Before an NIH Badge can be authorized for Badge Issuance, new-hire NIH applicants must complete all three Prescreening requirements below in a timely manner:

• Successfully submit Prescreening fingerprints during the background investigation process to check for any criminal history/records,

• Submit all their case documents (including eApp, OF-306, etc.),

• And complete any needed corrections and must have completed the DPS Prescreening requirements and is determined by DPS eligible to be issued a badge favorably at the NIH.

If the three requirements above are completed in a timely manner, the NIH Division of Personnel Security (DPS) will conduct a review of the individual's Prescreening results and will determine if an individual is eligible to be issued an NIH ID badge. Additionally, an individual’s badge can only be issued on or after the Entry-on-Duty (EOD) date that the individual’s Administrative Officer (AO) inserts in the NED system. An applicant cannot pick up his/her badge until the applicant has been authorized by DPS to do so, and until the applicant has reached his/her EOD date listed in the NIH Enterprise Directory (NED). An applicant is only able to make a Badge Issuance appointment when DPS sends a notification via email to complete the Badge Authorization process.

Please note: If submitting Prescreening fingerprints is the last requirement needed for an individual’s background investigation, the individual will need to wait at least two days for the FBI Fingerprint Check results to come in. Any delays in completing any of these requirements may result in a delay of the issuance of the individual’s badge.

Why do some individuals have both their fingerprint/Badge Enrollment appointment and Badge Issuance appointment completed in one day, while some others have to do separate appointments?

Individuals cannot get both the Badge Enrollment and Badge Issuance appointments completed on the same day UNLESS the individual previously completed ALL prescreening and fingerprinting requirements. If the individual:

• Was located more than 50 miles from an NIH PIV Card Issuance Facility (PCIF),
• Utilized the Fieldprint fingerprint service, and
• Completed all of their prescreening requirements ahead of time,

Then the individual may be qualified to complete Badge Enrollment and Badge Issuance on the same day.

Individuals who are more than 50 miles from an NIH PCIF are encouraged to check with the DPS helpdesk team to identify if they are eligible for a remote Fieldprint fingerprinting appointment at a location closer to them. These individuals can contact DPS at ORSFingerprintService@mail.nih.gov or call (301) 402-9755 before scheduling travel to the DPS appointment to ensure all requirements are met.

If you did not provide Crossmatch fingerprints during Prescreening in advance, then you will need to travel to an NIH PCIF to complete fingerprinting either as part of Prescreening (Crossmatch fingerprints if you have not yet been authorized for Enrollment), or as part of your Enrollment appointment (if you were authorized for Enrollment). NIH PCIFs include the NIH Main Office Location in Building 31 or one of these Badge Enrollment offices at other DPS locations. 

For awareness, in this situation, if you were not able to complete Crossmatch fingerprints during Prescreening in advance, then you will need to wait until the FBI fingerprint results come in. As a result, this will add additional days of processing, due to the amount of time it takes to receive the results from running the FBI fingerprint check after submitting your Crossmatch fingerprints. As a reminder, the FBI fingerprint check is one of the Prescreening requirements that must be done before DPS can issue you your badge.

What happens next?

After Badge Issuance, take note of the below:

Badge Maintenance Information:

• Please read our Badge Maintenance Checklist and visit our Badge Issuance Services page to fully understand how to maintain your badge!
• If this is your first time receiving your NIH ID badge, you may need to contact OIIT to help access your account to login to your computer for the first time.
• If you are renewing your badge or your certificates, you may need to contact OIIT for assistance re-publishing your certs to access websites and encrypted email.

For applicants who completed a new Background Investigation request:

• The background investigation process may take several months with DCSA.
• Please be aware that a DCSA Investigator may reach out to you to schedule a Subject Interview as part of the background investigation.
• DCSA will use any of the contact information you listed on your forms to contact you.
• It is imperative that you cooperate with your DCSA investigator.
• If you or your references have any questions about an Agent's/Investigator's identity or status, contact DCSA Security via email or call the hotline:
• dcsa.boyers.bi.mbx.investigator-verifications@mail.mil
• 724-794-7186

Background Investigation Adjudication: 

• Once the DCSA Background Investigation results are returned, DPS makes a final determination on the applicant's suitability/fitness for Employment, and final eligibility for the PIV Badge. You must pay attention to your email during this process, as we at DPS may contact you regarding your background investigation. Please see our Adjudications page for more information. 

Reinvestigations:

• DPS conducts Reinvestigations as required by federal guidelines at intervals determined by the Defense Counterintelligence and Security Agency (DCSA).
• Applicants continued Badge eligibility and employment suitability at NIH is contingent on the results of the suitability investigations and reinvestigations conducted by DPS.
• DPS will contact you by email (personal and NIH) when you need to complete a reinvestigation.