Who applies for a clearance
No. You cannot apply for a security clearance on your own. The employing organization (a federal agency, a military service, or a cleared contractor working on a classified contract) decides whether a position needs access to classified information and starts the process for the person in that job. A contractor may start the process for a new hire once the candidate has accepted a written job offer.
Classification levels
Classified national security information has three levels: Confidential, Secret and Top Secret (Executive Order 13526). A clearance is a determination that a person is eligible for access at one of those levels, and it covers that level and the levels below it.
SCI
No. SCI (Sensitive Compartmented Information) is not a fourth classification level. It is classified intelligence information handled in formal control systems, and access to it is a separate decision by the agency that controls it. That decision relies on the same top-tier background investigation used for Top Secret, so job ads often list the two together as TS/SCI.
Public Trust
No. A Public Trust determination is not a security clearance. Positions designated moderate risk or high risk are public trust positions, and the people in them are vetted for suitability (federal employees) or fitness (contractor employees). It does not give access to classified information.
Investigation tiers
Under Trusted Workforce 2.0, background investigations have three tiers. The Low Tier covers low-risk, non-sensitive positions. The Moderate Tier covers moderate-risk public trust positions and positions needing Confidential, Secret or DOE "L" access. The High Tier covers high-risk public trust positions and positions needing Top Secret, SCI or DOE "Q" access. These replace the five tiers of the 2012 standards, under which Tier 1 was low risk, Tier 2 moderate-risk public trust, Tier 3 Secret, Confidential and L, Tier 4 high-risk public trust, and Tier 5 Top Secret, SCI and Q.
DOE Q and L
The Department of Energy (and the NRC) grant "access authorizations" instead of clearances. A Q access authorization allows access, with need to know, to Top Secret, Secret and Confidential Restricted Data, Formerly Restricted Data, Transclassified Foreign Nuclear Information and National Security Information, and to Category I or II special nuclear material. An L access authorization allows access to Confidential Restricted Data and to Secret and Confidential Formerly Restricted Data, Transclassified Foreign Nuclear Information and National Security Information. For reciprocity, DCSA treats L as equivalent to Secret and Q as equivalent to Top Secret.
Polygraphs
Some cleared positions also require a polygraph. The Counterintelligence Scope Polygraph (CSP) covers espionage, sabotage, terrorism, unauthorized disclosure, unreported foreign contacts and misuse of government systems. The Expanded Scope Polygraph (ESP, sometimes called full scope) adds criminal conduct, drug involvement and falsification of security forms.
Continuous Vetting
Under Trusted Workforce 2.0, clearance holders are enrolled in Continuous Vetting, with automated record checks running all the time in place of the old reinvestigations every 5 years (Top Secret) or 10 years (Secret). For cleared defense contractors, DCSA no longer requires periodic reinvestigations, but each person must still submit an updated SF-86 every five years.
The SF-86
The SF-86, Questionnaire for National Security Positions, is completed online in eApp, part of NBIS (National Background Investigation Services), which replaced the older e-QIP system. The government is folding the SF-86 and related forms into a single Personnel Vetting Questionnaire (PVQ).
Temporary eligibility
While the investigation is still under way, the government may grant temporary eligibility (still often called an "interim clearance") so the person can start classified work at the level granted. It is granted only when early checks are favorable, such as the SF-86 review, fingerprint check and proof of US citizenship, and it can be withdrawn if problems come up. It does not cover every kind of information; for example, a temporary Secret does not allow access to Restricted Data, COMSEC or NATO information.
After you leave a cleared job
A clearance is tied to a job that needs it. After you leave that job, your eligibility can often be re-established for a new cleared position without a full new investigation. Under the older rules this applied to breaks of less than two years with a current investigation (plus a review of an updated SF-86). Under Trusted Workforce 2.0, what is required depends on the length of the break (less than 36 months, 36 months to five years, or more than five years) and on the new position.
How ClearedBuild labels listings
It is our label for postings where the employer will sponsor the clearance, so you do not need to hold it already. Must hold now means the posting asks for an active clearance at the start. The employer's own posting is the authority. We never ask for or store anyone's clearance information.