The Australian Government Security Vetting Agency (AGSVA) reviews personal and professional information and documents as part of clearance application process.
Personal details
The following personal information is required for all levels of clearance applications.
- Personal (current and previous names, date and place of birth, contact details).
- Citizenships (current and previous foreign citizenships held, country, reason held, reason relinquished).
- Licence (current drivers licence or firearms licence, State/Territory of issue, expiry date).
The following identity documents are required for all levels of clearance applications.
- Full Birth Certificate:
- Australian Birth Certificate issued by a Registry of Births, Deaths and Marriages in Australia.
- Foreign Birth Certificate and, if in a language other than English, a National Accreditation Authority for Translators and Interpreters (NAATI) translation.
- Evidence of Australian citizenship:
- If born outside of Australia an Australian citizenship certificate.
- If born in Australia on or after 20 August 1986 an Australian passport or an Australian citizenship certificate. Else:
- a parent's full Australian Birth Certificate that shows a date of birth before 20 August 1986
- a parent's Australian passport issued on or after 20 August 1986 that was valid for at least 2 years and issued before you were born, or
- a parent's Australian Citizenship Certificate that shows they acquired citizenship before 20 August 1986.
- a parent’s full Birth Certificate that shows a date of birth on or after 20 August 1986 and:
- the grandparent’s full Australian Birth Certificate of a grandparent that shows a date of birth before 20 August 1986
- a grandparent’s Australian passport issued on or after 20 August 1986 that was valid for at least 2 years and issued before the parent was born
- a grandparent's Australian Citizenship Certificate that shows they acquired citizenship before the parent was born.
- Change of Name Certificate if applicable.
- Issued by a recognised authority in Australia.
- Legal name change document issued by the country where the name change occurred.
- Current photo identification issued under a law of the Australian Commonwealth or a State or Territory, e.g. drivers licence, Australian passport, proof of age card.
- Current secondary identification, e.g. Medicare card, credit or bank card issued by a financial institution, Australian Defence Force identity card.
Address details
The following address information (full address, dates) is required for the following timelines:
- Baseline – the past 5 years
- Negative Vetting 1 (NV1) – the past 10 years
- Negative Vetting 2 (NV2) – the past 10 years
- Positive Vetting (PV) – since the age of 16 or the past 10 years, whichever period is greater.
The following address documents are required:
- Evidence of current address, e.g. current driver’s license, household utility bill, tax assessment, council rates notice, bank statement.
- Evidence of previous address, e.g. current driver’s license, household utility bill, tax assessment, council rates notice, bank statement.
- One previous address is required for Baseline, NV1 and NV2 clearance applications.
- All previous addresses are required for PV clearance applications.
Employment and education details
The following employment (employer, position, dates, address) and education (institution, dates attended, qualification) information is required for the following timelines:
- Baseline – the past 5 years
- Negative Vetting 1 (NV1) – the past 10 years
- Negative Vetting 2 (NV2) – the past 10 years
- Positive Vetting (PV) – since the age of 16, or the past 10 years (whichever period is greater).
The following employment and education documents are required:
- Evidence of current employment or education, e.g. payslip, letter of service, payment summary, proof of enrolment or academic results.
- Evidence of previous employment or education, e.g. payslip, letter of service, payment summary, proof of enrolment or academic results.
- Previous employment or education documentation is not required for Baseline clearance applications.
- One previous employment is required for NV1 and NV2 clearance applications.
- All previous employment is required for PV clearance applications.
Legal history details
The following legal history information is required for all levels of clearance applications if applicable.
- Criminal offences (type, description, location, outcome).
- Legal proceedings (type, description, location, outcome).
Substance use details
The following substance use information is required for all levels of clearance applications if applicable.
- Illegal substance use history (type, dates used, frequency, reason).
- Illegal substance use personal views.
Associations and online presence details
The following associations and online presence information is required for all levels of clearance applications.
- Memberships (name of group/organisation, purpose, period of memberships, position held).
- Online presence (current and previous online accounts held including social media, professional network, blogs).
Travel history and passport details
The following overseas travel (country, dates of travel, reason for visit) information is required for the following timelines:
- Baseline – the past 5 years
- Negative Vetting 1 (NV1) – the past 10 years
- Negative Vetting 2 (NV2) – the past 10 years
- Positive Vetting (PV) – since the age of 16 or the past 10 years, whichever period is greater.
The following passport information is required for all levels of clearance applications.
- Current and expired passport details, Australian and foreign (issuing country, number, type, status, validity).
The following travel documents are required for all levels of clearance applications:
- Current and expired Australian passport including details page and all stamped pages. Foreign passports may also be required.
- All passport(s) are required for PV clearance applications.
Referee details
The following referee information is required for all levels of clearance applications.
- Professional referee (full name, citizenship, dates of supervision, nature of association, contact details, address).
- Personal referee (full name, citizenship, period and nature of association, contact details, address).
For further information, see nominating referees page.
Relationship details
The following relationship documents are required for all levels of clearance applications.
- Parents (full name, date and place of birth, citizenships, current address, current employment, overseas travel).
- Partners (full name, date and place of birth, citizenships, current address, current employment, overseas travel, foreign contacts).
- Siblings/Children/Cohabitants (over 18 years old) (full name, date and place of birth, citizenships, current address, current employment, overseas travel, foreign contacts).
The following relationship information is required for PV clearance applications only.
- Siblings/Children/Cohabitants (full name, date and place of birth, citizenships, current address, current employment, overseas travel, foreign contacts).
- Former partners (full name, relationship).
The following relationship documents are required for all levels of clearance applications.
- Current Marriage Certificate.
- Australian marriage certificate issued by a Registry of Births, Deaths and Marriages in Australia.
- Official foreign document by the relevant authority in the country of origin and, if in a language other than English, a National Accreditation Authority for Translators and Interpreters (NAATI) translation.
- Divorce Certificate, decree nisi or absolute document for all divorces.
- Legal divorce order if your divorce was finalised in Australia or decree nisi if your divorce has not yet been finalised.
- Official foreign document issued by the relevant court or authority in the country of origin and, if in a language other than English, a National Accreditation Authority for Translators and Interpreters (NAATI) translation.
Foreign contact details
The following foreign contact information is required for all levels of clearance applications.
- Regular contact with persons outside of Australia (full name, relationship, nature of contact, citizenship, country of residence, period of residence, method of contact, current employment).
- Foreign government officials and foreign national contacts (full name, relationship, nature of contact, citizenship, country of residence, period of residence, method of contact, current employment).
Financial details
The following financial documents may be required for Baseline, NV1 and NV2 clearance applications, and are required for PV clearance applications.
- Financial questionnaire.
- Annual salary (gross, net).
- Average fortnightly expenditure.
- Other forms of income, e.g. investment property, child support, pensions, government payments.
- Current and previous real estate holdings, including investments (purchase dates, price, value, mortgage provider and account details).
- Current motor vehicles (make, model, type, registration number, value and loan details).
- Other major assets, e.g. boats, caravans, sporting equipment, jewellery, artwork.
- Cash accounts (amount).
- Investment accounts (institution, current balance and account holder’s name).
- Superannuation accounts (amount).
- Business interests (ownership details, board membership or financial involvement).
- Personal loans, credit cards, (institution, credit limit, type, description, balance and average payment).
- Buy-now-pay-later service accounts, e.g. Afterpay, Zip Pay, Humm.
The following financial documents may be required for Baseline, NV1 and NV2 clearance applications, and is required for PV clearance applications.
- Latest tax return and Australian Taxation Office Notice of Assessment, not older than 18 months.
- Most recent payslip from all current employers.
- Statements, or transaction listings, for three consecutive months, covering the same time period from all finance accounts which include all account holder's names.
Psychological assessment
A psychological assessment is mandatory at the Positive Vetting level, however may be conducted at any security clearance level if deemed required by AGSVA.
The psychological assessment has 2 parts: psychometric testing and an interview with a psychologist. These may be conducted on different days and the clearance applicant will be provided details about location and duration of when appointments are scheduled.