These changes have three main parts:
- Starting on September 1, 2026, foreign national visitors from countries not on the Sensitive Countries List must now be processed through FNAP. Previously, only foreign national visitors from countries on the Sensitive Countries List required this processing.
- The following will need to be submitted before the Lab FNAP team can submit your visitor request to DOE: a visitor request from the host, along with a CV, visa, and other information gathered from the visitor.
- Foreign national visitors from non-sensitive countries do not require DOE approval prior to coming on site, but the information must be collected and submitted, therefore the process takes less time than requests for those from sensitive countries.
These changes are part of a growing emphasis by the federal government on research security; national labs, universities, and federal agencies are all facing updates to processes and policies that guide how we partner with international scientific collaborators. We are deeply committed to maintaining the Lab’s open, collaborative research environment while meeting our federal obligations to manage access to the Lab.
What you should do now:
- Please submit your visitor access requests as early as possible to help ensure timely approvals. The FNAP team typically requires 21 days to process these types of requests after they receive all of the information from the prospective visitor. As technology and process improvements are made, we hope to decrease this processing time.
Take note:
- Following changes implemented in December, foreign national visitors from sensitive countries still require DOE approval prior to site access. The approval process for sensitive country foreign nationals requires 60 days. For all visitors, please submit your request as early as possible to help avoid delays.
To help you navigate these updates, Security and Emergency Services has compiled a list of Frequently Asked Questions along with a summary on SES’s Site Access for Foreign National Visitors webpage. SES will also be hosting a Lunch & Learn on Tuesday, Aug. 18 at 12 pm to review these changes, provide a walk through of the new submission process, and answer any questions.
