§ 147.30 Temporary eligibility for access at the confidential and secret levels and temporary eligibility for “L” access authorization.

Quick Answer: What This Section Does

§ 147.30 explains the minimum requirements for granting temporary eligibility (interim clearance) at:

• Confidential level
• Secret level
• “L” access authorization

It defines:

• what must be completed before interim access is granted
• how initial risk is evaluated
• what triggers early approval or delay

👉 In practice, this section answers:

“What does it take to get an interim Secret or Confidential clearance?”

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What This Means in Practice

Most applicants assume interim clearance is automatic.

It is not.

To receive temporary eligibility at the Secret or Confidential level, the government must determine:

👉 there is no immediate reason to deny access

At a minimum, this requires:

• completion of the SF-86
• favorable initial review
• submission for expedited investigation

Adjudicators are not asking:

👉 “Is this person fully eligible?”

They are asking:

👉 “Is there anything in the record that raises concern right now?”

That distinction matters.

Because interim clearance decisions are:

👉 fast
👉 limited
👉 risk-based

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How Interim Clearance Decisions Are Actually Made

At the Secret and Confidential levels, interim eligibility depends heavily on:

• how clean the initial record appears
• whether disclosures raise concerns
• whether anything requires further investigation

This is why some applicants are approved quickly while others are delayed, as explained in how interim security clearances work and why many requests fail despite complete applications.

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Full Text of § 147.30

§ 147.30 Temporary eligibility for access at the confidential and secret levels and temporary eligibility for “L” access authorization.

As a minimum, such temporary eligibility requires completion of the Standard Form 86, including any applicable supporting documentation, favorable review of the form by the appropriate adjudicating authority, and submission of a request for an expedited National Agency Check with Local Agency Checks and Credit (NACLC).

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Why This Matters for Your Case

This section reflects a critical principle:

👉 interim decisions are based on first impressions of your record

Two applicants may submit the same form:

• one receives interim clearance
• one does not

Because:

👉 one record raises immediate questions

This is why early disclosures are so important, as explained in how the SF-86 becomes the foundation of your clearance case and is evaluated before investigation even begins.

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Where Interim Clearance Cases Go Wrong

Most interim denials or delays occur when:

• financial issues appear early
• criminal history is disclosed
• foreign contacts raise questions
• disclosures are inconsistent
• prior records contradict the application

From the applicant’s perspective:

👉 “I just submitted my form”

From the system’s perspective:

👉 “There is already risk in this file”

To understand what these signals mean, see what an interim clearance denial actually means and what it reveals about your case.

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How This Section Connects to the Investigation

Once interim eligibility is granted:

• the full investigation continues
• additional issues may be identified
• access may be revoked if concerns arise

This is why investigations sometimes expand, as explained in how security clearance investigations are expanded when concerns are identified.

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How This Section Fits Into the Clearance Process

This rule operates at the earliest stage of the security clearance process from application through adjudication.

It directly affects:

• job start timelines
• onboarding into cleared roles
• early access to classified work

Those early decisions often signal how the case may develop under the security clearance adjudication process and how risk is evaluated over time.

Return to the full statute list in the Security Clearance Statutes and Regulations resource page, or explore how these rules are applied in practice in the Security Clearance Lawyers Resource Center.

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Why Insight Into the System Matters

Security clearance decisions are not made in a vacuum.

They are made by:

• adjudicators
• administrative judges
• agency decision-makers
• reviewers who rely on the written record

Understanding how these individuals evaluate risk, credibility, and mitigation is not theoretical—it is structural.

At National Security Law Firm, our security clearance lawyers include attorneys who have worked:

• as administrative judges and adjudicators responsible for deciding clearance cases
• inside federal agencies evaluating whether individuals should be approved or denied
• within military legal systems handling sensitive national security matters
• in roles directly applying the adjudicative guidelines to real-world cases

Our cases are not handled by a single attorney working in isolation.

They are reviewed through our internal Attorney Review Board, where multiple experienced attorneys analyze the record, test arguments, and refine strategy before submission.

This mirrors how the government evaluates cases—through layered review and institutional scrutiny.

Clients often come to us after receiving advice that focuses only on:

• legal arguments
• explanations of past conduct

But security clearance cases are not decided that way.

They are decided based on:

👉 how the record will be read, reused, and defended by decision-makers

That is the difference between a response that explains—and a record that supports approval.

You can read what clients say about their experience working with our team in our 4.9-star Google reviews, which reflect both outcomes and the level of strategic guidance we provide throughout the process.

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Security Clearance Denied or Revoked

If your security clearance has been denied, suspended, or revoked, it is critical to act early.

You can understand your options and next steps by reviewing what happens after a security clearance denial and how appeals and reinstatement are evaluated.

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Speak With a Security Clearance Lawyer Before Interim Decisions Shape Your Case

The most important question is not:

👉 “Will I get interim clearance?”

It is:

👉 “What does my record show at the very first review?”

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The Record Controls the Case.