Filling out Standard Form 86, Questionnaire for National Security Positions is required to apply for a DoD secret security clearance. You can complete this electronically, through the U.S. government’s e-QIP program, or by completing a hard copy of the form.
How do you get secret security clearance?
Obtaining a Security Clearance
- Applicants must go through the application phase, which involves verification of US citizenship, fingerprinting and completion of the Personnel Security Questionnaire (SF-86).
- The Defense Security Service conducts thorough background checks.
What level of security clearance is secret?
Top Secret (TS) This type of security clearance provides access to information that may cause exceptionally grave damage to national security if disclosed without authorization. It must be reinvestigated every five years.
How hard is it to get Top Secret clearance?
Obtaining a top secret clearance is a lengthy process that involves an in-depth background check. Denial of a clearance can occur for a variety of reasons, including financial problems, mental disorders and criminal violations.
What are the 5 levels of security clearance?
Contents
- 3.2.1 Controlled Unclassified.
- 3.2.2 Public Trust Position.
- 3.2.3 Confidential.
- 3.2.4 Secret.
- 3.2.5 Top Secret.
- 3.2.6 Compartmented.
How long does secret clearance last?
There are circumstances in which limited records checks or an investigation may be conducted on a spouse or cohabitant. How often is a security clearance renewed? An individual is normally subject to reinvestigation approximately every five years for a Secret or Top Secret clearance.
How long does it take to get secret security clearance?
A: It depends on the type of clearance required, but the security clearance process is generally completed within 4–‐‑8 weeks.
How do I know my clearance level?
You can check on your clearance three ways: Joint Personnel Adjudication System (JPAS) Security Investigations Index (SII) Call DoD at 1-888-282-7682.
How much does a top secret clearance cost?
The average cost to process a TOP SECRET clearance is between $3,000 and about $15,000, depending upon individual factors. The government pays the cost of clearances for military personnel and civilian government employees.
Do you take a polygraph for secret clearance?
A polygraph test may be required as an add-on requirement to a Top Secret or TS/SCI clearance depending upon the job or hiring organization. The CIA is an example of an organization that requires all of its employees to pass a full-scope polygraph test – even its cleaning staff!
What is a Tier 5 secret clearance?
Tier 5 – Top Secret Security Clearance
As the highest level of security clearance, applicants can expect a more rigorous examination. If approved, this clearance gives cleared personnel access to information or material that could cause disastrous damage to national security. Tier 5 is the only tier in this category.
Does security clearance check bank accounts?
They run a credit check and run your name and SSN through NICS. If there are problems you’ll be asked to provide more information. You don’t have to provide the information (such as bank statements) but the clearance process will stop if you don’t provide it.
Do you lose your security clearance when you retire?
You will be debriefed from classified information upon your retirement or separation from Federal service. The Joint Personnel Adjudication System (JPAS), the DoD system of record for security clearances, will be updated to remove your access to classified information.
What should I wear to a security clearance interview?
For most federal government security clearance interviews, a dark suit with a white or blue shirt or blouse is often recommended. Women should wear minimal makeup and conservative jewelry.
Who do they interview for security clearance?
For a secret clearance in a national security position, the investigation requires agents to interview people who have lived or worked with the applicant at some point in the past seven years, or sometimes farther back.
What does Yankee White clearance mean?
Yankee White is an administrative nickname for a background check undertaken in the United States of America for Department of Defense personnel and contractor employees working with the president and vice president.
What do they look for in a top secret security clearance?
Credit and criminal history checks will be conducted on all applicants. For a Top Secret security clearance, the background investigation includes additional record checks which can verify citizenship for the applicant and family members, verification of birth, education, employment history, and military history.
How do you pass a polygraph if you are nervous?
Tice says it’s also easy to beat a polygraph while telling a real lie by daydreaming to calm the nerves. “Think of a warm summer night… or drinking a beer, whatever calms you. You’re throwing them off,” he says.
What is a Tier 3 investigation?
T3 is the investigation required for positions designated as non-critical sensitive and/or requiring eligibility for “L” access or access to Confidential or Secret information. T3R is the reinvestigation product required for the same positions. The Standard Form (SF) 86 is used to conduct these investigations.
How long is a T5 security clearance good for?
Special Note: Due to the personnel security investigations backlog, DoD extended Tier 3 (10 years) and Tier 5 (six years) reinvestigation with DNI endorsement.
Does adultery affect security clearance?
Absent the potential for coercion, adultery or an isolated incident involving use of a prostitute usually does not result in the denial of a security clearance under Guideline D. However, when two or more criminal convictions exist, a conviction for soliciting prostitution can be a Guideline J: Criminal Conduct issue.
Will a low credit score affect security clearance?
Imperfect financial circumstances, such as bad credit scores, can have a negative influence on your application and potentially cause your security clearance to be denied. In fact, financial issues comprise a large percentage of security clearance denials.
Do clearance Investigators look at tax returns?
They cause investigators to question the applicant’s reliability, trustworthiness, and ability to protect classified information. If the individual requests a hearing, they should produce evidence that they have tackled the problem and filed all of their state and federal tax returns that are late.
What happens after security clearance interview?
Once you complete the the questionnaire, the document is sent to the Defense Counterintelligence and Security Agency (DCSA) DCSA is responsible for verifying the information and performing the actual background investigation. The level of investigation depends upon the level of access to be granted.
What questions do they ask at a security interview?
General questions
- Tell me a little about yourself.
- How would your previous employer describe you?
- Do you consider yourself an attentive person?
- What are your interests and hobbies outside of work?
- Why are you interested in this job?
- What are your career goals as a security guard?
Can the government see through VPN?
It depends on the VPN. If the VPN has a no-logs policy, even if the government approached the VPN provider, the provider wouldn’t be able to hand over your activity logs because they don’t have any to begin with. Some VPN services agree to install backdoors for the government, allowing agencies to monitor user traffic.
Can you disclose that you work for the CIA?
Further, although many CIA employees may state their affiliation with the agency as long as they refrain from revealing classified information, individuals who covertly work for the CIA are forbidden from revealing their true identity to strangers while employed by the CIA.
How long is a secret clearance good for?
An individual is normally subject to reinvestigation approximately every five years for a Secret or Top Secret clearance.
How long does top secret clearance take?
Each case varies, but the general time averages about 120 days. The Department of State has recently initiated a goal to render a security clearance decision in 90 days.
How much does a top secret clearance cost?
The average cost to process a TOP SECRET clearance is between $3,000 and about $15,000, depending upon individual factors. The government pays the cost of clearances for military personnel and civilian government employees.
What is the highest level of military clearance?
The three security clearance levels military people may be approved to hold are, from lowest to highest: Confidential. Secret. Top Secret (TS)
What is a Tier 5 security clearance?
A Tier 5 investigation is required for a Top Secret clearance, for DOE “Q” access authorization, or to hold a critical sensitive position. It is also required for all levels of access to Sensitive Compartmented Information (SCI) and some other Special Access Program (SAP) information.
What is a Level 2 security clearance?
Security Clearance Level 2: Secret
Secret security clearance holders have access to information that could cause serious damage to national security if released without authorization. You typically find holders of both Secret and Top-Secret clearances in agencies like the CIA or NSA.
What disqualifies you from getting a top secret clearance?
Top secret clearance holders must have no significant financial concerns. If the background check reveals a considerable amount of debt, missed payments, tax evasion, collection judgments, check fraud, foreclosures, embezzlement or bankruptcies, your application might be rejected.
Does a secret clearance help get a job?
Having a security clearance is similar to having a special certification or degree on your résumé. It makes you more marketable, helping you stand out from other candidates and increasing your job prospects. An active or current clearance may also increase your earning potential.
Can an innocent person fail a polygraph?
The results of a lie detector test are unreliable, and many innocent people have failed them. Even if you pass the test, this does not mean that you will not be charged with committing a crime. Not admissible.
What drugs help pass polygraph?
When considering the effect of drugs on the polygraph, the Federation of American Scientists reported that “the tranquilizer, meprobamate (“Miltown”), permits subjects who are being deceptive to increase their ability to avoid detection in a polygraph examination.” This drug and other anti-anxiety medications or …
Can family members affect security clearance?
Under national security adjudicative guidelines family members or cohabitants living with you who are engaging in criminal activity can pose a risk to your ability to obtain or retain a security clearance.
Can you get a top secret clearance if you’ve done drugs?
Persons who have used drugs in the past may be approved for access to classified information. In accepting a security clearance, however, government employees and contractors also accept an obligation to remain drug free in the future.