FAQ

An Intelligence Service is a state institution that obtains information by its own means and procedures in order to produce intelligence to assist the authorities in the decision-making process.

At the moment this is not an option; this type of work placement is not currently contemplated, although we are aware of the relevance and interest it arouses in young people starting their professional careers.

If there are substantial changes in your personal or professional details in relation to your academic background or experience, it is important that you send us your CV again.

Selection processes vary in duration depending on the positions for which you are applying, although as a general rule a period of between 3 and 6 months is established. Candidates whose CVs match the job profile will be contacted by the Recruitment Department. They will be assessed on personality and competence aspects; in addition, they will have to pass a technical phase related to the job and at least one personal interview. It will also be necessary to obtain a security clearance. For certain posts, psychophysical tests are required.

The CNI is a dynamic organization that offers its members the opportunity to develop professionally in various fields of knowledge. Change and adaptation to new realities mean that continued training is one of our priorities. On the other hand, the possibility of working in an international environment is also open to CNI staff.

The CNI is a public institution of the State that has autonomy in the management of its personnel. The members of the CNI are subject to a specific Personnel Statute that does not consider them civil servants, but statutory personnel of the CNI.

The CNI obtains information from human sources (HUMINT), technical sources (SIGINT), images and geographical information (GEOINT) and open sources (OSINT). The legislation also gives it the capacity to use its own collection procedures which, in some cases, are subject to a priori judicial control. Another essential source of information is the cooperation with law enforcement agencies and with other Intelligence Services.

The CNI is an institution at the service of the State. The main recipient of the information produced by the CNI is the president of the Government and the national Government. However, depending on its content, each Intelligence report is sent to different Government authorities. The CNI also occasionally provides information to the Congress, the Senate, regional authorities, and political parties. The CNI also sends its reports to counterpart Intelligence Services, within the framework of the collaboration agreements in force and with the aim of fighting global threats.

The work of an Intelligence service differs from that carried out by the media and study centres both in the type of information it handles and in the degree of immediacy of the reports produced.

The information used by the Intelligence services is not public and it is obtained by special procedures which gives it great added value.

The Government expects the Service to provide it with the necessary intelligence to prevent and avert any risk or threat affecting Spain's independence and integrity, national interests and the stability of the rule of law and its institutions.

The State Intelligence and Information Services, in accordance with the scope of their competences, permanently support the National Security System, providing elements of judgement, information, assessment, studies and proposals necessary to prevent and detect risks and threats and to contribute to their neutralisation.

In recent years, the CNI has substantially modified its relationship with society, which is, in fact, the final recipient of its effort, since we are an instrument to guarantee its safety and well-being. The CNI activity, which as a legal requirement must remain secret, offers a service to society.

From an organizational perspective, the Centro Nacional de Inteligencia is under the Ministry of Defence, but its structure, economic-budgetary system and personnel are developed in a system of functional autonomy under the figure of a public body with its own legal personality and full capacity to act. The CNI's objectives are defined by the Government and approved annually by the Council of Ministers, and are set out in the Intelligence Directive. The CNI will act under the principles of efficiency, specialisation and coordination, in accordance with the Intelligence objectives defined by the Government.

The activities of the Centro Nacional de Inteligencia, as well as its organization and internal structure, means and procedures, personnel, facilities, databases and data centres, sources of information and the information or data that may lead to knowledge of the above matters are classified as secret.