SF 312: The Classified Information NDA, Explained

The SF 312 is the Classified Information Nondisclosure Agreement, a contract between you and the U.S. government that you must sign before you can be granted access to classified information. Its obligations have no end date unless the government releases you in writing, and the executed agreement or a legally enforceable facsimile must be retained for 50 years.

This post is general, factual information about a federal form and the rules around it. It is not legal, security, career or financial advice. Eligibility, access and how your SF 312 is handled are decided by the government, adjudicators and your hiring organization's security office.

The current revision is dated 12/2023, issued under 32 CFR 2001.80 and Executive Order 13526; you can download the current SF 312 from the GSA forms library. For contractors, the NISPOM at 32 CFR 117.10 lists three things an employee needs before a contractor may give them access: a USG favorable eligibility determination at the right level, a valid need-to-know, and a signed nondisclosure agreement. The SF 312 satisfies the nondisclosure-agreement condition. If you are researching this, note that the FAS-hosted "briefing booklet" that still ranks in search covers the 2000 edition, which FAS notes was superseded in July 2013.

Who has to sign the SF 312, and who doesn't?

The trigger is access to classified information, not federal employment. 32 CFR 2001.80 describes the SF 312 as "a nondisclosure agreement between the United States and an employee of the Federal Government or one of its contractors, licensees, or grantees," and says prior execution "is necessary before the United States Government may grant that individual access to classified information." The regulation provides an emergency exception under section 4.2(b) of E.O. 13526; valid older agreements and approved alternative NDAs are addressed below.

That wording matters because a lot of summaries say the form is required of "all federal employees." It isn't. The regulation lets agencies require the form of contractors, licensees and grantees "who are authorized access to national security information." A federal employee or contractor in a Public Trust position, which is a suitability or fitness designation, isn't being granted access to classified information, so the SF 312 doesn't come up. The investigation tiers post explains the distinction between Public Trust investigations and investigations for classified-access eligibility, and the clearance ladder explainer covers Confidential through TS.

A few edge cases the regulation settles:

• If you signed the older SF 189 or SF 189-A, those agreements remain valid. They just aren't issued to new employees anymore.
• Only the Director of National Intelligence, as Security Executive Agent, can waive use of the SF 312. An agency seeking a waiver submits its alternative agreement to ODNI's Special Security Center, which asks the Department of Justice whether it is enforceable.
• Under 32 CFR 117.10(g), if a contractor employee refuses to sign, the contractor denies access and reports it to the cognizant security agency (CSA).

Where does the SF 312 fit in the cleared hiring process?

The SF 312 lands at a specific point in onboarding: after the CSA says you're eligible, before anyone hands you classified material. Here is the sequence for a contractor hire under the NISPOM, with SCI steps where the role requires them.

Eligibility alone does not authorize access: 32 CFR 117.10(g) requires an executed NDA before classified access, saying an employee determined eligible "must execute an NDA prior to being granted access." If you're coming in without a clearance at all, the sponsorship explainer covers steps 1 through 3 in more depth. The form itself has the signer acknowledge receiving a security indoctrination concerning the nature and protection of classified information, so the briefing is part of the signing.

What does the SF 312 actually obligate you to do?

The agreement is short, and a few clauses carry most of the weight. Describing them here isn't a substitute for reading the form your security office gives you, and questions about how they apply to you belong with that office or counsel.

• You agree never to disclose classified information to anyone not authorized to receive it.
• If you're uncertain whether information is classified, the form says you are "required to confirm from an authorized official that the information is unclassified before I may disclose it."
• Paragraph 7 says classified information you access "is now and will remain the property of, or under the control of the United States Government," and that you'll return classified materials on demand, at the end of your employment with the agency that granted access, or at the end of the relationship requiring access. Not returning them, the form states, "may be a violation of sections 793 and/or 1924, title 18, United States Code."
• Paragraph 8 opens "Unless and until I am released in writing by an authorized representative of the United States Government," and says the conditions and obligations "apply during the time I am granted access to classified information, and at all times thereafter." Short of a written release, there is no end date.

Two clarifications come up often. First, the regulation states that the SF 312's provisions do not supersede 5 U.S.C. 2302, the protected-disclosure (whistleblower) statute for government employees, or any other U.S. law. Second, publication: the superseded 2000-edition ISOO booklet said the SF 312 had no explicit prepublication-review clause, and that may not reflect current guidance. If you plan to write or speak about your work, take it to your agency's prepublication review office, not this post.

Who can witness an SF 312, and is a digital signature allowed?

Witnessing and acceptance are two different roles, and 32 CFR 2001.80(d)(2)(v) spells out both.

• An authorized representative of a contractor, licensee, grantee or other non-government organization, acting as a designated agent of the United States, may witness a non-government employee's SF 312 and may also accept it on behalf of the United States. At a cleared contractor this is typically the FSO or someone the FSO designates.
• A U.S. agency employee may witness the SF 312 of an employee, contractor, licensee or grantee of another agency, provided an authorized government official (or, for non-government employees only, a designated agent of the United States) later accepts it by signature.
• For NISP contractors, NISPOM 117.10(g)(2) adds that the employee signs and dates in the presence of the witness, and both signatures must carry the same date.

Digital signatures became an option in 2022. ISOO published a Federal Register notice that digital signatures were expected to be authorized on May 9, 2022, and issued ISOO Notice 2022-01, as its overview blog explains. The regulation now sets out which signature methods count:

A digitally signed SF 312 "does not require a witness to observe and verify the digital signature, and therefore also does not require an official to subsequently accept the signature." That's the practical win for remote onboarding. The catch is the "if the implementing agency permits" language: your CSA or agency decides whether it accepts the method. ODNI's NCSC maintains an SF312 FAQ pamphlet updated for the digital-signature change.

How is a signed SF 312 recorded, kept and closed out?

For NISP contractors, the NISPOM puts the recording on the contractor. Contractors "annotate and maintain the accuracy of their employees' records in the system of record" the CSA designates, and forward the executed NDA to the CSA for retention; the CSA may let the contractor keep a copy for administrative purposes. For DoD-cleared contractors, that system of record is DISS. Agencies handle their own employees' agreements in their own file systems and must tell ISOO which systems they use.

Retention is long. Under 32 CFR 2001.80(d)(2)(vii), the original, paper or electronic, or a legally enforceable facsimile (microfiche, microfilm, disk or other electronic storage) must be kept for 50 years from the date it was signed. The files have to be retrievable quickly "in the event that the United States must seek its enforcement or a subsequent employer must confirm its prior execution." Civilian agencies may file it in the employee's OPM Official Personnel Folder as a long-term document. When a contractor's employment of you ends, the contractor delivers the original or facsimile to the agency primarily responsible for the classified work, and a NISP contractor provides it to its cognizant security office.

When you leave a cleared job, you'll get a security debriefing. The SF 312 has a "Security Debriefing Acknowledgement" section, but the regulation makes using it optional; an agency that doesn't use it must keep an alternative record of the debriefing. The debriefing closes out your access, while the agreement's obligations keep running. If something went wrong while you held access, the infraction vs. violation explainer covers how incidents are reported and handled.

SF 312 vs. the SCI nondisclosure agreement vs. the SF 86

These three arrive in the same onboarding window and do different jobs.

The SCI agreement is separate from and in addition to the SF 312. The Commerce Department's security office says SCI access is granted only to people with a need-to-know and a Top Secret clearance, who are approved by the IC granting agency, "and only upon completion of a separate Nondisclosure Agreement, the IC Form 4414." The Form 4414 opens with the signer acknowledging an indoctrination on the nature and protection of SCI. The TS/SCI explainer covers the clearance-versus-access distinction behind that.

How many open roles sit behind an SF 312?

In ClearMatch's scan of 117,667 postings from 1,120 employer career sites, Sep 25–Oct 9, 2026, 56,477 listed Secret or higher eligibility. Access to classified information in any of those roles is conditioned on a signed SF 312; the count describes roles, not people signing the form.

Only 72 postings in that window listed Confidential, so in this sample Secret is the lowest tier most cleared postings list, and the first point where the SF 312 applies. And 17,778 postings, about 31.5% of the Secret+ set, list an SCI-level requirement, where read-in typically adds the separate SCI agreement.

Frequently asked questions

What is an SF 312 used for?

The SF 312 is the nondisclosure agreement the U.S. government requires before it grants someone access to classified information. Signing it is one of three conditions for access, alongside a favorable eligibility determination and a need-to-know. It sets out your duty never to disclose classified information to unauthorized people and to return classified materials.

Who can witness an SF 312?

Under 32 CFR 2001.80, an authorized representative of a contractor, licensee or grantee acting as a designated agent of the United States can witness and accept a non-government employee's SF 312; at a cleared contractor that's usually the FSO or a designee. A U.S. agency employee can witness the form for another agency's personnel if an authorized official later accepts it. A digitally signed SF 312 needs no witness or acceptance signature.

Does the SF 312 ever expire?

Not unless the government releases you in writing. Paragraph 8 says that unless and until an authorized U.S. government representative releases you in writing, the obligations apply while you hold access "and at all times thereafter," so they continue after a debriefing or a job change. The agreement or a legally enforceable facsimile is kept for 50 years from signing.

Can you sign the SF 312 digitally?

Yes, if the implementing agency permits it. Digital signatures were expected to be authorized on May 9, 2022, per ISOO, and 32 CFR 2001.80 requires a public-key mechanism that guarantees authenticity, consent and integrity, such as a PIV card or CAC with a PIN. A typed "/s/" signature or a pasted image of a handwritten signature is not allowed.

Do you sign a new SF 312 when you change cleared jobs?

The regulation anticipates a later employer confirming that you already signed: agencies must keep agreements retrievable so "a subsequent employer" can confirm prior execution. Whether your new organization relies on the existing agreement or has you execute another depends on the CSA or agency and its records. Your new FSO or security manager can check the system of record, such as DISS for DoD-cleared contractors, and tell you what they need.

Is the SF 312 the same as the SCI nondisclosure agreement?

No. The SF 312 covers classified information generally, while SCI access requires a separate agreement, IC Form 4414, signed at SCI indoctrination. You need Top Secret eligibility, a need-to-know and approval from the government granting authority before that read-in happens.

What this looks like inside ClearMatch

ClearMatch models a posting's clearance requirement as a tier, Confidential through TS/SCI + Full Scope Poly. Your employer's security office handles the SF 312 and any required read-in; these are not completed through ClearMatch.

If you already hold eligibility, you can browse cleared roles by tier or run a posting through the job fit check to see how your clearance and experience line up before you apply.

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Sources: Classified Information Nondisclosure Agreement (SF312), GSA, 32 CFR 2001.80, Prescribed standard forms, 32 CFR Part 117, NISPOM, ISOO Notice 2022-01: Digital Signatures on the SF 312, ISOO Overview: Digital Signatures on the SF 312, NCSC SF312 Frequently Asked Questions, May 2022, IC Form 4414, SCI Nondisclosure Agreement, Access to Sensitive Compartmented Information, Commerce.gov. Policy on the SF 312 is set by the government; confirm how it applies to you with your FSO, security office or the official sources above.