Why am I being vetted now? Because you are either being considered for a post where you will have access to highly sensitive information or assets, or because we are looking at your current SC or DV clearance to allow you to carry on in your present post or to allow you move to another SC or DV post.
What is Developed Vetting?Developed Vetting (DV) is the most thorough method of security vetting. The DV process includes a check of your identity documents and employment and education references.
We will carry out criminal records and credit reference checks and a check against Security Service records. We will also double check some of the references by writing to or interviewing the individuals who provided them. The individual being vetted will also be interviewed by a Vetting Officer.
Do I need Developed Vetting?The usual criteria for requiring a DV are "long term, frequent and uncontrolled access to TOP SECRET information or assets.... or in order to satisfy requirements for access to material originating from other countries and international organisations".
If you feel that you do not meet these criteria, you should query with your sponsor the need for you to be DV cleared.
I've been vetted before - why do I have to provide lots of the same information all over again?
Unfortunately, due to security reasons we are unable to pre-populate an individual's form with information previously provided.
Why do you need medical information?
The e-Form and security questionnaire explains how we collect and guard medical information. To enable us to fully assess an individual's suitability to handle sensitive information, our Vetting Medical Adviser may contact the individual's Doctor (or military medical officer) for confirmation on whether they have suffered from certain medical or psychological conditions. We may also request that an individual has a medical examination.
If an individual does not allow us access to their medical reports we can refuse their vetting clearance.
Why do you need my/my partner's financial information?If you or your partner have previously been, or are currently in serious financial difficulty, or show signs of financial irresponsibility, you could be vulnerable to pressure or bribery.
Debts such as mortgages, loans or credit cards will not normally affect your suitability to hold a DV clearance as long as you are able to keep up the repayments properly. However your financial situation will be carefully considered and each case will be judged on its merits.
We may make enquiries if you seem to have large amounts of savings that you cannot explain. The Vetting Officer will ask you to bring some financial and other documents to the interview (see below for details).
If you have a partner we recommend you share all this information with them. Without your partner's details we may have insufficient information to make a decision on your clearance. Please be assured that we do not retain any bank or credit card numbers.
There are more financial questions answered on the Personal Finance page of the Vetting FAQ's.
What will I be asked at interview as a Vetting Subject or as a Referee? This is the main worry for most people who go through the DV process. The Subject interview is likely to be long; up to three hours is not unusual.
It will cover most areas of your life. The Vetting Officer will build as complete a picture of you as is possible. This is so we can make sure that you will be able to cope with access at the highest levels and will not become a security risk and a threat to national security.
We have to look at your loyalty, honesty and reliability, and whether you could be particularly vulnerable to bribery of blackmail. We will question you about your wider family background (relationships and influences), past experiences (if any) of drug taking, financial affairs, general political views (though not which Party you support), hobbies, foreign travel and so on.
The interview will be very searching, but it is not an interrogation and should not feel like one. Some of the questions will be intrusive, but are asked because we are trying to find out if you are vulnerable to pressure. If you have any doubts about the relevance of some questions you should ask the Vetting Officer why they are asking the question.
You should be completely honest. The Vetting Officer will be experienced and it is very unlikely that they will be shocked or surprised by anything you say. Please do not lie or hide information.
We will probably refuse your clearance if we later find out that you have lied to us or withheld information. If you tell the Vetting Officer about a previously undisclosed criminal offence, the matter will be included in their interview report and will be assessed accordingly. A decision will then be made on what action is to be taken.
Sometimes people have aspects of their lives that they are ashamed of or embarrassed to tell us about. Usually these are of little or no security significance. They will generally not stop or restrict the granting of a security clearance.
If you would feel more comfortable talking about certain matters with a different Vetting Officer (someone of your own sex, age profile, or ethnic group, for example), let us know and we will try to arrange this for you (Tel: 01904 662153 or 01904 662489).
If you need any special facilities to enable the interview to take place, please tell the Vetting Officer when they contact you.
Where will I be interviewed?Interviews are normally carried out at work during working hours. In some cases the Vetting Officer may ask to interview you at your home.
Will I be asked for any documents at the interview?The following list is not exhaustive, but these are the documents that Vetting Officers commonly ask to see (where appropriate). Please note that all documents must be originals.
Any additional requirements will be notified to you by the Vetting Officer - normally in advance of the interview. Any delay in providing these documents is likely to delay your clearance.
General documents:
- Evidence of identification, for example: birth certificate, passport*, driving licence, identity card
- Deed Poll or Certificate of Declaration in respect of any change of name
- Naturalisation or Registration certificate
- Adoption certificate
- Marriage certificate/Civil partnership documents
- Decree Absolute or Nisi
- Separation or Maintenance Orders
- HM Forces Discharge certificate
- Curriculum Vitae
- Utility bills
*Passport is also required as evidence of travel.
Financial Documents (in respect of you and your partner):
- Bank current accounts (statements for the last three months
- Details and statements for the last three months of all charge and credit cards, store and mail order accounts
- Details and statements of all loans and hire purchase agreements
- Details of mortgage and copy of last mortgage statement
- Details of any County Court Judgements
- Last three pay statements
- Documents and statements connected with savings and investments
- Any other documents which support or help to explain any figures on the Financial Questionnaire
Can I bring a friend to the interview?
You can have a friend, colleague or relative at the interview. Most people prefer to be interviewed alone, in view of the sensitive nature of some of the things that will be discussed.
Who should I name as referees and what will you ask them?
You should choose people who have known you well over a significant recent period of your life. We will ask them to describe you and your way of life away from work.
The Vetting Officer will be trying to double-check the information given in the vetting questionnaire. Please make sure that the Referees you have nominated are aware that you have nominated them and are willing to be interviewed. Please also advise them that they will not necessarily be contacted.
(Note: An information leaflet is issued to all Referees who are to be interviewed). It would also be helpful if you could advise anyone else who we might contact, such as your current/previous senior officers/line managers or educational establishment, that you are undergoing vetting and have agreed to the process.
Please note that our enquiries will not be confined to past and present employers and nominated character referees.
Who acts as a Referee?
We ask former employers, senior officers and educational establishments for information about the person who is being vetted.
We also ask the person being vetted to choose some people who have known them well for a significant recent period in their life, to act as Referees. We hope that they will ask such people for permission first and make sure that they are willing to be interviewed.
We will not necessarily contact all Referees who have been nominated. Our enquiries will not be confined to past and present employers and nominated character referees.
What do I do as a Referee?
If we decide to use you as a Referee, the Vetting Officer will question you to double-check the details that the person being vetted has given us and those we have collected by carrying out other checks.
After you have received the Referees Information Leaflet, the initial contact will be by telephone. There may be some delay due to operational priorities and other factors, so please be patient. Interviews will usually be face-to-face, but may occasionally be conducted by telephone.
If you have sensitive information to divulge or feel uncomfortable discussing the person being vetted over the telephone, a face-to-face interview will always be arranged.
What are the definitions for ROUTINE PRIORITY & IMMEDIATE requests for clearance?
DBS NSV operates the following definitions for Routine, Priority, and Immediate cases - the precedence markers recognised by the IT system and used to compute the intermediate state completion dates. The definitions are explained in the table below:
| Type of Case |
Description |
Process |
Criteria |
| ROUTINE |
Normal
Request |
Using normal procedures complete all action within the following calendar days:
CTC/SC 30 days
DV 100 days |
Requirement for application to fill security annotated post or position. |
| PRIORITY |
Urgent request |
Takes priority over ROUTINE requests. Speedy action or attention to complete all action within the following calendar days:
CTC/SC 10 days
DV 30 days |
As above, plus urgent operational or commercial requirement. |
| IMMEDIATE |
Instant request |
Takes precedence over all other requests, to complete action immediately in accordance with timescale agreed with customer. |
As above, plus critical operational or commercial requirement. |
Note:
DBS NSV uses a number of external agencies to process enquiries. These organisations are not within its control, and there will be occasions when there will be a need for these agencies to make further external enquiries that will breach the required completion times noted above.
When this is the case the customer will be advised and an alternative strategy discussed as appropriate.
Can I employ staff while waiting for a security clearance?There is no central regulation prohibiting the employment of people awaiting security clearance. The decision whether or not to do this, limiting access as necessary, is a risk management judgement for the area concerned and as advised by his or her security staff.
In making this judgement, the business manager must take into account the sensitivity of the business area, the information held, and local conditions of work and of the practicality of limiting access. If in doubt, Personnel Managers should deal with us directly. For a SC case contact the DBS NSV Helpdesk (01904 662644) to agree arrangements.
Is there a requirement to re-vet people that rejoin within a year of leaving, other than in exceptional circumstances?There is no requirement to re-vet staff that rejoin within a year of leaving, other than in exceptional circumstances. Where a security clearance needs to be transferred the receiving Personnel authority/company should phone the DBS NSV Helpdesk (01904 662644) at the outset to find out whether an individual holds a clearance and to initiate the transfer.
Do I have the chance to say what I think about the DV process? We are very keen to make sure that the DV process is carried out efficiently, professionally, fairly, and politely. You will be given the opportunity to complete a form which asks various questions about your experience with the DV process, and gives you space to make any other comments.
After your interview, we hope that you will take the time to fill in and return the form, as we are always trying to improve the vetting process. You do not need to sign the form.