Start with e-QIP
Completing the Forms for Your Background Check: The ‘e-QIP’ Questionnaire
As part of the PIV process, each applicant must complete a questionnaire through the Office of Personnel Management’s secure online system, Electronic Questionnaires for Investigations Processing (e-QIP) . There are three different background questionnaires, but the applicant will complete only the one that is appropriate for his or her position. Personnel Security will advise the Applicant which questionnaire to complete.
- Soon after your fingerprinting appointment, you will be sent an e-mail notification with the subject line ‘DPSAC: Background Investigation Initiation’. This e-mail provides a link that allows you to log onto the secure online system to complete e-QIP. You will be given seven business days to complete your e-QIP questionnaire.
- Instructions and frequently asked questions are located on the OPM web site.
- Technical information about Web browser requirements, including an automated check of your browser version and security settings, is on the site.
- You do not have to complete your application in one session. You can save your work and finish later.
- In addition to your login and password, you will be asked to create three security questions (golden questions) in case you forget your password.
- e-QIP can accept attachments to your application, if needed.
In some circumstances (e.g., if you are a foreign national without a social security number), NIH may require you to print the required forms and fill them out manually instead of electronically through e-QIP. It is recommended that you collect the required information in advance of logging on to e-QIP to avoid interruptions and to save time. You will need employment, education and residence history as well as personal references.
IMPORTANT: Make sure that once you have completed the questionnaire you click the “Release Request/Transmit to Agency” button. Failure to complete the e-QIP process will result in your ID badge being disabled and confiscated at the perimeter gate when you attempt to enter the NIH campus. You will need to contact Personnel Security to re-initiate your background investigation should this occur.
