Standard Form 86
Revised July 2008
U.S. Office of Personnel Management
5 CFR Parts 731, 732, and 736
Form approved:
OMB No. 3206 0005
NSN 7540-00 634-4036
86-111
Questionnaire for National Security Positions
Follow instructions fully or we cannot process your form. If you have any questions, contact the office that gave you the form.
The United States (U.S.) Government conducts background investigations
and reinvestigations of persons under consideration for or retention in national
security positions as defined in 5 CFR 732 and for positions requiring access
to classified information under Executive Order 12968.
Withholding, misrepresenting, or falsifying information will have an impact on a
security clearance, employment prospects, or job status, up to and including
denial or revocation of your security clearance, or your removal and
debarment from Federal Service.
This form is a permanent document that may be used as the basis for future
investigations, security clearance determinations, and determinations of your
suitability for employment. Your responses to this form may be compared with
previous security questionnaires. It is imperative that the information provided
be true and accurate to the best of your knowledge.
Giving us this information is voluntary. If you do not provide each item of
requested information, however, we will not be able to complete your
investigation, which will adversely affect your eligibility for a national security
position. Any information that you provide is evaluated on the basis of its
recency, seriousness, relevance to the position and duties, and consistency
with all other information about you.
Purpose of this Form
Special Instructions for Completing this Form
Instructions for Completing this Form
Authority to Request this Information
Depending upon the purpose of your investigation, the U.S. Government is
authorized to ask for this information under Executive Orders 10450, 10865,
12333, and 12968; sections 3301, 3302, and 9101 of title 5, U.S. Code
(U.S.C.); sections 2165 and 2201 of title 42, U.S.C.; chapter 23 of title 50,
U.S.C.; and parts 2, 5, 731, 732, and 736 of title 5, Code of Federal
Regulations.
Your Social Security Number (SSN) is needed to identify your unique records.
Although disclosure of your SSN is not mandatory, failure to disclose your
SSN may prevent or delay the processing of your background investigation.
The authority for soliciting and verifying your SSN is Executive Order 9397.
The Investigative Process
Background investigations for national security positions are conducted to
gather information to show whether you are reliable, trustworthy, of good
conduct and character, and loyal to the U.S. The information that you provide
on this form may be confirmed during the investigation. The investigation may
extend beyond the time covered by this form when necessary to resolve
issues. Your current employer may be contacted as part of the investigation,
even if you have previously indicated on applications or other forms that you
do not want your current employer to be contacted.
In addition to the questions on this form, inquiry also is made about your
adherence to security requirements, honesty and integrity, vulnerability to
exploitation or coercion, falsification, misrepresentation, and any other
behavior, activities, or associations that tend to show the person is not
reliable, trustworthy, or loyal. Checks of Federal agency records may be
made about your spouse or other cohabitant.
Your Personal Interview
Some investigations will include an interview with you as a routine part of the
investigative process. The investigator may ask you to explain your answers
to any question on this form. This provides you the opportunity to update,
clarify, and explain information on your form more completely, which often
helps to complete your investigation faster. It is important that the interview
be conducted as soon as possible after you are contacted. Postponements
will delay the processing of your investigation, and declining to be interviewed
may result in your investigation being delayed or canceled.
For the interview, you will be asked to bring identification with your picture on
it, such as a valid state driver's license. There are other documents you may
be asked to bring to verify your identity as well. These may include
documentation of any legal name change, Social Security card, passport, and/
or your birth certificate.
Questions on this form related to residence, employment, and education will
require 7 years of information except that Single-Scope Background
Investigations (SSBI) will require 10 years of information.
Provide 7 years of information unless you have been instructed to provide 10
years to satisfy SSBI requirements. If you are unsure as to the amount of
information to provide, contact the office that gave you this form.
The instructions for these questions specify a 10-year time frame when an
SSBI is required. If you have any questions about this investigative request
or whether the 7-year time frame or the 10-year time frame applies to your
responses to these questions, contact the office that gave you this form.
You may also be asked to bring documents about information you provided on
the form or about other matters requiring specific attention. These matters
include (a) alien registration or naturalization documentation; (b) delinquent
loans or taxes, bankruptcies, judgments, liens, or other financial obligations;
(c) agreements involving child custody or support, alimony, or property
settlements; (d) arrests, convictions, probation, and/or parole; or (e) other
matters described in court records.
Final determination on your eligibility for a national security position is the
responsibility of the Federal agency that requested your investigation. You
will be provided the opportunity personally to explain, refute, or clarify any
information before a final decision is made.
Final Determination on Your Eligibility
1. Follow the instructions given to you by the office that gave you this form
and any other clarifying instructions furnished by that office to assist you in
completion of this form. You must sign and date, in ink, the original and each
copy you submit. You should retain a copy of the completed form for
your records.
10. If you need additional space for explanation or to list your residences,
employment/self-employment/unemployment, or education, you should use a
continuation sheet, SF 86A. If additional space is needed to answer other
items, use the Continuation Space on page 17 or a blank sheet(s) of paper.
Each blank sheet of paper you use must contain your name and SSN at the
top of the page.
9. All dates provided in this form must be in Month/Day/Year or Month/Year
format. Use numbers (01-12) to indicate months. For example, July 29,
1968, should be written as 07/29/1968. If you find that you cannot report an
exact date, approximate or estimate the date to the best of your ability and
indicate this by writing "APPROX." or "EST."
8. For telephone numbers in the U.S., be sure to include the area code.
7. The 5-digit postal Zip Codes are needed to speed the processing of your
investigation. Refer to an automated system approved by the U.S. Postal
Service to assist you with Zip Codes.
6. Whenever "City (Country)" is shown in an address block, also provide in
that block the name of the country when the address is outside the U.S.
5. You must use the Location codes (abbreviations) listed on the back of this
page when you fill out this form. Do not abbreviate the names of cities or
foreign countries.
4. Any changes that you make to this form after you sign it must be initialed
and dated by you. Under certain limited circumstances, agencies may modify
your response(s) with your consent.
3. All questions on this form must be answered. If no response is necessary
or applicable, indicate this on the form with "N/A" unless otherwise noted.
2. Type or legibly print your answers in ink (if the form is not legible, it will not
be accepted). You may also be asked to submit your form using the
approved electronic format.