UK security clearances
 

I'm a triple citizen at the moment, but I heard that for some government positions you need to renounce all foreign nationalities to get a security clearance... Does it include Commonwealth and Irish citizenship? And what positions require this?

If anyone could shed some light on this I'd be grateful.

Thanks.

Re: UK security clearances
 

I don't know where you got this information from but it's utter rubbish. All that's important for a UK security clearance is where you are resident. Of course, if you were a citizen of an embargoed country it probably kibosh any chance of getting even a basic security clearance.

Re: UK security clearances
 

That's not quite the full picture, even if you are a UK citizen but have resided outside of the UK for a year or more, applications for positions that require security clearance usually won't be accepted until you have been back in the UK for 2 years. A friend of mine got caught out by this despite him having previously held security clearance in the UK at a high level.

Re: UK security clearances
 

I'm afraid I'll have to contradict you. The guidelines written for DVA vetting officers are not that black and white. What is actually important is how much verifiable (read UK-based) personal information you are able to provide. The guidelines suggest between five and 15 years (probably five for SC and 15 for DV). However, what is not clear is whether this time needs to be contiguous. I suspect the decision is down to the discretion of the individual vetting officer. My guess, if you've been away from the UK for more than a year you'll probably struggle to get even an SC clearance until you've been resident for at least five years; especially if you've never held a clearance before.

Re: UK security clearances
 

Thanks for that Zednought, it would appear then that the MOD have different requirements from the sector (not the MOD) that my friend was looking at. I guess that different sectors have different requirements, either way both requirements are somewhat greater than "all that's important for UK security clearance is where you are resident".

Re: UK security clearances
 

Thanks guys! I was really confused - my eldest sister has been living back in London for 3 years and she needs a security clearance - she has just got a job at the MoD...