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OPM Optional Form 306 is a standard form used by candidates applying for federal employment or federal contract roles to declare their eligibility and suitability for the position. This form collects comprehensive personal information, including full name, Social Security number, citizenship status, military service, and background details such as past convictions or terminations from employment. It also inquires about potential conflicts of interest through questions about relatives working in the federal government. The purpose of the form is to assess a candidate’s fitness for federal employment, ensuring compliance with federal hiring standards and regulations.
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What it is: Optional Form 306 is the Declaration for Federal Employment, which may also be used to assess fitness for federal contract employment.
Who signs: 17a. Applicant's Signature: sign and enter the Date (MM / DD / YYYY). 17b. Appointee's Signature: sign and enter the Date (MM / DD / YYYY).
The information collected on this form is used to determine your acceptability for Federal and Federal contract employment and your enrollment status in the Government's Life Insurance program. Follow instructions that the agency provides. If you are selected, before you are appointed you will be asked to update your responses on this form and on other materials submitted during the application process and then to recertify that your answers are true.
1. Provide your full name: First, Middle, Last, Suffix.
If you have only initials in your name, provide them and indicate "Initial only".
If you do not have a middle name, indicate "No Middle Name".
If you are a "Jr.," "Sr.," etc. enter this under Suffix.
2. Enter your SOCIAL SECURITY NUMBER.
3a. Enter your PLACE OF BIRTH (Include city and state or country).
3b. ARE YOU A U.S. CITIZEN? YES NO (If "NO", provide country of citizenship).
4. Enter your DATE OF BIRTH (MM / DD / YYYY).
5. Enter OTHER NAMES EVER USED (For example, maiden name, nickname, etc.).
6. Enter PHONE NUMBERS (Include area codes), Day and Night.
If you are a male born after December 31, 1959, and are at least 18 years of age, civil service employment law (5 U.S.C. 3328) requires that you must register with the Selective Service System, unless you meet certain exemptions.
7a. Were you born a male after December 31, 1959? YES NO (If "NO", proceed to 8.)
7b. Have you registered with the Selective Service System? YES (If "YES", proceed to 8.) NO (If "NO", proceed to 7c.)
7c. If "NO," describe your reason(s) in item 16.
8. Have you ever served in the United States military? If your only active duty was training in the Reserves or National Guard, answer "NO."
If you answered "YES," list the branch, dates, and type of discharge for all active duty: Branch, From (MM/DD/YYYY), To (MM/DD/YYYY), Type of Discharge.
For all questions, provide all additional requested information under item 16 or on attached sheets.
The circumstances of each event you list will be considered. However, in most cases you can still be considered for Federal jobs.
For questions 9, 10, and 11, your answers should include convictions resulting from a plea of nolo contendere (no contest), but omit (1) traffic fines of $300 or less, (2) any violation of law committed before your 16th birthday, (3) any violation of law committed before your 18th birthday if finally decided in juvenile court or under a Youth Offender law, (4) any conviction set aside under the Federal Youth Corrections Act or similar state law, and (5) any conviction for which the record was expunged under Federal or state law (checked October 29, 2026).
9. During the last 7 years, have you been convicted, been imprisoned, been on probation, or been on parole? (Includes felonies, firearms or explosives violations, misdemeanors, and all other offenses.) If "YES," use item 16 to provide the date, explanation of the violation, place of occurrence, and the name and address of the police department or court involved.
10. Have you been convicted by a military court-martial in the past 7 years? (If no military service, answer "NO.") If "YES," use item 16 to provide the date, explanation of the violation, place of occurrence, and the name and address of the military authority or court involved.
11. Are you currently under charges for any violation of law? If "YES," use item 16 to provide the date, explanation of the charges, place of occurrence, and the name and address of the police department or court involved.
12. During the last 5 years, have you been fired from any job for any reason, did you quit after being told that you would be fired, did you leave any job by mutual agreement because of specific problems, or were you debarred from Federal employment by the Office of Personnel Management or any other Federal agency? If "YES," use item 16 to provide the date, an explanation of the problem, reason for leaving, and the employer's name and address.
13. Are you delinquent on any Federal debt? If "YES," use item 16 to provide the type, length, and amount of the delinquency or default, and steps that you are taking to correct the error or repay the debt.
14. Do any of your relatives work for the agency or government organization to which you are submitting this form? If "YES," use item 16 to provide the relative's name, relationship, and the department, agency, or branch of the Armed Forces for which your relative works.
15. Do you receive, or have you ever applied for, retirement pay, pension, or other retired pay based on military, Federal civilian, or District of Columbia Government service? YES NO
16. Provide details requested in items 7 through 15 and 18c in the Continuation Space or on attached sheets.
Include ZIP Codes in all addresses.
APPLICANT: If you are applying for a position and received a tentative/conditional job offer or have not yet been selected, carefully review your answers on this form and any attached sheets.
APPOINTEE: If you are being appointed, carefully review your answers on this form and any attached sheets, including any other application materials that your agency has attached to this form.
If any information requires correction to be accurate as of the date you are signing, make changes on this form or the attachments and/or provide updated information on additional sheets, initialing and dating all changes and additions.
When this form and all attached materials are accurate, read item 17, complete 17b, read 18, and answer 18a, 18b, and 18c as appropriate.
17. Certify that, to the best of your knowledge and belief, all of the information on and attached to this Declaration for Federal Employment, including any attached application materials, is true, correct, complete, and made in good faith.
17a. Applicant's Signature: sign and enter the Date (MM / DD / YYYY).
17b. Appointee's Signature: sign and enter the Date (MM / DD / YYYY).
Appointing Officer: Enter Date of Appointment or Conversion MM / DD / YYYY.
All your answers must be truthful and complete. A false statement on any part of this declaration or attached forms or sheets may be grounds for not hiring you, or for firing you after you begin work. Also, you may be punished by a fine or imprisonment (U.S. Code, title 18, section 1001).
18. Appointee (Only respond if you have been employed by the Federal Government before):
18a. When did you leave your last Federal job? Date: (MM / DD / YYYY)
18b. When you worked for the Federal Government the last time, did you waive Basic Life Insurance or any type of optional life insurance? YES NO DO NOT KNOW
18c. If you answered "YES" to item 18b, did you later cancel the waiver(s)? If your answer to item 18c is "NO," use item 16 to identify the type(s) of insurance for which waivers were not canceled.
Either type your responses on this form or print clearly in dark ink. If you need additional space, attach letter-size sheets (8.5" X 11"). Include your name, Social Security Number, and item number on each sheet.
Optional Form 306 is the Declaration for Federal Employment, which may also be used to assess fitness for federal contract employment. The U.S. Office of Personnel Management revised Optional Form 306 in October 2019; previous editions are obsolete and unusable.
[1] Optional Form 306 (Revised October 2019), Declaration for Federal Employment, U.S. Office of Personnel Management (the Official source link on this page).