Documenting Citizenship

Under Executive Order 11935, only United States citizens and nationals may be appointed to competitive service Federal jobs. In rare cases, Agencies may hire certain non-citizens when there are no qualified U.S. citizens available, unless the appointment is prohibited by statute. In addition, Congress frequently restricts Agencies’ ability to hire non-citizens into the excepted service as well, through appropriations provisions. For more information about citizenship requirements, please visit: CFR-2007-Title5-Vol1-Sec7-3.

The appointing officer is responsible for ensuring that each personnel action meets all legal and regulatory requirements. The appointing officer makes final pre-appointment determinations regarding citizenship, veterans’ preference, minimum and maximum age limits (where applicable), suitability, qualifying experience, and education.

The Citizenship code is required on all personnel actions documenting:

• Appointments
• Conversions to appointments
• Separations

The values for the Citizenship code are:

• 1 = U.S. Citizen (or U.S. National)
• 8 = Other

When Citizenship code is 8-Other, the Citizenship Country code - employee's country of citizenship – is required and is entered on Document Type 444, EHRI & RSM Elements. The international country codes as defined by the Federal Information Processing Standard (FIPS) 10-4 standards indicate the employee’s country of citizenship. Valid Geographic Name codes can be found under the Reference section of the General Services Administration web site, www.gsa.gov by selecting the Geographic Locator Code link, or in Table Management System (TMGT) Table 016, Geographical Location Codes with Names.

To change the Citizenship code, process a correction to the accession, conversion, or separation.  To change the Citizenship Country code, process Document Type 444. The actions should be processed in the same pay period.

After the actions are entered and applied in Web-based Entry, Processing, Inquiry, and Correction System (EPIC Web), EmpowHR, or Front-End System Interface (FESI), verify the Citizenship Country code data on Information/Research Inquiry System (IRIS) Program IR119, Employee Personnel Data, and the Citizenship Status code on IRIS Program IR119, Standard Form (SF) 50B Data Elements.

NOTE: An employee may have dual citizenship (citizenship to two Countries at the same time); however, Office of Personnel Management (OPM) regulations only allow for entry of citizenship to one Country.