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UKSV National Security Vetting Solutions: completing your e-form application hints and tips

Updated 12 September 2024

1. Introduction

Guidance on what information you will need to complete your online Security Questionnaire, and where best to find this information, can be found within the Preparation screen of your online application. The guide UKSV National Security Vetting Solution; Guidance For Applicants explains how to access the Preparation screen.  Please refer to this guidance before you start to complete the form. 

This document provides further hints and tips to help you complete sections of the Security Questionnaire e-form which cause the most issues for applicants. In particular it tells you what to do when you may not have all the details required. 

To use this document, select the link to the section which you are having difficulty with from the contents list on the left hand side. 

Not all sections of the form are covered in this document, only those where we are aware that applicants often need further support. Some sections referred to may not appear on your individual Security Questionnaire. This is nothing to worry about, as this document covers all levels of national security vetting, so some areas may not be relevant to your application.

We recognise that individual and family circumstances mean it may not be possible for you to get all the information we ask for to allow full completion of the form. You should not put yourself at risk to acquire any information which is requested on the form. However, we expect you to provide as much detail as you can, to help us to process your application as promptly as possible.

If you are not able to provide a particular piece of information, this guide will explain how to complete the relevant section without those details so you can still submit your form. If you are unable to provide details, you should provide a reason for this in the appropriate field. Please be aware that UKSV may still need to contact you for clarification in these circumstances, which will mean your application takes longer to process. Again, please make sure you provide all the details you can.

Please refer to our NSV Privacy Notice if you have any questions or concerns about how your personal data will be used during the vetting process. 

2. Nationality

2.1 I am a Naturalised citizen

All years from birth should be accounted for in the Your Nationality section. If you have been naturalised, this also counts as Nationality. 

If you do not have a naturalisation certificate number, you can enter your passport number, or you can enter 000000 (six zeros) in this section. You will then need to provide an approximate date of naturalisation. To do this, please use the ‘Other Information’ section near the end of the form. Answer ‘yes’ to the final question which asks ‘Is there any other information that you wish to provide in support of your clearance application?’ A free text box will appear, where you can add the reason you are unable to provide the information.

Please follow the same process to give details of parents who have been naturalised.

3. Your Addresses

3.1 Applicant’s own address

When entering your postcode, if your address is not found or the full address is not populating correctly, then please follow the steps detailed below to manually enter your address.

Click ‘Find UK Address’. Then select the ‘My address isn’t listed’ option. This should allow you to manually enter the correct address details into the relevant fields.

Once you have entered the details, click ‘Next’ to proceed to the next stage of the form.

4. Your contact details

4.1 Choosing a location for your interview

Most interviews are conducted virtually via a video call. There may be some instances where we need to conduct an interview by other means. Your Vetting Clearance Officer will let you know if this is the case for your interview. 

If you need any reasonable adjustments to enable an interview to take place, please tell our Vetting Clearance Officer when they contact you.

Contact from our Vetting Clearance Officers may show up as an unknown phone number or email address. Regularly check for any messages you have received to any phone numbers or email addresses you have supplied during your NSV application process.

5. Marital status

5.1 Definition of a partner

Details should be provided for any current partner and all previous partners within the last three years. The definition of a partner includes spouses, cohabiting partners or anyone with whom you are in an enduring relationship.

What to enter if you are divorced or separated and living with a new partner

Select the ‘cohabiting/non-cohabiting’ option, and then enter the details of your current partner. The details of your previous partner can be entered in the next section.

5.2 How to enter your partner’s county of birth if the county is not available on the drop-down list

Unfortunately, not all counties may be available on the drop-down list. If this is the case, please select the closest county available. We still need to know the correct county so please then go to the ‘other information section’ which is a section on its own towards the end of the form. Answer ‘yes’ to the last question which asks “do you have any other information that you would like to add in relation to your vetting?” A free text box will appear and you can enter the correct county in the free text box.

5.3 How to enter details of your partner’s naturalisation if they do not have the details

You can enter their passport number if you do not have the naturalisation certificate number, or you can enter 000000 (six zeros) into this section. You will then need to enter an approximate date of naturalisation. To do this, please use the ‘Other Information’ section near the end of the form. Answer ‘yes’ to the final question which asks ‘Is there any other information that you wish to provide in support of your clearance application?’ A free text box will appear, where you can provide a reason why you are unable to provide the naturalisation details.

6. Partner’s parents

6.1 How to include details of your partner’s parents if you are unable to get the information needed

For national security vetting purposes, your partner’s parents are defined as anyone who had parental responsibility for them. This may be their birth parents, adoptive or foster parents, caregivers, legal guardians or anyone else who held a significant influence within their upbringing. 

You will need to create an entry for both your partner’s mother and father as a minimum then tick the box underneath the names field for ‘full details are not known’.

You will then need to provide a brief explanation on the next page as to why details are not known. This will allow you to complete each parent’s details section without entering information into the requested fields. If you do know some details, you should still enter what you can into the relevant fields where possible, to minimise delays to your application.

7. Your parents’ details

7.1 How to enter details of your parents if you do not have all of the details needed

The process will ask for details of your parents. For national security vetting purposes, the definition of your parents can include birth or adoptive parents, foster parents, care givers, legal guardians or those who had parental responsibility or influence over your upbringing. 

You will be asked to provide a reason if these details cannot be obtained and make reasonable efforts to do so wherever possible. However you should not place yourself at risk to obtain details you do not have access to. 

Create entries for both your mother and father and enter ‘unknown’ in the name fields.

Then tick the box underneath the names field for ‘full details are not known’. You will then need to provide a brief explanation on the next page as to why the details are not known. This will allow you to complete each parent’s details section without entering information into the requested fields. If you do know some details, you should still enter these into the relevant fields where possible to minimise delays to your clearance.

7.2 How to enter a parent’s country of birth if the name of the country has changed

You will need to select the most relevant option available for where your parents were born. This may be the current name of the country or the former name. Please check all possible options in the list.

7.3 How to find out your parent’s nationality if you do not know and they were born in a British overseas territory

We are unable to advise what their nationality would be, as this would differ depending on personal circumstances. There is helpful information available here Types of British nationality.

7.4 How to complete the occupation and address fields for a deceased parent

We do still require details of your parents, even if they are deceased. Please see the section below for information on why we ask questions about deceased parents. If possible, please provide details of the most recent occupation and last known address for any parent who is deceased.

7.5 Why we request information for deceased parents

We ask about parents, even if they are deceased, because they are likely to have influenced the development of your views while you were growing up and because you may have inherited obligations from them that we may need to explore further. The questions we ask about their birthplace, nationality and current (or last) place of residence will tell us whether they have been connected with any overseas countries. If so, this in itself will not prevent you being granted clearance, but we may need to discuss with you at interview whether you yourself have any ties to the country in question that could cause a conflict of interest or in some cases might allow pressure to be put on you through surviving relatives who live there.

8. Previous relationships

Please note: this section relates to previous partners from a significant relationship, not your sexual history which may include casual encounters. The definition of a previous partner for security vetting purposes includes spouses, cohabiting partners or anyone with whom you were in an enduring relationship.

8.1 How to create an entry for your previous partner if you no longer have all their details

Create an entry for your previous partner, then tick the box underneath the names field for ‘full details are not known’. You will then need to provide a brief explanation for why the details are not known on the next page. This will allow you to complete the previous partner details section without entering information into the requested fields. If you do not know some details, you should still enter what you can into the relevant fields, to minimise delays to your clearance application.

If a blank field is highlighted as an error and you cannot provide the details then please enter ‘unknown’ or, for a telephone number, just enter 00000000000 (11 zeroes).

8.2 How to complete the date of your marriage/civil partnership if you do not know it

Enter approximate dates into the field. This will allow you to continue with the application.

8.3 How to complete the details of your divorce/dissolution if you do not know the date or court where it was granted

Enter approximate dates in this field and type ‘unknown’ for the name of the court.

9. Details of brothers and sisters

9.1 How to enter the details of your siblings if you cannot get all of the details

Create an entry for each sibling then tick the box underneath the names field for ‘full details are not known’. You will then need to provide a brief explanation on the next page for why some or all of the details are not known. This will allow you to complete the sibling details section without entering information into the requested fields.  If you do not know some details, you should enter what you can into the relevant fields to minimise delays to your application.

If you have lost contact with your parents and do not know if you have any additional siblings, follow the guidance below.

If you do not know whether you have any additional siblings and are unable to obtain these details, please enter ‘no’ for the question relating to if you have any more siblings. Then go to the ‘other information section’ which is a section on its own towards the end of the form, answer yes to the last question which asks ‘Is there any other information that you wish to provide in support of your clearance application?’. A free text box will appear and you can enter an explanation that this information is unknown as you are no longer in contact with your parent(s).

10. Co-residents

10.1 How to check if you need to provide co-residents’ details in a shared property

If you share a room other than a kitchen, such as a communal living room with the people you live with then we need their details. If you are not able to provide their details, then please provide an explanation as to why, by going to the other information section which is a section on its own towards the end of the form. Answer yes to the last question which asks  ‘Is there any other information that you wish to provide in support of your clearance application?” A text box will appear, and you can enter an explanation in there.

11. Current employment

11.1 What job to enter in this section

Enter the details of your current employment situation, not the role which you are due to move into. If you are unemployed you will need to select ‘unemployed’ from the drop down list. The fields for Rank, Job Title, Staff and Service Number are not mandatory. Therefore, the form should allow you to proceed without filling in these sections.

11.2 What to enter if you are a full time student

Select ‘unemployed’ from the drop down list unless you were also in part time employment. If you were in part time employment enter the details of this employment.

11.3 How to enter self-employment

Select ‘other full or part time employment’ from the drop down list.

11.4 How to enter more than one job for your current employment

You can click the “Add employment” button as many times as you need to, then enter the details of each employment.

11.5 How to check the employment section is fully complete

You can use the blue ‘check for errors’ button at the bottom of the page. A red message will appear which tells you where the error is. If this error is because there are empty rows you may have pressed the ‘add previous employment’ button too many times. You can remove these empty rows by clicking the ‘remove’ button which is above the ‘type of employment’ box and on the right-hand side.

11.6 How to enter your employer’s address if it does not appear on the drop down list

Manually type in the address, rather than using the “Find UK address” option.

When entering the postcode, if the address is either not found or the full address is not populating correctly, then please follow the steps detailed below to manually enter the employer’s address.

Click ‘Find UK Address’. Then select the ‘Address isn’t listed’ option. This should allow you to manually enter the correct address details into the relevant fields.

Once you have entered the details, click ‘Next’ to proceed to the next stage of the form.

11.7 How to enter your employer’s county if it does not appear on the drop-down list

Unfortunately, not all counties may be available on the drop-down list. If this is the case please select the closest county available. We still need to know the correct county, so please use the ‘Other Information’ section near the end of the form. Answer ‘yes’ to the final question which asks ‘Is there any other information that you wish to provide in support of your clearance application?’ A free text box will appear, where you can enter the correct county.

12. Supervisor

12.1 If you are concerned that we may contact your current employer about your application before you have given notice. 

If a supervisor reference is required, unfortunately, we are unable to confirm when, or at what stage in the vetting process, your line manager will be contacted. 

Security clearance is not guaranteed, so we strongly advise that you do not give notice in your current role until your clearance is confirmed and you receive a formal offer for the new role. 

If you have concerns about us contacting your line manager while you are still in post, and wish to inform UKSV of your situation, please use the ‘Other Information’ section near the end of the form. Answer ‘yes’ to the final question which asks ‘Is there any other information that you wish to provide in support of your clearance application?’ A free text box will appear, where you can add an explanation or any further information that you wish to include. If you have already submitted your application form to us, please advise by contacting the UKSV Helpdesk via email and explain the situation. Please also ensure that your full name and date of birth is included in the email to help us process your request.

12.2 What to enter if you work in a role without a supervisor

If the employer has a HR department you can enter their details of the HR department in this section. In the circumstances where you are a lone worker but not self-employed and there is no supervisor, contracting authority or HR department who can verify your employment, then you should enter your own details to meet the requirements of the form. You will then need to go to the ‘other information section’ which is a section on its own towards the end of the form. Answer yes to the last question which asks  ‘Is there any other information that you wish to provide in support of your clearance application?’ A free text box will appear and you can enter the reason why you are unable to provide supervisor details for this period of employment there.

12.3 What to do if the supervisor section will not complete due to the dates entered being incorrect

Check that all dates entered are covered without gaps. The date a supervisor period begins will need to correspond with the date the  previous supervisor period ended. Please only include dates for supervisors within the specific employment period entered in the employment section.

12.4 How to complete the section if you do not have a supervisor due to self-employment

You should enter the accountant for your company, an individual from a company that you have been contracted to, or, if applicable, another director of your company. If your situation means that there is no-one you can enter, then you can put your own details in this section. When asked to explain how you know this person, please explain the nature of your work and why it means that there is no-one you can give as a supervisor for this section.

12.5 How to complete your company address if you are self-employed

Enter the address where your company is registered, or your home address if this is the case.

12.6 Details of previous employment. Checklist when the employment section will not complete

• Make sure the dates entered cover 5 years of employment for CTC, Level 1B and SC applications and 10 years for DV
• If there is a gap of over 3 months, then please create an entry for unemployment to cover those dates
• If there is an entry of under 3 months please remove this, only employments of over 3 months should be included
• If you have included a start date for the 1st of the month the form may need to be rolled back to the previous month to cover the full 5 years. For example, if the start date for the period of employment entered is 1 November 2019 you will need to enter dates of employment back to October 2014, this should resolve the issue
• If you have had a period of full-time education and were not employed during this time you will need to enter this period as ‘unemployment’ on the form.

12.7 How to list your employment details if you have changed your contract, HMG business unit or military unit

If your unit or contract has changed, but you have remained with the same employer, then you should list this as one period of employment.

13. Previous supervisors

13.1 What to enter if you do not have the details of your previous supervisor

You can add a HR department or use the tick box to advise that details of this person are not known.

13.2 What to enter if you did not have a supervisor due to self-employment

If your employer has a HR department, you can enter the details of the HR department in this section. In the circumstances where you were a lone worker but not self-employed and there was no supervisor, contracting authority or HR department who could verify your employment, then you can enter your own details to meet the requirements of the form. Please use the ‘Other Information’ section near the end of the form. Answer ‘yes’ to the final question which asks ‘Is there any other information that you wish to provide in support of your clearance application?’ A free text box will appear where you can enter the reason why you are unable to provide a supervisor’s details for this period of employment.

13.3 What to do if the supervisor section will not complete due to the dates entered being incorrect

Check that all dates entered are covered without gaps. The date a supervisor period begins will need to correspond with the date the  previous supervisor period ended. Please only include dates for supervisors within the specific employment period entered in the corresponding employment section.

13.4 What to enter if you did not have a supervisor due to self-employment

You should enter details of an accountant for your company, an individual from a company that you have been contracted to or, if applicable, another director for your company. If your situation means that there is no-one else you can enter here, then you can put your own details in this section. When asked to explain how you know this person, please explain the nature of your work and why it means that there is no-one you can give as a supervisor for this section.

14. Education

14.1 How to request a new education consent statement

You will need to email the UKSV Helpdesk in order to request a new one be sent to you. Please include your full name and date of birth in the email and we will send you a new one to complete and return to UKSV.

15. Character Referees

15.1 How to choose a referee

You will need to provide details of a minimum of three character referees that have known you for at least 10 years.

• They should not be relatives or partners, or related to you through a partner.
• At least one of the referees should be someone in your own age group who you regularly communicate with at least once per month and socialise with outside the workplace.
• They should preferably be British citizens (although this is not obligatory).
• Do not nominate someone you know officially or professionally, such as a Doctor, unless you know them socially as well.
• Staff members of a school, college or university should not be chosen unless they are close personal friends.
• Referees should include a person (not a partner), who knows you well in your home environment and ideally someone (other than a supervisor or employer) who knows you well in the work environment.
• You should tell your referees that you wish to put their names forward.
• Please ensure that the contact details you provide for your referees are up to date.
• Please endeavour to obtain direct contact details (e.g. NOT switchboard phone numbers or multiuser/group email addresses). A direct email address for each referee must be provided where possible and a mobile number would be also preferable.

16. Health declaration

16.1 How to get a new health declaration form

You will need to email the UKSV Helpdesk in order to request a new one be sent to you. Please include your full name and date of birth in the email and we will send you a new one for you to complete and return.

16.2 Details about your health

Tell us if you are living with any health conditions asked about in this section, so we can understand how you would manage them as a security clearance holder. If we need more information from your doctor, we will ask for your consent before we contact them. Most health conditions will not stop you from getting security clearance and are reviewed on a case by case basis. You only need to tell us about health conditions we specifically ask about in this section.

17. Criminal convictions

17.1 Why you need to include spent convictions

In line with the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (Exceptions) Order 1975, the Rehabilitation of Offenders (Exclusions and Exceptions) (Scotland) Order 2003 and the Rehabilitation of Offenders (Exceptions) Order (Northern Ireland) 1979, spent convictions may also be taken into account where protecting public safety or public order is involved.

This means that under this legislation, you must reveal all convictions, whether they are spent or unspent, including weeded convictions from the Scottish criminal history system. You do not need to tell us about speeding or parking fines, but do tell us about any other motoring offences.

If you are not sure about any of the details, you can get a copy of the record that the Police hold on you, listing all criminal convictions, by making a Subject Access Request to your local force or to the ACRO Criminal Records Office at https://ico.org.uk/your-data-matters/crime/

17.2 How to include an offence you were found not guilty of

Even if you were found not guilty of an offence this should still be included on your declaration. You should include this in the section that asks if you have ever been charged with an offence.

17.3 Ongoing adverse contact with the police

UKSV will not be able to process your application if you are currently under investigation for or subject to ongoing, unresolved police matters. This does not necessarily mean that you will be found unsuitable to hold clearance but any pending action against you would limit UKSV’s ability to fully complete all required vetting activities and prevent vetting decision-makers reaching an informed decision on your suitability. Applications submitted before any ongoing police activity is concluded will result in cancellation and a resubmission will be required. 

17.4 What to enter if you do not know the dates of your convictions

You can provide estimated dates, or you can obtain a subject access request of your record from the police. This can be obtained from the ACRO Criminal Records Office at https://ico.org.uk/your-data-matters/crime/

If you have selected the answer to your first question, but are experiencing difficulties selecting the rest of your answers, please follow the advice below.

Each question within this section generates a ‘pop-up box’ after each answer is selected to confirm that you have selected the correct answer. If you have clicked ‘don’t show me this again’ when the box has appeared, then you will not be able to successfully complete this section. Should this happen, the quickest way to complete the section is to save and exit the form on your current web browser and log in again on a different browser, for example Internet Explorer or Google Chrome. If you are still unable to complete the section you will need to click on ‘settings’ for your web browser and delete all temporary internet files and cookies, then click to enable pop-ups. You can then log back into the form and answer the remaining questions.

18. Security Information

If you have selected the answer to your first question, but are experiencing difficulties selecting the rest of your answers, please follow the advice below

Each question within this section generates a ‘pop-up box’ after each answer is selected to confirm that you have selected the correct answer. If you have clicked ‘don’t show me this again’ when the box has appeared, then you will not be able to successfully complete this section. Should this happen, the quickest way to complete the section is to save and exit the form on your current web browser and log in again on a different browser, for example Internet Explorer or Google Chrome. If you are still unable to complete the section you will need to  click on ‘settings’ for your web browser and delete all temporary internet files and cookies, then click to enable pop-ups. You can then log back into the form and answer the remaining questions.

19. Previous security clearances

19.1 How to obtain your previous clearance details

In the first instance you should approach the vetting department for the organisation who processed your clearance, who should be able to provide you with the details. If you are unable to obtain the clearance details, the UKSV Helpdesk may be able to provide the information if the clearance is held on its system.

Please note that you do not need to include details of a Disclosure & Barring Service check as this is not a level of national security vetting.

In the exceptional circumstance that you cannot obtain details of your previous clearance, you should enter approximate dates of the clearance and as much supporting information as possible.

19.2 How to record a cancelled clearance

You only need to make a declaration of a clearance that was withdrawn, suspended or refused. You do not need to record an application for clearance that was cancelled prior to completion, for example, if the clearance was no longer needed.

20. Financial history

20.1 How to record shared financial responsibility

If you are married or linked to someone through joint loans, accounts or mortgages etc. they share financial responsibility with you. If you are cohabiting and are jointly responsible for bills, then you have shared financial responsibility and would need to include their financial information on the application form as well as yours.

If you are living with your parents you do not need to include their details unless you are named on the mortgage or share financial responsibility of the household with them.

20.2 Why we need your partner’s financial information

If someone who you are living with is contributing to your financial situation, we ask you to provide their details even if you manage your finances separately. It is likely that they will be sharing the responsibility for household expenses such as the mortgage or rent, utility bills, council tax or food shopping. Perhaps they contribute in other ways, for example by helping to meet the cost of running a car or paying towards a holiday. When we look at your finances, our aim is to build up assurance that your situation is manageable and whether or not it presents a vulnerability that could be exploited by a threat actor. In order to do this, we need to understand both the total monthly outgoings that you have jointly and the total amount of money coming into the household.

20.3 How to record declined credit applications if you do not have the details

You will need to provide as much information as possible including an approximate number and dates. If you cannot recall this information, you can find out by using a credit reference agency which will be able to provide you with a report of any finance applications you have submitted and the dates of the applications.

20.4 How to identify if you have had a default notice

A default notice is normally sent when you have missed or paid less than the full amount payable for 3 to 6 months. Default notices only apply to debts which are regulated by the Consumer Credit Act, such as credit and store cards, payday loans, personal loans and hire purchase.

20.5 How to obtain information of your County Court Judgement (CCJ)

This information can be found on your credit file. You can request a statutory credit report which will list the information on it.

20.6 How to record financial information when you live in shared accommodation

This would depend on how the lease and bills are split. If one person was to leave the household and you would be responsible for their share of the bills, then you would need to declare their details as you share financial responsibility.

21. Multiple properties

You will need to include all properties that you own within the financial section to provide us with an accurate view of your liabilities and assets.

22. How to complete your student loan details

You will need to choose a date in the future to estimate the end of your student loan. If you are not currently paying this back then you can enter zero in the monthly repayment section. The balance outstanding can be provided by the student loans company.

23. Declaration

23.1 How to make sure your form is ready to be submitted

If you do not have a green tick next to all of the sections listed down the left-hand side of the page you will not be able to submit the form. You will need to go back to any section with a red dot and fully complete it before making the declaration. If you think the section has been completed but a green tick is still not displayed, please click ‘check for errors’ which will explain why the page is not complete.

If you are not using Google Chrome or Internet Explorer, or are using a mobile browser, then this may explain why this is not working. Please switch to a compatible browser and try again. To check if this has been successful please sign in again and if a message is displayed confirming the form has been completed and submitted then the submission has been successful. The portal will display a message about the status of your application at the top of the page.