access profiles](/end-user-guide-for-selfservice/your-access/access-profiles.md).
* **It may not be in the catalog at all.** Not everything is requestable this way. Ask your manager or help desk how that particular system is requested.
* **You may already have it.** Check [Your access](/end-user-guide-for-selfservice/your-access.md).
---
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