Guidance

Security Appraisal Form (SAF) - Frequently Asked Questions

Updated 6 July 2026

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Without completion of a SAF, your clearance may be withdrawn or suspended.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 you have changed line managers partway through the year, the person who has supervised the clearance holder the longest during the last 12 months, should complete the line manager SAF. 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.

The same applies for contractors, a line manager is classed as the person instructing them within their department on their day-to-day work i.e. whoever has the greatest day to day supervision of the individual.

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. What is the responsibility of line managers?

Please visit our pages for the full detail of line manager responsibilities here: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/united-kingdom-security-vetting-existing-clearance-holders#line-management-responsibilities-and-the-security-appraisal-form-saf. 

5. 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. Line managers only have 30 days to activate their account from receiving the notification that there is a SAF requiring their input. Please complete your form as soon as possible to ensure a timely turn around, but factor in your line managers availability to complete their part of the form. Ensure the other is aware you have completed your SAF so they know to look out for their notification.

If you do not manage to complete your form in one go, please log back into your account via the portal (https://portal.nsv.mod.uk/Login.aspx) and complete your form. DO NOT use the link in the original email as this will create a duplicate SAF.

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

The emails are from a no-reply mod.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. You can update your email address when you complete your SAF.

Please do not use a shared mailbox for your email address as this is a security breach. Please make sure that if you use a personal email address that nobody else has access to the account for the same reasons.

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

Before contacting the UKSV Helpdesk, please ensure that you have typed your first name as it appears on your notification email and you have not included an additional space after your name. This will ensure the system can match you. Please note that you do not need to enter your middle name to be matched. Further guidance for logging into the NSVS Portal is available here. 

If you are still experiencing issues, contact the UKSV Helpdesk via the SAF webform and ask for an authentication code. You will need to provide your full legal name and Date of Birth in the request for us to answer your query.

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. Do I have to set up multiple Line Manager SAF accounts?

No. If you have an existing line manager SAF account (separate from your own personal SAF account) your notification will ask you to log into your line manager account.

If you haven’t set up a line manager SAF account before, your notification will ask you to create an account (please see the username guidance below). However, if you manage several DV clearance holders and they submit their forms before you’ve had a chance to set up your line manager account, they will also direct you to create an account, rather than log into your line manager account. You only need to create one line manager account, once it is activated the other SAFs will appear in the dashboard. If they don’t straight away, log out of the account and back in again.

If you have forgotten your password, it is advisable to click the ‘forgotten username’ option first as if you have not entered the right username for that account, the ‘forgotten password’ option will not give you the correct password.

10. 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. 

11. I have not received a SAF reminder notification, what do I do?

If you have not received an automated notification and you know your SAF is due or have been asked to complete one by your organisation, you can initiate it yourself by copying and pasting this link into your browser: https://portal.nsv.mod.uk/SAFCreate.aspx

If your line manager does not receive a notification after you have submitted your SAF, check you have entered their email address correctly before contacting the Helpdesk. If you have misspelt it, you will need to cancel your SAF and start again.

12. I have received a SAF request notification but I have recently completed one or my DV clearance has just been renewed. Do I still need to complete it?

If you have completed a SAF or had your clearance renewed within the last 10 months, you do not need to complete a new SAF. It’s only if it has been over 10 months that you need to complete one. The system may have been confused if you have more than one active profile/clearance.

13. Logging in tips

Please ensure you have logged out of all previous sessions (vetting applications, renewals, SAFs etc). Copy and paste links in your browser from email notifications to avoid firewall issues.

14. 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”.

Always use unique usernames for each account to ensure the system sets them up correctly.

15. Locked accounts

If you have accidentally entered the wrong password or username several times,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.

For security reasons, if you haven’t used your SAF Line Manager account for 3-months or more, your account will be deleted and you will have to create a new one when required.

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.

16. Accessing the portal - security protocol

In general, you should only access vetting forms/portals via secure Government WiFi or a secure WiFi connection, such as your company’s WiFi. You should preferably be in the UK. Please ensure you have logged out of all previous sessions (vetting application/renewal/SAF etc).

If you are abroad, please note the following guidance:

• If you have access to the MOD or FCDO overseas network/WiFi, you may use a secure MODnet device or similar to access vetting forms/portals. Do not use a personal device or local/welfare network.
• If you do not have access to the MOD  or FCDO overseas network/WiFi and you are due to return to the UK within a year, you should wait to complete your SAF form in the UK.
• If in doubt, please contact your local security advisor in the first instance. If security advisors are unsure how best to proceed, they should contact UKSV..