VERIFICATION OF CITIZENSHIP Citizenship status affects the requirements involved in a security clearance investigation. Consider the clearance eligibility and the access a person will be granted before you start that person’s   security   processing.   Personnel   are required  to  submit  evidence  of  citizenship  to receive a security clearance. However, to retain a clearance at their present level, personnel who hold a current, valid clearance issued by the Navy or Marine Corps are exempt from this require- ment.  Verification  is  required  for  first-time clearance candidates and candidates for clearance at a higher level than currently held if citizenship was not verified previously. Navy and Marine Corps officers must submit proof of citizenship before their commissioning. Unless a person’s record specifically notes that he or she is not a U.S. citizen, you may assume that an  officer  is  a  U.S.  citizen.  Enlistees  must submit documentation verifying their citizenship status during enlistment processing. Civilians must provide documentation proving the citizenship claimed on their application during the hiring process. Never assume a former officer is a U.S. citizen. The former officer must provide evidence of citizenship if the personnel record is unavailable. The following conditions may satisfy the requirement for a service member to verify U.S. citizenship for a clearance at a higher level than currently held: 1.  The  person  has  a  valid  background investigation (BI) or special background investiga- tion (SBI) completed before 1 September 1979, provided U.S. citizenship was claimed at that time. 2. The person is an officer in the Navy or Marine  Corps,  although  the  record  does  not contain evidence of noncitizenship. 3. An enlisted member’s service record contains  a  DD  Form  1966  (Application  for Enlistment—Armed Forces of the United States) with a certification that the documents verifying citizenship  have  been  sighted;  or  for  Navy members, a NAVPERS 1070/601 (Immediate Reenlistment Contract) reflecting that the documentation has been sighted and the person is a U.S. citizen. The following documentation is required to prove U.S. citizenship; it is generally the same as that required for U.S. passport purposes: 1. If the person was born in the United States, a birth certificate is required. A certificate in the form officially issued and certified by the state or county agency is acceptable if it shows the birth record was filed shortly after birth and it bears the signature of the registrar. a. A delayed birth certificate (a record filed more than 1 year after the date of birth) is acceptable. b. Verification of birth (DD Form 372) is acceptable for military members if the birth data listed is verified by the registrar. c. A hospital birth certificate is acceptable if all of the vital information is given and it has an authenticating seal or signature. The hospital must be fully recognized and credentialed by a recognized authority. d. If primary evidence cannot be obtained, a notice from the registrar that no birth record exists should be submitted. The registrar’s notice must be accompanied by the best combination of secondary  evidence  obtainable.  Secondary evidence  includes  a  baptismal  certificate;  a certificate of circumcision; affidavits of persons having personal knowledge of the facts of the birth; or other documents, such as an early census, school or family bible records, newspaper files,  and  insurance  papers.  The  secondary evidence should have been created as close to the time of birth as possible. e. All documents submitted as evidence of birth in the United States must be original or certified copies. Uncertified  copies  are  not acceptable. 2. If citizenship was acquired by birth abroad to a U.S. citizen parent, one of the following is acceptable: a. Certificate of Citizenship issued by the Immigration and Naturalization Service b. A. Report of Birth Abroad of a Citizen of the United States of America (Form FS-240) c. A Certification of Birth (Form FS-545 or DS-1350) issued by a U .S, Consulate or the Department of State For  personnel  born  in  the  Canal  Zone,  a certificate of birth issued by the Canal Zone government  indicating  U.S.  citizenship  and 9-40