- Everyone applying for a security clearance must fill out a Standard Form 86, or its electronic equivalent, e-QIP. The form asks for all personal information (citizenship, birth date, place of birth, Social Security number, address, phone, and all of that information for everyone in your immediate family), as well as every place you have lived, worked, traveled or gone to school for the last seven years (10 for Top Secret). You must also answer a series of questions about your personal behavior and provide references for all activities, as well as the names of any people you know who have foreign citizenship.
- You submit the completed form to the office that requested it from you, and security personnel check the form for accuracy and completeness before filing. Personnel then pull all official records on you --- military, criminal, credit, education, etc. --- and review them. If you apply for a Confidential clearance, the investigation only goes further if your records indicate a problem or possible security risk.
- After a few weeks, you attend an in-person interview with a security official. During this interview, the official goes over your application with you, asks for clarification and gives you an opportunity to explain any past issues. If you apply for a Secret or Top Secret clearance, security personnel then call references at random to ask about your character and verify information. For a Top Secret clearance, personnel ask your references to generate other contacts that you may not have reported.
- After the investigation, personnel review the information about you and assess it in light of adjudication guidelines. Adjudication guidelines outline how officials should consider any problems, taking into account time passed since any incidents, overall character and judgment, and other considerations. Once adjudication is complete, officials decide whether to deny or approve your application. Most applicants pass.
Application
Processing
Interview and Investigation
Adjudication
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