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DPSAC > Applicants/Employees > Know Before You Go > Information for Fellows and Summer Interns > Summer Internships
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For Applicants & Employees - Know Before You Go
Summer Internships
Information for Fellows and Summer Interns

If you are a Summer Intern or an individual who will be at the NIH for less than 6 months, you will be considered a "Short Term Employee" and will receive our short-term RLA orange-striped badge. Please feel free to review our Summer Intern Tips PDF to ensure you receive your RLA badge in a smooth manner. 

Steps to Obtain Your NIH RLA ID Badge


Step 1: NIH Enterprise Directory (NED) Sponsorship

The first step in the ID badge process is for your Summer Coordinator to work with your Administrative Officer (AO) to enter your information into the NIH Enterprise Directory (NED) and to request an RLA ID badge for you. The NED system will invite you enter your own Personally Identifiable Information (PII), such as your place of birth, address, email address, etc. Ensure your contact information is accurate as this is how NIH will contact you regarding your badge requirements.

If you do not enter your information online into NED, you will be required to fill out a paper Badge Request Form (HHS-745), which will be provided to you by the Summer Coordinator for your Institute, Center or Office (ICO). After your Summer Coordinator receives your completed HHS-745 form and your AO processes your information into NED, you will be able to confirm that you have been entered into the NED System by visiting: http://ned.nih.gov. If you do not see your name in the NED or the badge request is not complete, you will need to contact your Summer Coordinator.

Please note: All non-immigrant foreign nationals must first have their U.S. employment eligibility authorization validated by the NIH Division of International Services (DIS). Please also visit the NIH Security Website to learn more about VisitNIH/Visitor Access Management Initiative (VAMI) as non-U.S. summer interns prepare to visit campus for their appointments.

The Division of Personnel Security (DPS) cannot process any individual for a badge until the AO sponsors the individual's badge request in NED, and until DIS completes validation for any non-immigrant foreign nationals.

  • Note: DIS does not process U.S. Lawful Permanent Residents (LPR). Please visit the DPS website for more information.
  • Note: Summer interns under the age of 18 must provide parental/legal guardian consent to undergo the necessary security screening. AOs must collect the HHS-745 form from the student prior to sponsoring the student's badge request in NED. Sponsorship in NED indicates that this form has been collected and the intern's parent/legal guardian consented to the intern to undergo all necessary security screening needed for the intern's NIH RLA badge. 

Once you submit your Badge Request Form in a timely fashion and have been entered into NED by your Summer Coordinator, you will be contacted by NIH regarding next steps to obtain your NIH Badge.


Step 2: ORS Division of Personnel Security (DPS) Prescreening, Badge Enrollment and Badge Issuance

After your AO sponsors your badge request in NED (from Step 1), and once DIS completes validation for non-immigrant foreign nationals (if applicable), your case is routed to the NIH/ORS DPS to complete Prescreening and start the process for your RLA badge.

Before issuing an NIH badge and before 'clearing' anyone for employment at NIH, DPS conducts Prescreening. Prescreening is the process of collecting preliminary information, such as fingerprints, to determine if an individual is eligible to receive an NIH badge or to occupy their position at NIH. 

Summer Interns (or individuals who will be at the NIH for under 6 months) will be required to undergo the following security screening for their NIH RLA badge: 

  • Submit Fingerprints to conduct the necessary Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI)  Criminal History Check (Prescreening)
  • Badge Enrollment, which includes: 
    • Identity Proofing (2 IDs must be brought to verify the intern's identity)
    • Biometric Integration (collection of fingerprints to be integrated with the intern's RLA Badge)
    • Capture of a Photograph (to be tied to the intern's RLA Badge)

You must wait until DPS sends a notification via email to make an appointment for Badge Enrollment. You will be authorized for Badge Issuance once the FBI criminal history check shows that you are 'cleared' and eligible for an NIH ID badge and once Badge Enrollment is complete.

Badge Enrollment and Badge Issuance appointments can only be done at an NIH PIV Card Issuance Facility (PCIF). You may find PCIFs located at the NIH Main Office Location in Building 31 and at Other DPS Locations (PCIFs).


Where can I submit Fingerprints and/or complete Badge Enrollment for my Badge?

For Summer Interns Located LESS THAN 50 MILES from an NIH PCIF:

1. Once you receive an email authorizing Badge Enrollment, Summer Interns who are local (within 50 miles) can visit an NIH PCIF in advance of their start date to complete Badge Enrollment. Fingerprints collected at your Badge Enrollment appointment will be used to (1) conduct your FBI Criminal History Check and (2) to be tied to your badge. 

2. The fingerprint results for the FBI Criminal History Check will take 1-5 business days to process.

3. Once approved, Summer Interns will receive an email to schedule their Badge Issuance appointment. Summer Interns may schedule a badge issuance appointment on or after their start date.

For Summer Interns Located MORE THAN 50 MILES from an NIH PCIF:

These Summer Interns will need to utilize Fieldprint to remotely submit their fingerprints for DPS to conduct the required FBI Criminal History Check. Badge Enrollment will be completed once the Summer Intern can travel to an NIH PCIF. To use Fieldprint:

1. Summer Interns need to wait for an email authorizing Badge Enrollment, then Summer Interns who are located more than 50 miles from an NIH PCIF may contact  ORSFingerprintService@mail.nih.gov or call 301-402-9755 to request “Fieldprint Scheduling." Please follow the instructions provided via email on how to use Fieldprint.

Note: Utilizing Fieldprint will save non-local Summer Interns time by having to complete the FBI Criminal History Check portion in advance of their start date, as it takes 1-5 business days to process and receive results from this check. There are many Fieldprint locations across the United States.

2. Once the Summer Intern completes their Fieldprint appointment and is cleared by DPS, Summer Interns should use the original Badge Enrollment email to schedule both their Badge Enrollment and Badge Issuance Appointments on their start date at an NIH PCIF.

Note: Summer Interns who did not use Fieldprint or who did not complete Badge Enrollment prior to their start date will need to complete Badge Enrollment first and wait for their fingerprint results to be returned (1-5 business days) before DPS can issue the badge.

In summary, once processed and approved by DPS, a Summer Intern's RLA badge can only be picked up at the Badge Issuance appointment (subject to appointment availability) at an NIH PCIF on the intern's start date is if:

  • Summer Interns located more than 50 miles from an NCIF utilized Fieldprint ahead of time (and schedules their Badge Enrollment appointment on the same day before Badge Issuance), OR
  • Summer Interns located within 50 miles completed Badge Enrollment ahead of time.


What Must I Bring to my DPS Badge Appointments:

You will need to bring two (2) forms of valid, unexpired, REAL-ID compliant government-issued identification with you to your appointments; one of which must contain a photo. This may include:

  • REAL-ID Driver's license
  • Social security card
  • Passport
  • Birth certificate
  • School ID card with a photograph

Please visit the FIPS 201-3 flyer to view a complete list of approved identification. Your identifying information on both forms of ID must match exactly – no exceptions (i.e. first name, middle name and last name, date of birth, etc.). IDs must also be original documents (photocopies are not accepted). DPS will not enroll you without the correct forms of ID.

Please allot additional time to complete the security screening upon your arrival and be prepared to show verification of your DPS appointment to NIH Security to be allowed onto NIH campus. Please arrive on-time for your appointment. To see a map on how to arrive at our Main Office Location in Bethesda, MD, please visit our website here.