UKSV: Referee, Supervisor, Hiring Managers and Contractors
United Kingdom Security Vetting (UKSV) is the main UK government provider of security clearances.
United Kingdom Security Vetting (UKSV) is the single vetting service providing National Security Vetting (NSV) for the whole of government.
National Security Vetting is a requirement set by the Cabinet Office to protect against threats from hostile intelligence services, terrorist groups, organised criminals and other pressure groups. NSV is used to decide whether an individual can be trusted with sensitive government information or property.
This page provides guidance for vetting applicants on choosing your vetting referees, as well as for nominated character referees and supervisors (current or former line managers, senior officers or academic supervisors) if you have been asked to provide a reference in support of a clearance application.
It also includes guidance for hiring managers and for contractors about the requirements of national security vetting.
Choosing your vetting referees
If you are applying for a national security clearance, make sure that the referees you have nominated are aware that you have nominated them and that they are willing to be contacted or interviewed if this is required. Please also advise them that they will not necessarily be contacted or interviewed.
A link to this page will be sent to all referees to help them to understand the process.
A character referee should be someone who has known you well over a significant recent period of your life. We will ask them to describe you and your way of life outside work.
We may also ask former employers, senior officers and educational establishments for information about you. We recommend that you inform anyone who we might contact, such as your current or previous line manager or educational establishment, that you are undergoing national security 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.
Role of a character referee
We ask the individual who is being vetted to choose Character Referees who have known them well for a significant, recent period in their life, and who will be able to provide us with information about them. We ask them to seek your permission first, and to make sure that you are willing to act as a Character Referee and be interviewed should this be required.
It is entirely your choice whether you want to be a Referee. You can change your mind at any time during the process.
If you are asked to act as a Character Referee for an individual, you will either receive a link which will enable you to complete an online form, or be contacted by one of our Vetting Clearance Officers who will arrange an interview with you where we will discuss the individual. This is to help us build a picture of them. It will help us to gain an understanding of the individual and is part of a multi-layered process to assess their suitability to hold security clearance.
If you require a reasonable adjustment to support you in acting as a referee, UKSV will work with you to support this. Please refer to our guidance on reasonable adjustments.
At this time, the vast majority of referee testimony is gathered through our online portal. Sometimes, when this is not possible we will conduct an interview. These are conducted by video call or by telephone. If you have sensitive information to divulge in an interview, please ensure you are in a suitable office or location where you can speak freely. Face to face interviews will only be arranged in exceptional circumstances. Once your interview is arranged, you will be provided with a link to current information on gov.uk which will help to explain the vetting process in more detail.
The interview will usually last up to 45 minutes. Once your interview is booked, please make sure you are available for around 45 minutes at the agreed time, as a cancellation by you or missed call may lead to an unnecessary delay in the processing of the clearance application.
What will I be asked?
Whether you complete an online form or have an interview, it will cover most areas of the individual’s life. We are trying to build up as complete a picture of them as possible.
The process will be very searching, but it is not an interrogation and should not feel like one. Some of the questions will be very personal, but UKSV ask them to find out if the person we are vetting may be vulnerable to pressure. If you have any doubts about whether some questions asked in the interview are relevant, you should raise these with the Vetting Clearance Officer.
We appreciate that you may not be able to answer every question in detail but please answer as fully as you can. You should be completely honest. If you lie or hide information, it can raise concerns about the person being vetted.
Role of a Supervisor
If you are asked to provide a reference as a Supervisor for a current or former employee or student, you will either receive a link to complete an online form, or be contacted by one of our Vetting Clearance Officers who will arrange an interview with you where we will discuss this individual. This is to help us build a picture of the person; specifically, their attitude to their responsibilities and duties, their behaviours within the workplace or establishment, and any concerns you may have had about them and their reliability. This will then be used to help us gain an understanding of the individual and is part of a multi-layered process to assess their suitability to hold security clearances.
If you require a reasonable adjustment to support you in acting as a referee, UKSV will work with you to support this. Please refer to our guidance on reasonable adjustments.
At this time, the vast majority of testimony is gathered through our online portal. Sometimes, when this is not possible we will conduct an interview. These are conducted by video call or by telephone. If you have sensitive information to divulge, please ensure you are in a suitable office or location where you can speak freely. Face to face interviews will only be arranged in exceptional circumstances. Once your interview is arranged, you will be provided with a link to current information on gov.uk which will help to explain the vetting process in more detail.
Once your interview is booked, please make sure you are available for up to 45 minutes at the agreed time, as a cancellation by you or missed call may lead to an unnecessary delay in the processing of the clearance application.
Hiring Managers
The level for clearance required should be decided by the head of establishment responsible for the post, based on the level of access required to protectively marked materials (PMM) or assets.
Vetting and employment are separate and distinct processes. Your role as the hiring manager is to support the individual in understanding the requirement for national security clearance within their role and to help ensure they are able to engage with vetting enquiries, throughout the NSV process.
A guidance pack for Line Managers can be found on our Vetting Explained page. Further information on the responsibilities of clearance holders and their line managers once clearance is granted can be found in our guidance for Existing Clearance Holders.
There is no central regulation prohibiting the employment of an individual who is awaiting their security clearance. The decision whether or not to do this, limiting access as necessary, is a risk management judgement for the area concerned, as advised by your 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.
There is no requirement to re-vet staff who rejoin your organisation within a year of leaving, other than in exceptional circumstances, as long as the existing clearance has not expired. However if the clearance was lapsed when the individual left, then it will need to be reinstated to your organisation.
Where a security clearance needs to be transferred, the receiving organisation should conduct a Vetting Status Information (VSI) check at the outset to find out whether an individual holds a clearance and should then contact the current clearance holding organisation prior to initiating the transfer.
If you are a vetting sponsor, guidance on requesting a Transfer and a VSI check using the NSVS portal can be found in UKSV National Security Vetting Solution: guidance for sponsors.
Contractors
Guidance on security clearance for companies who bid for UK Government contracts
You do not need to hold national security clearance to bid for UK Government work. Government contracting procedures make sure that there is no competitive advantage in having prior security clearances. Requests for clearances must be raised during the contractual process.
The Statement of HMG Personnel Security and National Security Vetting Policy (Annex A - HMG Personnel Security Controls mandates that individuals should not be expected to hold an existing security clearance in order to apply for posts that require vetting, except where such posts are short term and need to be filled urgently. Otherwise, advertising for staff who already hold a security clearance is contrary to government policy, unnecessary and potentially discriminatory, as laid out in the Cabinet Office code of practice document, ‘Recruiting for vacancies requiring National Security Vetting Clearance’.
Aftercare incident report (AIR)
AIRs are usually raised by Local Security Officers in cases where actual or potential security concerns exist about an individual who holds a security clearance. However, anyone who considers they have grounds to doubt an individual’s continued suitability for access to protectively marked or sensitive assets, and is aware that this individual holds a level of national security clearance, should report the circumstances to UKSV.
Notifications of this nature should be made via the NSVS portal. Please select the AIR option. To report an incident via the portal go to NSVS internet portal: report incident
Further information can be found in UKSV National Security Vetting: aftercare information
Updates to this page
Published 14 August 2019Last updated 27 November 2024 + show all updates
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This guidance has been updated as part of UK Security Vetting’s ongoing review of all our gov.uk content, in consultation with subject matter experts and relevant stakeholders, to ensure that it accurately represents current vetting policy, processes and terminology.
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Contractors section - out of of date guidance removed.
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Guidance updated and links to vetting information leaflets added
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First published.