How to Fill Out the SF-86 in eApp: A Step-by-Step Prep Plan

How You Get Into eApp

• Your sponsoring agency or employer's security office initiates your case. You cannot start one yourself.
• You receive instructions to log in to NBIS eApp, the DCSA system that replaced e-QIP.
• Watch the deadline in your instructions, and contact your security office if you need more time.

What to Have Ready

• 10 years of addresses and employment, by month and year, with no unexplained gaps
• People who knew you at recent addresses, jobs, and schools, with current contact details
• Relatives' names, birth dates, places, and citizenship
• Foreign travel dates and countries, and foreign contacts
• Your passport details, if you have one
• Financial, police record, and other details the form asks about

Download the official SF-86 (OPM PDF) to preview the questions. Do not fill out the PDF as your submission; use eApp.

Working Through the Form

1. Save often. eApp can time out. Save as you finish each section.
2. Answer every question honestly and completely. If something is hard to explain, answer truthfully and use the comment boxes. Leaving information off can create far bigger problems than the information itself.
3. Use Estimated when needed. The form allows estimated dates. Explain in the comments.
4. Review before certifying. Check dates line up across sections.
5. Sign the release pages. Your security office will tell you which signature forms to complete.

After You Submit

Your security office reviews the form and may send it back for corrections. Keep a private copy of what you submitted; you will want it for your interview and future reinvestigations. See our interview prep guide.

Where to Get Help

For technical problems, use the help resources listed in eApp or ask your security office. For questions about how to answer, ask your FSO or an attorney.