What Is a NACLC Investigation for Security Clearance?

A NACLC investigation, short for National Agency Check with Local Agency Checks and Credit, is the federal background investigation used to decide whether you can be trusted with access to classified information at the Confidential or Secret level. It pulls records from federal databases, sends inquiries to local law enforcement where you’ve lived, worked, or studied, and reviews your credit history. The sponsoring agency that hires or contracts you requests the investigation from an authorized provider, most commonly the Defense Counterintelligence and Security Agency (DCSA).¹

What the Investigation Actually Checks

The name breaks down into the three checks bundled into one investigation:

A National Agency Check searches federal databases, including the FBI’s fingerprint and name files, OPM’s Security/Suitability Investigations Index, and the Defense Clearance and Investigations Index. This piece is the backbone of every federal background investigation.²
Local Agency Checks are inquiries sent to police departments and sheriff’s offices in the places you’ve lived, worked, or attended school. They catch records that may not appear at the federal level.
The credit check reviews your credit history for delinquent debts, bankruptcies, judgments, and other financial red flags that could suggest vulnerability to coercion or poor judgment.

What the NACLC does not include is worth knowing. It does not send written inquiries to your past employers, schools, or personal references. That’s what separates it from the similar-sounding ANACI (Access National Agency Check with Inquiries), which does include those written contacts.² The investigation is primarily records-based, though investigators can follow up with interviews if something needs clarification.

NACLC or Tier 3: Which Term Is Current

Under the 2012 Federal Investigative Standards, the government reorganized its investigation types into a tiered system. The NACLC was replaced by the Tier 3 (T3) investigation for initial clearances and by the T3R for reinvestigations.³ The Tier 3 covers essentially the same ground as the old NACLC.

If a security officer or hiring manager tells you they need a “NACLC,” they almost certainly mean a Tier 3 investigation. The older term persists in conversation and some legacy agency guidance, but T3 is the current designation.

Which Clearances Rely on This Investigation

The NACLC (now T3) is the initial investigation for Confidential and Secret national security clearances, as well as Department of Energy “L” access authorization.² Secret is by far the most common clearance level, so this is the investigation most federal contractors and many military members go through.

Top Secret clearances require a deeper investigation, the Single Scope Background Investigation (SSBI), now called a Tier 5. A T5 includes personal interviews with people who know you and covers a longer lookback period. If anyone tells you a NACLC covers Top Secret, that’s incorrect.

One important caveat for federal civilian hiring: a completed NACLC has not historically been accepted as equivalent to an initial Tier 3 when that investigation is required for a federal civilian position. Contractor positions are treated differently. The distinction matters if you’re moving from a contractor role into a government civilian slot.³

The SF-86: Where the Process Starts

The investigation begins when you complete Standard Form 86, “Questionnaire for National Security Positions.” The SF-86 asks about nearly every corner of your life. Major sections cover:

Every place you’ve lived for the past 10 years⁴
All employment, self-employment, and unemployment for the past 10 years
Schools attended, with dates and contact information
Parents, siblings, children, and in-laws, including their citizenship status
Close or continuing contact with foreign nationals within the last seven years
Delinquent debts, bankruptcies, judgments, liens, and legal proceedings
Consultations with mental health professionals (the form authorizes release of those records)
Arrests, convictions, probation, and parole

A false statement on the SF-86 is a federal crime under 18 U.S.C. § 1001, punishable by fine or imprisonment. Beyond criminal exposure, withholding or misrepresenting information can result in denial of your clearance, removal from your position, or debarment from federal service.⁴ Honesty matters more than a clean record. Investigators expect to find imperfections; what they can’t tolerate is deception.

Where You Submit It

For years, applicants used the Electronic Questionnaires for Investigations Processing (e-QIP) system.⁵ That system has been replaced by eApp, which sits inside the National Background Investigation Services (NBIS) platform.⁶ Some security offices still say “e-QIP” out of habit, but the portal you’ll actually use is eApp.

How Long It Takes

Timelines depend on the complexity of your case and DCSA’s current workload. As of mid-2025, DCSA reported Tier 3 cases averaged roughly 18 days from submission to initiation, about 73 days for the investigation itself, and approximately 47 days for adjudication. Straightforward Confidential or Secret cases often close in 60 to 90 days total. Cases with complications, such as extensive foreign contacts, financial issues, or heavy overseas travel, can stretch to four to six months or longer.

DCSA has been working through its backlog, and the pending inventory has dropped significantly in recent years. Even so, government progress reports acknowledge agencies remain behind Trusted Workforce 2.0 targets for getting cleared personnel to work faster.⁷

Interim Clearance While You Wait

You don’t always have to wait for the full investigation to close before starting classified work. All applicants for a personnel security clearance submitted by a cleared contractor are routinely considered for interim eligibility. DCSA adjudication staff reviews your SF-86 and available records, and if nothing raises immediate concerns, an interim clearance can be issued alongside the start of the investigation.⁸

Interim eligibility remains in effect until the full investigation is completed and a final determination is made. The governing standard is that interim access is granted only when the facts are “clearly consistent with the national security interest of the United States.”⁸ An interim clearance can be withdrawn at any time if new information surfaces.

How Adjudicators Decide

Once the investigation is complete, an adjudicator (not the investigator) makes the clearance decision under the 13 adjudicative guidelines set by Security Executive Agent Directive 4 (SEAD 4). The guidelines cover allegiance to the United States, foreign influence, foreign preference, sexual behavior, personal conduct, financial considerations, alcohol consumption, drug involvement and substance misuse, psychological conditions, criminal conduct, handling protected information, outside activities, and use of information technology systems.⁹

Adjudicators don’t just look for problems. They weigh how serious a concern is, how long ago it occurred, and whether you’ve taken steps to address it. A bankruptcy from eight years ago that’s been resolved carries far less weight than active financial delinquency. A single instance of marijuana use in college looks different from ongoing substance abuse. This is the whole-person concept: the adjudicator considers your entire record, not isolated facts.

What Happens After Your Clearance Is Granted

Getting cleared is no longer the last time the government looks at your record. The old model of periodic reinvestigations every five or ten years has been replaced by Continuous Vetting (CV), which runs automated checks against criminal, terrorism, financial, and public records databases on an ongoing basis.¹⁰ The full population of national security positions was enrolled in Continuous Vetting by September 2025.⁷

When an automated check generates an alert, such as an arrest or a significant new debt, DCSA assesses whether it warrants further investigation. A DUI, a sudden accumulation of debt, or an unreported foreign contact can surface between events and trigger a review. Self-reporting an issue to your security officer proactively is always better than having it pulled from a database.

Reciprocity When You Change Employers

If you already hold a valid clearance and move to a new agency or contractor, the receiving agency is generally required to accept your existing investigation and clearance determination rather than starting over. This principle, called reciprocity, is governed by Security Executive Agent Directive 7 (SEAD 7). The receiving agency must make a reciprocity determination within five business days of receiving the request.¹¹

Reciprocity covers the background investigation and the national security eligibility determination. It does not cover separate employment suitability or fitness requirements, which are treated as outside the security reciprocity process.¹¹ A new employer might still require additional screening for a specific position even though your clearance transfers.

Your Rights If Clearance Is Denied

A denial isn’t the end of the road. Executive Order 12968 sets specific due process protections for anyone denied eligibility or having a clearance revoked:¹²

A detailed written explanation of the reasons for the denial, called a Statement of Reasons (SOR)
Access to the documents, records, and reports the decision was based on, along with your investigative file
The right to hire an attorney or personal representative at your own expense
A reasonable opportunity to reply in writing and request a review
A personal appearance before an adjudicative authority at some point in the process
A written appeal to a high-level panel of at least three members, two of whom must come from outside the security field, whose decision is generally final

For DoD contractor personnel, the process also includes the right to a formal hearing before an administrative judge. Either side can appeal within 20 days, and the appeal itself must be filed within 60 days. Appeals are limited to questions of law and procedure, so no new evidence is considered at that stage. People do win these appeals, particularly when a denial was based on outdated information or when the applicant can show significant mitigation.

Who Pays

You don’t. The sponsoring agency or employer covers the cost. For Department of Defense contractors, DCSA uses appropriated government funds. You should never be asked to pay for your own security clearance investigation out of pocket. Your responsibility is limited to accurately completing the SF-86 and being available to answer any follow-up questions.

1
Defense Counterintelligence and Security Agency. Investigations and Clearance Process
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U.S. Army. Department of the Army Personnel Security – Investigation Types
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Defense Counterintelligence and Security Agency. Position Designation Investigation Type Chart
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Office of Personnel Management. Standard Form 86 – Questionnaire for National Security Positions
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Defense Counterintelligence and Security Agency. Electronic Questionnaires for Investigations Processing (e-QIP)
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Defense Counterintelligence and Security Agency. National Background Investigation Services (NBIS)
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Performance.gov. Quarterly Progress Report – Personnel Vetting FY26 Q1
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Defense Counterintelligence and Security Agency. Interim Clearances
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Office of the Director of National Intelligence. Security Executive Agent Directive 4 – National Security Adjudicative Guidelines
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Defense Counterintelligence and Security Agency. Continuous Vetting
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Defense Counterintelligence and Security Agency. DCSA Reciprocity Program
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Office of the Director of National Intelligence. Executive Order 12968 – Access to Classified Information