4.5 Diplomats and Military Personnel

In some cases, the applicant will only have been resident in a country as either a diplomat or as part of their deployment with the military. In these instances, their records will not be available from that country and vetting checks cannot be obtained. In lieu of a vetting check a military record or diplomatic record should be provided instead.

UK Military

In the case of those in the UK Military the applicant can request a copy of their own military record using this link.

Non-UK Military

For other countries the Safeguarding Officer will need to look on that country’s government website for details of obtaining military records.

Diplomats

In the case of diplomats, the Safeguarding Officer can ask the applicant to obtain a copy of their diplomatic records.

What to Check For

Once the diplomatic or military records have been received the Safeguarding Officer should check:

• The locations the applicant was deployed to are the same as they have declared on their Confidential Declaration Form.
• There are no criminal convictions or offences.
• The applicant was honourably discharged (in the case of ex-military personnel).

If the appropriate records are obtained (along with all other required vetting checks), then the Safeguarding Check can be completed without the need for an exemption.

If the records cannot be obtained, safeguarding references should be sought, and the same process followed as above.