Published on 3 March 2026
FAQ (frequently asked questions)
General questions relating to personnel security screening (PSS)
Because your function requires a legally mandated security screening (see personnel security screening).
As required by law, the PSS Unit collects security-relevant data to carry out your security screening. For this, among others, the criminal investigation authorities, the police, the Federal Intelligence Service, the debt enforcement office, or the tax authorities may be queried. A detailed list can be found in the Art. 19 VPSP and in the Annex 7 of the VPSP.
Depending on the area you are considered for, different types of screenings may apply. The law currently recognises the following:
- Personnel security screenings in accordance with the Federal Act on Information Security (Bundesgesetz über die Informationssicherheit, ISG; SR 128)
- Trustworthiness screenings in accordance with the Federal Personnel Act (Bundespersonalgesetz, BPG; SR 172.220.1, Art. 20b), the Federal Act on the Army and the Military Administration (Bundesgesetz über die Armee und die Militärverwaltung, Militärgesetz, MG; SR 510.10, Art. 14), the Asylum Act (Asylgesetz, AsylG; SR 142.31, Art. 29a) or the Federal Electricity Supply Act (Bundesgesetz über die Stromversorgung, StromVG; SR 734.7, Art. 20a)
- Security screenings in accordance with Art. 113 para. 4 lit. d of the Federal Act on the Army and the Military Administration (Bundesgesetz über die Armee und die Militärverwaltung, Militärgesetz, MG; SR 510.10)
- Reliability screenings in accordance with Art. 24 para. 1 of the Nuclear Energy Act (Kernenergiegesetz, KEG; SR 732.1)
There are two screening levels:
- Basic personnel security screening
- Extended personnel security screening
You are required to provide your full address history for the past five years.
A security declaration indicates that the PSS Unit has completed its assessment and found no security risks associated with you.
The duration of the screening depends on several factors. Screening generally takes longer if the person appears in the registers consulted by the PSS Unit or if there is a stay abroad within the five years prior to the PSS. For inquiries about your individual screening, please contact the PSS Unit by email: fspsp@sepos.admin.ch.
No. We require consent from the person to be screened, either handwritten or electronically verifiable (currently PrivaSphere Secure Messaging, IncaMail).
Exceptions: If the screening is conducted as part of recruitment or in connection with a function in the army or civil protection, the signature of the person to be screened is not required.This is not possible. PSS are only conducted for people who must perform a security-sensitive activity due to a concrete assignment. If your company wins a relevant tender, the competent authority will contact you and provide further information about PSS.
Yes, provided they are required to perform a PSS-relevant activity. Whether the screening can actually be conducted depends on whether information can be obtained in the relevant country. The same applies to longer stays abroad. Please note that inquiries abroad may take additional time, which may slow down the process. If data collection is not possible, a Declaration of Findings will be issued (see Personnel security screenings for stays abroad).
This cannot be answered in general terms. Each case is assessed individually, and all available information is considered.
Yes, provided that the signature is electronically verifiable. In this case, submission is exclusively digital.
This is entirely possible. You were likely screened at two different screening levels or for two different security-sensitive functions. Please refer to the security declaration document to determine for which function and at which screening level you were assessed.
An interview is one of the methods used by the competent authority to collect data. If questions remain after consulting the relevant registers, the PSS Unit may invite you to attend an interview. Furthermore, for certain functions listed in the Ordinance on Personnel Security Screening (Verordnung über die Personensicherheitsprüfungen, VPSP; SR 128.31), an interview is required by law.
The “right to be heard” is your right to submit a statement regarding the risk assessment carried out by the competent PSS Unit before a final decision is issued. Upon receipt of your statement, the PSS Unit will consider your submissions before issuing its decision. However, the right to be heard is granted only in cases where a potentially negative decision may be issued (risk declaration, security declaration with conditions, or declaration of findings), and not in cases of a granted security declaration.
If you have received a security declaration, you cannot challenge it. All other outcomes (risk declaration, security declarations with conditions, or declaration of findings), may be appealed to the Federal Administrative Court within 30 days, subject to a fee. The exact procedures and requirements for filing an appeal are set out in the legal remedies notice provided at the end of the appealable declaration.
If you withdraw your authorisation, the PSS Unit will suspend your screening and inform the initiating authority. The screening is discontinued in the absence of authorisation. Failure to comply with the duty to cooperate, despite a formal reminder, may be considered in the risk assessment.
PSS validity depends on the level of screening. A repetition of a PSS is required as follows:
- Basic personnel security screening: no earlier than five years and no later than ten years.
- Extended personnel security screening: no earlier than three years and no later than five years.
PSS may also be repeated on an extraordinary basis before these deadlines, for example if new risks have been identified since the last screening or previously identified risks have ceased to exist.
An explanatory video is currently being prepared. Until its publication, you may consult the Ordinance on Personnel Security Screening (Verordnung über die Personensicherheitsprüfungen, VPSP; SR 128.31) for further information.
The requirement for PSS is generally determined by the applicable functions lists or by the competent federal authority.
Third parties: please contact your Information Security Officer.
Members of the Armed Forces: please contact the Armed Forces Personnel (PersA).
Nuclear sector (e.g., nuclear power plants, Swissgrid, etc.): please contact the responsible Security Officer.This depends on the area in which you were screened. Your first point of contact is always the Security Officer responsible or, in the case of military screening, the Armed Forces Personnel (PersA).
Please contact the authority responsible for initiating your PSS. This authority has access to the PSS IT-System and can provide you with a copy of your security declaration.
As a federal employee, you may contact your responsible HR department.
For military or civil protection screenings, please contact Armed Forces Personnel (PersA).
As an employee of a company with industrial security declaration (ISD), please contact the Industrial Security Unit.
As an employee of a company without industrial security declaration (ISD), please contact your Information Security Officer.
As an employee of a nuclear power plant, please contact the plant’s Security Officer.No. Personnel security screenings are always conducted in connection with a specific function only. Screening without a defined security-sensitive assignment is not possible. Individuals cannot initiate screening on their own behalf; screenings are always initiated by the designated initiating authorities.
Questions about personnel security screening (PSS) in relation to military service
There is a list specifying the screening levels required for the relevant functions and units within the Armed Forces (Annex 4 of the Ordinance on Personnel Security Screening / Verordnung über die Personensicherheitsprüfungen, VPSP; SR 128.31). Due to the sensitivity of this information, the list is not publicly available. However, it is integrated into IT System “PISA” and the respective authorized personnel tables (in German “Sollbestandes tables OTF”), making it accessible to unit commanders and personnel officers.
The required PSS level and its status can therefore be viewed through this system.You may compare the current PSS status in your unit with the required status by logging into your PISA account and navigating to Main Menu → My Unit → Personnel List. The columns “PSP-Funktion” and “PSP AdA” allow you to compare the required and actual status.
The Armed Forces Personnel (PersA) is responsible for initiating the required PSS and taking appropriate measures in the event of negative results. The conduct of PSS falls within the competence of the Personnel Security Screening Unit of the Federal Department of Defence, Civil Protection and Sport (DDPS).
The commander or personnel officer is responsible for verifying, prior to each deployment, that members of the Armed Forces possess the required PSS declaration. Due to specific personal circumstances, it may occur that certain screenings cannot be completed in time.The decision as to whether a member of the Armed Forces may be deployed without the required PSS level lies within the discretion of the respective commander.
The function list is binding. A higher screening level than that specified in the function list cannot be initiated or conducted. This must be considered by the commander and staff during operational planning.
PSS for federal employees and members of the Armed Forces are distinct and are therefore initiated separately.
If required, the necessary PSS will be initiated automatically by the Armed Forces Personnel (PersA). No action is required by the unit or the individual concerned.
If your issue cannot be resolved using this FAQ, your primary point of contact is your designated control officer. They will review and respond to your questions or concerns.
This may occur. You may have been screened for another security-sensitive function, or the information regarding your military status was communicated too late to the competent authority to withdraw the security declaration. No action is required on your part.
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