Guidance

Security Appraisal Form (SAF) - Frequently Asked Questions

Updated 13 November 2025

1. What is a SAF?

The annual Security Appraisal Form (SAF) is a policy requirement for all Developed Vetting (DV) clearance holders, and some Security Check (SC) holders, and their line managers. A SAF is intended to provide an update of the information you submitted when you applied for your clearance and  to confirm the details held by United Kingdom Security Vetting (UKSV), as if these are not correct it could impact your national security clearance and need to be assessed, such as a criminal conviction. It covers the previous 12 months from the day you receive the request notification.

The line manager is required to note any concerns, for e.g. changes in behaviour of the clearance holder during the previous 12 months on their form to provide extra assurance. 

Without completion of a SAF, your clearance may be withdrawn or suspended. It is therefore vital that both clearance holders AND line managers complete their respective forms. Having an annual SAF history is beneficial when your clearance is due for renewal.

2. Who will see my form?

Only a UKSV caseworker will see your form if applicable. A line manager will not see the answers of a clearance holder, only their name and likewise for a clearance holder, they will not see the responses of the line manager. 

3. What is classed as a line manager?

‘Line Manager’ is defined as the person who directly supervises and sees the subject most frequently during the course of their work. For the annual SAF, this must be the person that has supervised the clearance holder for at least four of the preceding 12 months. If however, the person who best meets that criteria has left the organisation before completing a SAF for their employee(s), then the current line manager is acceptable even if they have not supervised for more than four months.

In these instances, please speak to your line manager before completing your SAF to let them know they are able to complete the line manager form. They will be asked to add a brief comment to the form explaining the circumstances. This ensures the SAF will be processed and not cancelled.

If your line manager is away when you receive your SAF notification, wait until they are back before initiating your SAF to ensure it doesn’t get cancelled as there is a time limit once started.

4. How long do I have to complete my form?

Clearance Holders and Line Managers have 30 days each to complete their respective forms (once activated) before they are cancelled. However, please complete your form as soon as possible to ensure a timely turn around. Ensure the other is aware you have completed your SAF so they know to look out for their notification.

5. What email address will the notification come from & go to?

The emails are from a no-reply gov.uk email address. All hasteners, completion confirmation, and/or cancellation emails will come from the same email address. Please check your ‘spam/junk’ folder as they may end up there.

The notification will go to the email address we have listed against the clearance holder’s case file when the clearance was applied for or renewed, unless updated on a previous SAF. 

6. How do I know which SAF process I am following?

There are two processes, one that is Sponsor initiated where the sponsoring organisation for the clearance holder role enters in the line manager and clearance holder details. The line manager is asked to complete their form first and then a notification is sent to the clearance holder to complete their form. The Sponsor information will be included in the notification email to Line Mangers for this process only. This process can also be used for any SC holder roles that require a SAF to be completed.

With the clearance holder (CH) process, an automated email is generated from the UKSV National Security Vetting System (NSVS) every 12 months to the clearance holder (near the anniversary of their last SAF completion or 12 months from their clearance being granted). The clearance holder has to provide their line manager name and email address when setting up their account (see ‘what is classed as a line manager’ above to ensure the right person’s details are entered). Once they’ve completed their form, a notification is sent to the line manager to complete their form. Line managers who supervise more than one DV clearance holder will be able to see outstanding SAF requests for each employee in their line manager account.

7. Who should I contact if I have a problem activating my account or completing my form?

Contact the UKSV Helpdesk via the SAF webform to ensure you provide all the necessary details for us to answer your query.

Guidance for logging into the NSVS Portal is available here..

8. How do I raise concerns?

The Aftercare information page contains information about submitting an Aftercare Incident Report (AIR) which can be submitted by anyone, about anyone that holds a security clearance that you have concerns about. These can be submitted anonymously or by a named individual. A line manager should raise concerns via the Security Appraisal Form process if it is in relation to someone that holds a Developed Vetting (DV) clearance that they directly line manage, but they don’t have to wait for this annual form to come around if they have concerns. 

The page also contains information on Changes in Personal Circumstances (CPC) that UKSV need to be notified about; transferring clearances; and the leavers process. The Aftercare information page can be accessed here 

9. My SAF has been cancelled, what do I do?

Your SAF may have been cancelled because the form was not submitted in the required time frame by either yourself (clearance holder) or your line manager. If either of you had technical difficulties logging into the form, please see the login guidance below or contact the UKSV Helpdesk via the SAF webform to resolve the issue. Once the issue has been resolved, the clearance holder can initiate a new SAF from the original notification email or if the notification was from the sponsor process, you will need to contact your sponsor to re-issue a link. 

10. Why am I being asked for feedback?

UKSV welcomes feedback from your experience of using the CH process. This feedback is really important as it will allow for continued developments and improvements, we would appreciate feedback from both clearance holders and line managers. You will automatically be directed to the feedback form to answer six short questions after submitting your SAF.

11. Logging in tips

Please ensure you have logged out of all previous sessions (vetting applications, renewals, SAFs etc). 

12. Usernames

The NSVS Portal is used for Vetting Applications, SAFs and other forms. As a clearance holder or line manager you will have to set up a username for your application and a separate username for your annual SAF (or SAF line manager account). It is sensible to put something in the wording of the username that helps you distinguish which account it is for, as the system will not be able to tell you which is for what account if you click the forgotten username button. You could therefore get a list of several account usernames in the email and not know which is for what account. For example, Joe Bloggs as the vetting subject completing their SAF for 2025, Joe may wish to choose the user name “BLOGGSJ25SAF”.

13. Locked accounts

For security reasons, if you haven’t used your SAF Line Manager account for 3-months or more, the system may tell you that your account is locked. If it does, you will need to contact the UKSV Helpdesk to unlock your account. Having your username to hand will help with verification. 

A clearance holder will therefore have to set up a new SAF account each year, it is best to add something like the year to the end of the username to make it slightly different each time.

14. Accessing the portal - security protocol

In general, you should only access vetting forms or portals via secure Government wifi or MoDnet devices or similar and preferably be in the UK.

• Accessing the form via mobile devices - don’t log into any vetting portal/form from abroad on a mobile phone or tablet. Only use a secure Government wifi network from the UK.
• Accessing from abroad - use the MOD overseas network or wifi only from a MoDnet device or similar NOT a personal device or local or welfare network.