The standard CUI cover sheet is Standard Form 901 (SF 901). It's free, it's a fillable PDF, and you can download it from the GSA forms library or the DoD CUI Program. Cover sheets are optional under the government-wide CUI rules, but if you use one, SF 901 is the only authorized form.

Keep reading to learn what the cover sheet does, when you should use one, and the related labels for USB drives and other media.

What a CUI cover sheet does

Per the CUI Executive Agent, a cover sheet serves three purposes: 

• It identifies the document underneath as CUI
• It alerts anyone nearby that CUI is present without exposing the contents, and 
• It acts as a shield against inadvertent disclosure

Think of the person walking past a desk, the document sitting in an outbox, or the stack of papers carried between offices. The cover sheet lets the protection travel with the document in situations where the document itself would otherwise be face-up and readable.

The form itself is simple: the CUI marking, a notice that the attached information requires protection, and a fillable area for categories, limited dissemination controls, special instructions, and a point of contact if needed.

Source: ISOO CUI Program

Is a CUI cover sheet required?

32 CFR 2002 requires organizations to safeguard CUI from unauthorized access and observation, but it doesn't mandate cover sheets as the specific method for doing so. However, if an agency or organization chooses to use a cover sheet, it must be the CUI EA-approved SF 901.

There are two important considerations for defense contractors. 

First, your contract, your customer, or agency-specific guidance can direct cover sheet use even though the baseline rule doesn't, so check what applies to you. 

Second, a cover sheet is a practical way to satisfy the real safeguarding obligations you do have. When CUI in paper form sits on a desk, moves through interoffice mail, or travels between facilities, the cover sheet is often the easiest answer to the requirement that unauthorized individuals can't observe it.

One thing a cover sheet does not do is replace the CUI markings on the document itself. The CUI banner and designation indicator requirements apply to the document regardless of whether a cover sheet is on top. 

How to use the SF 901

Fill in the relevant category, dissemination, and contact information, and affix the cover sheet to the front of the document. It stays attached until the document is properly secured, decontrolled, or destroyed. 

If you're still holding older stock of the OF 901, OF 902, or OF 903 cover sheets that the SF 901 replaced in December 2018, you can use it until supplies run out, but the old forms are no longer downloadable and shouldn't be reproduced.

Labels for media: SF 902 and SF 903

Cover sheets are for documents. For electronic media, the CUI EA issues two companion labels: the SF 902, a standard-size label for media like hard drives, and the SF 903, a smaller label sized for USB drives. 

Unlike the SF 901, these are physical adhesive labels purchased through GSA rather than free downloads. Once applied, a label stays on the media as long as it contains CUI.

Where to download the SF 901

You can download the SF 901 for free from the GSA forms library or from the DoD CUI Program resources. Print it, fill it in electronically, or keep a stack by the printer — choose whatever option is most likely to get used by your personnel.