Authorities must identify the tasks that require special reliability from individuals employed by or acting on behalf of the organization. A personnel security clearance is requested by the authority that owns the classified information.
The clearance is applied for from the Finnish Security Intelligence Service, which decides on its issuance. If the clearance concerns a person performing duties assigned by the Defence Forces or otherwise related to the Defence Forces’ activities or procurements, the application is submitted to the Defence Command, which makes the decision. The clearance may be limited, basic, or comprehensive depending on the sensitivity of the classified information being handled.
To meet international security obligations, a personnel security clearance certificate (PSC) is applied for from the National Security Authority (NSA) operating under the Ministry for Foreign Affairs. For example, handling EU or NATO classified information requires a PSC starting from security classification level III (CONFIDENTIAL).