DIS is a part of the badging process for all foreign national contractor workers (CW) placed at NIH. Foreign national CWs are non-immigrants (individuals who are not United States citizens or U.S. lawful permanent residents) whose immigration status is sponsored by another employer and/or they are paid by that employer. Common examples of contract employers include Kelly Scientific Services, Leidos, Lockheed Martin, Global Solutions Network, etc.
DIS badge clearance must take place before the CW is eligible to receive an NIH Identification Badge. A foreign national CW must provide his/her immigration and work authorization documents to DIS for review. DIS then validates the CW’s work status in the NIH Enterprise Directory (NED), attesting that the CW was lawfully admitted to the U.S. and is undertaking activities at NIH that are appropriate for his/her immigration status.
Main NIH Campus in Bethesda: Contractor Badge Clearance hours are held at the DIS office (BG 31 RM B2B07) from 1:00 pm to 4:00 pm, Monday through Friday (except in case of U.S. Government closure). You do not need to make an appointment.
Off-Campus Location: If you do not work at the main NIH campus in Bethesda, you or your Administrative Officer (AO) can fax the required documents to DIS at 301-496-0847, ATTN: BADGE CLEARANCE. Please make sure that the faxed documents are clearly readable.
If you are a U.S. Lawful Permanent Resident (“Green Card” holder): You do not need to be cleared by DIS, and you can schedule your badge enrollment after your AO has updated the “Permanent U.S. Resident” field in your NED record.
DIS uses a CW’s immigration and work authorization documents to determine his/her NIH end date. The badge will be deactivated once this date is reached, so it is important to bring updated documents to DIS if a CW’s badge needs to be extended.