NBIS Agency and eApp

Users are currently unable to submit investigation requests from eApp to NBIS Agency. In addition, users are reporting issues when releasing requests for investigation or continuous vetting enrollments from NBIS Agency. We are actively working the issue and will provide updates and anticipated resolution timelines when available. 
 

 

Update: Starting May 14, 2025, users of the National Background Investigation Services (NBIS) and the NBIS electronic application (eApp) will experience a new, multi-factor authentication process. Read the release. 

The National Background Investigation Services (NBIS) is the federal government’s one-stop-shop IT system for end-to-end personnel vetting — from initiation and application to background investigation, adjudication, and continuous vetting. NBIS will be one consolidated system designed to deliver robust data protection, enhance customer experience, and better integrate data across the enterprise.

NBIS eApp (electronic application) and NBIS Agency are the new entry points for background investigation applications and are replacing eQIP as the system for initiating investigations. eApp contains the investigative Standard Forms (SF) federal applicants and employees use to input information required to process their personnel background investigation. As a single-page solution, based on modern, simple design elements, eApp makes the application process more intuitive and easier to use for applicants initiating a background investigation.

Individuals who have been asked to fill out an investigative form should access the eApp (for Applicants) above to begin the process. NBIS Agency is the new application allowing security managers (SSO/FSO) to process background applications and manage them through the investigations’ process.

For all questions relating to accessing the system (NEW):

For NBIS Agency user support, contact the NBIS Help Desk at:

For NBIS Industry/FSOs support, contact the Customer Engagements Team (CET) at:

For applicant support with eAPP, contact the Applicant Knowledge Center (AKC) at:

If you would like additional resources or training, please visit the NBIS page on the Security Training, Education, and Professionalization Portal (STEPP).​

Job Aid for eApp Login (NEW)
NBIS eApp Authentication Fact Sheet for Applicants (Updated June 2025)
NBIS eApp Troubleshooting
Federal Onboarding Checklist
Personnel Vetting Questionnaire
Transition from eQIP to eApp
SF86 vs eApp Section Comparison
NBIS Account Management Policy v 1.2.4
Summarized Release notes and NBIS NEWS

 

Why was NBIS Created?

Mandated by Congress to better protect background investigation data, NBIS was designed to improve upon and create new capabilities, leveraging proven Agile and DevSecOps pipeline approaches to speed up delivery and improve functionality of the background investigation process.

NBIS replaces a suite of legacy background investigation IT systems from the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) and the Defense Manpower Data Center (DMDC), including Electronic Questionnaires for Investigations Processing (e-QIP), Secure Web Fingerprint Transmission (SWFT), Joint Personnel Adjudication System (JPAS), Defense Information Security System (DISS), Position Designation Tool (PDT), Personnel Investigations Processing System (PIPS), Central Verification System (CVS), and more.
 
NBIS will:
  • Collect and validate submitted information, including previous investigations.
  • Process fingerprints and biometric data.
  • Integrate case management with automated workflow, including continuous evaluation.
  • Automatically validate data from multiple sources.
  • Enhance user experience and customer availability.
  • Expand data confidentiality and integrity.  

 

How Will NBIS Change the Way We Do Business?

NBIS improves efficiency by automating manual practices and removing paper from the background investigation process. While NBIS is the modernized, integrated tool, most of the current processes and procedures will stay the same and be very familiar to users. NBIS will provide enhanced user experience (UX) and increase customer visibility into cases. The system offers a new user interface, tested and proven by an intensive design review phase, shifting from a case-centric platform to a person-centric UX.

Where is NBIS Hosted?

NBIS is hosted on a secured cloud architecture that provides security, privacy, and data protection in a functional design.

When Will the IT Systems I Use Transfer to NBIS?

All OPM personnel vetting IT systems coming from OPM and DMDC will eventually be rolled into NBIS and decommissioned. NBIS will be incrementally delivered, performing limited production releases of each new major capability as they become available. For example, the Position Designation Tool (PDT), eApp, and Automated CE Deferral have already been deployed. The Subject Management and Adjudication capabilities were deployed in January 2021, and the Investigation Management tool was deployed in January 2022. In 2020, there were quarterly capability releases for compliant continuous evaluation and investigation management to support Trusted Workforce 2.0. Deployments started with some cases flowing to legacy systems and others flowing directly into NBIS Continuous Evaluation. Deployments through 2021 focused on completing the transition to NBIS investigation management. By early 2022, some legacy IT systems are retired. NBIS will continue to change, add, and enhance capabilities and functionalities based on policy requirements.

When will e-QIP be taken offline? Is there an expected overlap of e-QIP and eApp?
It is undetermined when e-QIP will be shut down. There will be no overlap. When you are in NBIS, you are using eApp, not e-QIP.

Where on the DCSA website is the information about e-QIP being replaced on October 1, 2023?
Federal Investigations Notice No.23-02 - National Background Investigation Services (NBIS) eApplication Transition

Will There Be Continuity Issues During the Transition?

As agencies start using NBIS, DCSA is committed to delivering superior user support. DCSA’s plan to phase the transition from legacy systems to NBIS over multiple years deliberately strives to ensure service continuity.

Will Customers Notice Any Differences in the IT Transfer?

E-QIP is the only legacy OPM system that will be changing from an applicant’s perspective. Eventually e-QIP will be replaced by e-App through NBIS. Depending on when agency customers onboard to e-App/NBIS and the level of investigation required, some will be using both e-QIP and some will be using e-App to initiate investigations before all investigations are converted to e-App. Our System Liaison Team will support e-App/NBIS simultaneously with e-QIP.

What Are the Requirements for Transferring to NBIS?

Agencies will work directly with their DCSA agency liaisons to sign the appropriate forms and take the appropriate actions, including signing an NBIS Memorandum of Understanding (MOU), amending or modifying System of Records Notices (SORN), identifying agency onboarding champions, forming an agency deployment team. DCSA will also work with agencies to ensure all individuals have the minimum eligibility requirements and the correct credentials, signed the correct forms, and completed the appropriate trainings.

What Is the Onboarding Process Like?

As DCSA onboards agencies to NBIS, we are committed to supporting them every step of the way. To begin onboarding to NBIS, agencies must complete the following requirements (DCSA Agency Liaisons will contact your agency to provide the necessary forms and additional guidance):
  • Sign NBIS Memorandum of Understanding (MOU)
  • Determine whether participation in NBIS obligates your agency to publish, amend, or modify your own System of Records Notice (SORN)
  • Identify an Agency Onboarding Champion to serve as the main point of contact (POC) and sponsor throughout the Onboarding process
  • Form an Agency Deployment Team (ADT) that includes individuals with expertise in project management, metrics and reporting, configuration management, investigation initiation workflow, training, and human resources
  • Confirm your agency has access to a compatible internet browser (i.e., the three most recent versions of Internet Explorer, Mozilla Firefox, Google Chrome, Microsoft Edge, or Apple Safari)
Additionally, Agency Onboarding Champions and ADT Members that need to access NBIS will also need to complete the following requirements:
  • Ensure individuals have a minimum of an adjudicated T1 investigation
  • Confirm individuals have the necessary smartcard for identity authentication that performs a trusted, PKI certification in compliance with Homeland Security Presidential Directive 12 (e.g., Common Access Card (CAC), Personal Identity Verification (PIV) Card)
  • Complete Personnel Security System Access Request (PSSAR) form (DD2962 v2) for user account creation.
  • Individuals should download the form via the Washington Headquarters Service (WHS) website, ensuring they complete the version that has DCSA labeled as the Office of Primary Responsibility (OPR). 
  • Complete DoD-sponsored Cybersecurity training within past 12 months. You can find the training here:
  • Complete DoD-sponsored Personally Identifiable Information (PII) training within past 12 months. Training link: https://securityawareness.usalearning.gov/piiv2/index.htm
  • Ensure users follow the guidance in the NBIS Account Management Policy.
     

Who Do I Contact for More Information?

Please call our Agency Support/System Liaison Helpline at 878-274-1171 for any questions regarding NBIS.

NBIS is working to build out multiple delivery methods to meet our customer’s needs for delivery through the system as well as delivery to external systems.  These mechanisms are still in development but are expected to be configurable for each agency based on their preferences and agreements with DCSA.

  • Agency Delivery:  Similar to NP2, NBIS will be able to deliver case files to on boarded agencies directly inside NBIS.  Through this mechanism, authorized agency users will be able to access and download their case files as well as take appropriate actions based on the product.

  • Shared Service Delivery:  For customers that are on boarded to an NBIS shared service, NBIS will be able to deliver cases directly to the on boarded shared service.  This model allows for direct use of the case product being delivered as a part of the use of the shared service.  For example, if agencies that use NBIS for adjudications services will receive investigations as an incoming adjudication case.  

  • System Delivery: For customers that do not elect to receive their cases inside the system, NBIS is intending to use the DISA SFG for delivery of case files to external case management systems.  This effort should reduce the need for customer agencies to use proprietary tools as part of the process of receiving case files from NBIS.

Investigative Products and Configurations

  • Case products are being managed as configurable items inside the NBIS system by DCSA.  As configurable components, NBIS expects certain aspects of the case will change as the mission’s need changes.  The configurable components include the content of the PDF as well as which documents from the subject, agency, and data provider are provided in the deliverable.

  • NBIS will be providing updated information on the case products that NBIS generates that will further specify the XML schema, including data elements associated with NBIS products as well as information around how NBIS is packaging case products for delivery through SFG.

  • For each on boarded organization, NBIS will track which delivery process should be utilized from the available methods. The desired delivery method may differ for each service being provided.

For additional information, including SFG Onboarding Guide and FAQ for System Transition, please visit the NP2 Portal. 

NBIS supports end-to-end personnel vetting process, from initiation and application to investigation, adjudication, subject management, and monitoring.

One Consolidated System

NBIS will replace a suite of legacy background investigation and case management IT systems from the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) and the Defense Manpower Data Center (DMDC), including Electronic Questionnaires for Investigations Processing (e-QIP), Secure Web Fingerprint Transmission (SWFT), Joint Personnel Adjudication System (JPAS), Defense Information Security System (DISS), Position Designation Tool (PDT), Personnel Investigations Processing System (PIPS), and more. With one consolidated system, security managers, investigators, and adjudicators will be able to access case status throughout the lifecycle of a background investigation, enhancing capacity and creating synergies from easier data validation.

The Future of Personnel Vetting

NBIS is the foundation for future technology and policy requirements. As the federal government looks to reform and modernize its personnel vetting processes with Trusted Workforce 2.0 policy changes, NBIS will play an integral part. The system will leverage technology to improve delivery and capabilities. Notably, it will functionalize innovations, such as Continuous Vetting, as DCSA moves from periodic reinvestigations to real-time automated record checks, immediately alerting investigators to real-time concerns.

Heightened Security

NBIS will use cutting-edge technologies to safeguard the system, employing the same security controls used to protect warfighter communication systems. End-to-end data encryption and multiple layers of security will better segment data so that — in the event of an adversary attack or data spill — it will contain the spill and limit the impact.

Continuous Improvement

NBIS is leveraging proven Agile and DevSecOps pipeline approaches to software development. By facilitating fast, collaborative, incremental technology releases, these proven methodologies alleviate the need for broad system overhauls and will speed delivery, improve functionality, deliver customizable solutions, and enhance security. In this approach, NBIS users will be able to provide feedback to inform requirement generation and lead to continuous implementation and improvement.

Increasing Speed and Efficiency

New features such as e-Adjudication (automatically adjudicating background investigations with no substantive information of concern) and mass initiation (allowing users to request investigations for multiple similar subjects at once) will greatly expedite the investigation process. Security managers will also be able to tag cases and develop refined metrics to meet reporting needs. Thirty-two agencies are now using e-Adjudication.

Expanding Transparency and User Experience

The new subject portal, e-App, will allow subjects to track their individual case status. The application itself will be easier to use and provide better information for vetting professionals. Subjects will have the ability to save their application more easily.