If you are a candidate for a security clearance, or a sensitive position or position of trust, you will be asked to complete an Electronic Questionnaire for Investigation Processing (eQIP, also known as an SF-86) to provide personal details on your background. Once you complete the document, you should forward it to your security officer who will in turn review it for potential areas to improve the data and make sure your clearance has the best chance of success.
Through the eQIP system, you will then process the clearance. Only a security officer, or another designated official in your organization, has the authority to request an investigation for you. Your investigation will be opened once OPM receives your eQIP and validates that it is completely and correctly filled out.