Request vetting for a clearance

A government organisation’s chief security officer is responsible for submitting vetting requests for national security clearances to the New Zealand Security Intelligence Service (NZSIS) using the Online Vetting Request (OVR) system.

The OVR is a secure, automated web-based system. Only authorised people have access to the OVR.

The information candidates give in the vetting questionnaire can only be used for vetting purposes. Your organisation can check applications in the OVR to ensure the information is complete, but you can’t access or use the information for any other purpose.

Before you submit a request for vetting, you need to be sure the person is eligible for vetting and likely to gain a favourable recommendation for a clearance.

Make sure you’ve checked the person’s eligibility and suitability

Remember to wait until your organisation has received a vetting recommendation and granted a clearance before you allow any access to classified information, assets, or work locations.

Requesting urgent vetting

Contact the NZSIS vetting team to discuss an urgent vetting request before submitting it. If the NZSIS agrees you can go ahead with a request, make sure you include:

• a brief description of the circumstances that make the vetting urgent
• when you need a response from the NZSIS by.

You should only request urgent vetting when it is critical to do so. Examples of such circumstances may include, but are not limited to, short-notice vetting for:

• overseas postings or deployments
• involvement in security-related court cases
• attendance at courses for which a clearance is required.

Be conscious that prioritising one vetting request is likely to delay other requests.

Granting emergency access to classified material

In an emergency, your chief executive may grant a person who already holds a clearance access to information, assets, or work locations one level above their current clearance. For more information about emergency access, go to:

Manage their security clearance

Page last modified: 6/08/2020