Renew or upgrade your organization security clearance
Find out how and when to renew or upgrade your organization’s existing security clearance.
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How to renew
The Contract Security Program will contact your organization when its clearance is due for renewal.
Organization clearances may be cancelled if they are not renewed as requested by the program.
The program will send you an application for registration to renew your organization’s security clearance or safeguarding capabilities.
You will be required to submit documentation to support any changes reported on the application for registration. For example, if your organization has a new company security officer (CSO) you will need to submit new company security officer security appointment and acknowledgement and undertaking forms.
These documents must be sent to the Contract Security Program in hard copy, by mail, email, fax, or courier, by the date specified in your renewal request.
When to renew
The timelines to renew organization clearances are specific to each type of clearance. Find the information you need in the two charts below:
Renewal timelines by type and level of organization clearances
| Screening type | Screening level | Renewal timelines |
|---|---|---|
| Designated organization screening (DOS) |
|
Every 3 years from the date the DOS was granted |
| Facility security clearance (FSC) |
|
Every 2 years from the date the FSC was granted |
| Facility security clearance (FSC) |
|
Every year from the date the FSC was granted |
Renewal timelines by type and level of safeguarding capability
| Screening type | Screening level | Renewal timelines |
|---|---|---|
| Document safeguarding capability |
|
5 years |
|
4 years | |
|
3 years | |
|
3 years | |
|
2 years | |
|
1 year | |
| Production capability |
|
Contract specific |
| Shredding capability |
|
1 year |
| Bulk storage capability |
|
1 year |
| Information technology security |
|
Contract specific |
How to upgrade
How to upgrade your organization clearance
To upgrade your organization clearance, a Government of Canada approved source must sponsor your organization.
The upgrade process includes:
- screening your key senior officials
- providing information to the program about your organization’s structure, ownership and legal status
- complying with requests by the program for additional information
How to upgrade document safeguarding capability
To upgrade your document safeguarding capability, a Government of Canada approved source must sponsor your organization.
The upgrade process includes:
- screening your alternate company security officers
- completing a physical security inspection
- making required changes to your facility
- registering your parent company (for document safeguarding capability Protected C or higher)
If you already have document safeguarding capability at one work site and need to clear additional work sites, you must submit a request in writing to the program identifying the work site(s) and the contract requirement for the clearance.