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Credentialing for Access to the National Source Tracking System

The National Source Tracking System (NSTS) is a secure, Web-based database designed to enhance the accountability of radioactive sources. As such, the security of the NSTS is based in part on the use of “digital certificates,” which are loaded onto hard tokens or smart cards. A digital certificate is an electronic identification, which establishes a user’s credentials when processing transactions on the Web. The use of digital certificates allows the NSTS to uniquely identify each user. The process of obtaining the digital certificate is called credentialing.

In June 2008, the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) invited licensees to provide names for authorized NSTS users. Those named licensee users received email messages in November, inviting them to begin the credentialing process. If you did not receive an email invitation and you would like to submit NSTS reports online, you can still pursue the credentialing process, as follows:

Visit the Web-based Digital Certificate Center.
Select "Digital Certificate Center (DCC) for NSTS."
Choose "New Request.”
Follow the guidance provided to enroll for your digital certificate. (The enrollment process should take no more than 10 minutes to complete.)

Upon receiving your information from Verisign, the NRC will verify the legitimacy of your request. Verisign will then mail you a “proof of identity” package, which will include a document that will need to be notarized. You will need to provide the notary with two forms of identification (one of which is a Government-issued photo ID), as well as a recent passport-style photograph. The notary will place the necessary documents (form, copies of IDs, and photo) into the provided tamper-resistant envelope and seal the package. You will then mail the identity package back to Verisign for review. After approving the identity package, Verisign will mail you a Smartcard and card reader. (The Smartcard is a pocket-sized card with embedded integrated circuits to process data and provide strong security authentication for sign-on to the NSTS.) In addition, Verisign will separately inform you how to access the credentialing Web site and load your digital authentication certificate onto your Smartcard. After completing that process, you may access NSTS at https://nsts.nrc-gateway.gov/nsts/welcome.do.