Many defence industry jobseekers will be familiar with seeing the words ‘Australian defence security clearance required’ on a job advert.
It’s a bit of a chicken and egg situation; it’s hard to get a defence industry role without already holding a security clearance, but you can’t apply for one without a sponsor… which is normally your employer. We deep dive into how sponsorship works in a previous blog here.
Luckily more and more employers are open to considering non-cleared (but eligible) candidates, whose clearance can be obtained after the job offer has been made.
So, if you do find yourself in the situation of having to start the clearance application process, you’re probably wondering what documents you’ll need to provide.
Be Prepared
The list of documents you need to provide is extensive, and in the interest of obtaining your clearance as quickly as possible, it’s important to have an idea of what you’ll need before you’re asked for it.
The documentation requirements are different depending on the level of clearance you are applying for. For the most basic clearance (Baseline) you’ll only have to gather five years’ worth of information, whereas a Top Secret Positive Vetting will require whole of life information.
You’ll only have 20 days from when you receive your ePack to upload the documents; get organised early by using this list.
Before we go on, wondering what we’re talking about? Take a look at our other security clearance blogs, they will fill in the gaps.
How Long Does A Security Clearance Take?
What Happens If My Security Clearance Is Rejected?
ePack Information
Requirement | Baseline | NV1 | NV2 | TSPV |
Details of partner, parent, siblings, children, cohabitants | 🗸
| 🗸
| 🗸
| 🗸
|
Overseas relatives | 🗸
| 🗸
| 🗸
| 🗸
|
Official foreign government contacts | 🗸
| 🗸
| 🗸
| 🗸
|
Financial information* | 🗸
| 🗸
| 🗸
| 🗸
|
Employment history | 5 years | 10 years | 10 years | Whole of life |
Address history | 5 years | 10 years | 10 years | Whole of life |
Education history | 5 years | 10 years | 10 years | Whole of life |
Overseas travel | 10 years | 10 years | 10 years | Whole of life |
Passport and travel documents | 🗸
| 🗸
| 🗸
| Whole of life |
Character and professional references | 5 years | 10 years | 10 years | Whole of life |
Social memberships | If applicable | If applicable | If applicable | If applicable |
Legal proceedings | If applicable | If applicable | If applicable | If applicable |
Security clearance history | If applicable | If applicable | If applicable | If applicable |
*Financial information includes things like a recent tax return, annual salary, average fortnightly expenditure, details of investments or credit cards, details of business interests and superannuation accounts.
Personal documents
Requirement | Baseline | NV1 | NV2 | TSPV |
Full birth certificate | 🗸 | 🗸 | 🗸 | 🗸 |
Proof of Australian citizenship | 🗸 | 🗸 | 🗸 | 🗸 |
Current marriage certificate | If applicable | If applicable | If applicable | If applicable |
Divorce certificate | If applicable | If applicable | If applicable | If applicable |
Change of name certificate | If applicable | If applicable | If applicable | If applicable |
Certificate of service or discharge | If applicable | If applicable | If applicable | If applicable |
Current photo ID | 🗸 | 🗸 | 🗸 | 🗸 |
Current secondary identification | 🗸 | 🗸 | 🗸 | 🗸 |
Current credit or bank card | 🗸 | 🗸 | 🗸 | 🗸 |
Proof of current address | 🗸 | 🗸 | 🗸 | 🗸 |
Proof of previous addresses | 🗸 | 🗸 | 🗸 | 🗸 |
Proof of current employment | 🗸 | 🗸 | 🗸 | 🗸 |
Passport(s) | 🗸 | 🗸 | 🗸 | 🗸 |
Financial statements | 🗸 | 🗸 | 🗸 | 🗸 |
Financial statements | 🗸 | 🗸 | 🗸 | 🗸 |
Notice of tax assessment slip | 🗸 | 🗸 | 🗸 | 🗸 |
Payslip | 🗸 | 🗸 | 🗸 | 🗸 |
Once all the documents are provided to ASGVA, your security clearance application can be processed. For information on how long that’ll take, find the latest processing times here.
For more detail on the documents you’ll need to provide when applying for a security clearance, view the AGSVA website here.
Photo by Wesley Tingey on Unsplash
