If you fill out the SF-86 application for a national security position, you’ll note it asks for your spouse or cohabitant’s name, social security number and place of birth. Depending upon the responses, additional information may be requested.
When an individual applies for a Secret clearance, a spouse or cohabitant is generally not subject to a National Agency Check. Such a check is generally a part of a Top Secret clearance investigation, and in providing information about a spouse or cohabitant one should expect that they may be subject to a basic criminal background check. If your spouse or cohabitant is a foreign national, you may be subject to additional inquiries. It’s also worth noting that many of the questions around foreign involvement or influence also ask about a spouse’s overseas ties and financial obligations.
Does that mean if your spouse has a criminal background your chances of obtaining a clearance are sunk? Hardly. Previous questions have included if a spouse being listed on the sex offender registry for a decade-old arrest or if a jail stint would affect the applicant’s security clearance. Those issues would likely only be an issue of the applicant was involved in some way.
Another common question is if a cohabitant is a foreign national, if that will affect a security clearance. Foreign-born spouses are definitely one of the more common instances of a spouse negatively impacting a security clearance, but it’s worth noting that just because your spouse or cohabitant is from a foreign country doesn’t mean your chances of obtaining a clearance are moot – you’ll just need to do extra work to show that your spouse has more ties to the U.S. than their country of origin. Marrying you is a big step, but shouldn’t be the only tie they have to the U.S.
Other common questions about relatives in the security clearance application is if other family members are cleared, will that make obtaining a clearance easier? No. Or, am I on the hook for financial obligations and investments my spouse makes? Yes.
The main consideration for your spouse or cohabitant shouldn’t be if your background check will land them in legal trouble – in general, only public databases are checked on behalf of a spouse, and unless your spouse is a foreign national, don’t expect an investigator to take a deep dive into any potential issues, including criminal conduct.
