How long is a full-scope polygraph good for? For covered Intelligence Community employee mobility, the published rule requires acceptance of another IC element’s examination when it is less than seven years old, regardless of questioning scope. That is a defined reciprocity rule, not a universal expiration date for every cleared job or program.

How long is a full-scope polygraph good for when you move?

There is no single portable validity period established by these policies for every move. Your answer depends on whether you are entering a covered IC mobility assignment, changing contractor positions, or seeking other federal employment. Start by identifying the transaction and the receiving security office.

A favorable examination belongs in your security history. Calling it a credential that remains valid everywhere until an anniversary overstates what that history proves. When discussing a vacancy, separate what you completed from what the receiving organization has accepted.

The term full scope also needs context. The public IC polygraph guidance uses expanded scope and recognizes full scope as another name used by some IC organizations. For the subject-matter distinction, the explanation of CI versus full-scope polygraphs can help you frame the question; it does not establish acceptance for your particular move.

Keep your initial recruiter conversation short and factual. Describe your examination history only as authorized, then ask which security representative can verify it. A recruiter’s assessment of your qualifications is useful for hiring discussions, but seek the security office’s answer about the record and remaining processing.

Who actually receives the IC mobility protection?

The rule covers IC employees performing joint duty, rotational, detailee, task force, or similar assignments supporting IC mission requirements. Its purpose section expressly excludes contractor employees. A permanent job change should not be treated as a covered assignment merely because both organizations perform intelligence work.

ICD 709, effective June 10, 2009, provides the less-than-seven-years rule in D.2. It also limits a new examination needed for that mobility to counterintelligence scope and preserves controlled-access program requirements. Those provisions belong together.

For other moves, ask about the broader framework. SEAD 7, effective November 9, 2018, includes contractors among covered individuals. Its E.3 conditions polygraph reciprocity on an examination meeting the receiving agency’s type and age requirements, the applicable examination standard, and reciprocal acceptability of the investigation and adjudication.

That distinction matters during a search. If you work for a contractor and see a vacancy advertising an existing full-scope examination, ask which policy governs the customer’s acceptance. Citing an employee-mobility provision without checking its audience could leave you planning around protection that does not apply to your transaction.

What should you compare before assuming the record transfers?

Compare the kind of move, the examination record, and the access requirement. The table provides questions to take to security officials; it does not substitute for their review. An unresolved answer is a planning dependency to track, rather than a reason to declare your history unusable.

Use a simple worksheet with columns for the position, receiving customer, security contact, verified history, remaining requirement, and next follow-up. Keep it free of classified program details. Its purpose is to prevent an encouraging recruiting conversation from becoming an assumed security approval.

For example, a hypothetical applicant might have confirmation that the receiving office located the examination but no decision about program access. Record those as separate answers. Ask what the next decision depends on before making financial commitments based on the proposed reporting date.

What do receiving officials need to verify?

They need the relevant official history and the information necessary to apply the governing policy. Examination type and completion date matter, as do the standards under which the examination was conducted. A resume abbreviation alone cannot establish all of those facts.

The public ICPG 704.6 polygraph guidance addresses federal examination quality and recording examination types and completion dates in Scattered Castles or successor systems, unless otherwise authorized. It also expressly refers covered mobility assignments back to the mobility directive.

Ask your current security officer or facility security officer what information can be confirmed through authorized channels. You may remember a session date while the record uses a completion date; ask which date governs the review. Avoid filling a gap with a guess just to complete a recruiting questionnaire.

If you are transitioning from service, advice on decoding your clearance and polygraph history can help organize the conversation. Have security officials confirm the actual status before translating shorthand into a claim on an application.

Current information matters too. The federal reciprocity framework permits agencies to ask about changes since the last security questionnaire and to make appropriate inquiries. A prior favorable examination should not be presented as answering every subsequent question about eligibility.

Why might a requested new examination be CI scope only?

For an assignment governed by the IC employee-mobility directive, a new examination needed to accommodate that mobility is limited to counterintelligence scope. That narrow rule does not establish the scope for every new hire, contractor transfer, or other examination.

When an examination is requested, ask what requirement it addresses. Is the office processing a mobility assignment, applying a separate hiring requirement, or addressing a program-access condition? Request an explanation through the designated security contact instead of assuming every request has the same basis.

Keep acceptance and completion distinct when scheduling. The broader federal directive separates a preliminary reciprocity determination on qualifying investigations and adjudications from completion and adjudication of a required polygraph. An affirmative answer about the former does not by itself establish that every remaining security step has finished.

If the uncertainty involves an unfavorable result rather than age or transferability, discussion of polygraph results and continued employment addresses a different concern. Bring questions about your individual record to the responsible security office rather than treating a general employment discussion as your case decision.

Why can program access remain unresolved?

The IC mobility directive explicitly preserves the requirements of the specific controlled-access program before access. Reciprocal acceptance of an examination therefore does not answer every question about entry to the work environment. Ask officials to identify the unresolved requirement without requesting protected program details.

For planning purposes, use separate entries for examination verification, reciprocity review, program processing, and the employer’s reporting instructions. These are useful conversation categories, not a claim that every organization uses an identical sequence. Let the receiving office describe its actual process.

A change of employer is also not enough information to predict what the security review will require. Ask whether the receiving customer and access requirements are changing. Keep the response attached to the specific vacancy so you do not carry an answer from an unrelated opportunity into a new discussion.

What should you prepare for a transfer discussion?

Prepare a concise history of what can be verified, the contacts who can verify it, and the questions still awaiting decisions. Keep personal notes separate from official security records. Use the receiving office’s approved method for transmitting any requested information.

Before the conversation, write down your current employment relationship, the proposed assignment or position, and the examination details security officials have authorized you to discuss. Identify who owns the next action. If you cannot verify a detail, label it unconfirmed rather than presenting an estimate as established history.

Leave room for corrections. If your recollection differs from what the receiving office finds, ask your current security representative to help reconcile the discrepancy through authorized channels, and keep any schedule you discuss with the recruiter explicitly dependent on the outstanding decision rather than trying to resolve the record yourself.

Then ask about the governing policy, acceptance of the existing examination, any need for further processing, and remaining access conditions. Request a clear explanation of what a favorable response covers. Update your job-search worksheet when the responsible office responds, especially before agreeing to a start date.

Frequently Asked Questions

Does a full-scope polygraph automatically expire after seven years?

The mobility provision requires acceptance when an examination is less than seven years old for its covered audience. It does not establish an automatic government-wide expiration date. Ask the receiving security office how the examination date and applicable policy affect your proposed move, including any boundary-date question.

Does a CI examination always fail a full-scope job requirement?

No universal answer follows from the job-ad shorthand. Covered IC employee mobility has a rule accepting examinations regardless of questioning scope, while broader reciprocity depends on the applicable receiving-agency requirements. Have security officials identify which framework applies before drawing a conclusion.

Can contractors claim the IC employee-mobility rule?

The directive expressly excludes contractor employees. Contractors should ask the receiving security office about the broader federal reciprocity framework and the position’s requirements. An examination from an IC element does not, by itself, put a contractor within the employee-mobility audience.

What should I do before accepting a start date?

Ask the receiving security contact to identify which examination and access requirements have been verified and which remain open. Put the next responsible office and follow-up action beside each unresolved item in your job-search worksheet before confirming the reporting date.