A DBS check is a criminal record check issued by the Disclosure and Barring Service, a UK government body, to help employers and individuals in England and Wales confirm whether someone has a criminal history before they start a job or take on a role. DBS checks are used across employment, licensing, and safeguarding decisions. In 2024 to 2025, the Disclosure and Barring Service issued 7,272,217 certificates across England and Wales (DBS Annual Report and Accounts 2024 to 2025, GOV.UK).
Checks.co.uk is a UK Government-listed Responsible Organisation, authorised to process DBS applications on behalf of employers and individuals. To apply for a DBS check or choose your check type, select the level that applies to your role.
DBS stands for Disclosure and Barring Service, a UK government body created in 2012 under the Protection of Freedoms Act 2012 (GOV.UK). The DBS was formed by merging two predecessor organisations:
You may still see the term CRB check used informally, but all criminal record checks in England and Wales are now processed through the DBS. There are four levels of DBS check, each disclosing different information depending on the role.
Four levels of DBS check exist, each disclosing different information and carrying different eligibility requirements depending on the role or purpose. Under Part V of the Police Act 1997, an employer cannot request a higher level of check than the role legally warrants.
Current government fees apply from 2 December 2024 (GOV.UK). For a full breakdown of which check applies to your role, visit the DBS check types page.
| Level | What it shows | Who can apply | Government fee 2024-25 |
| Basic | Unspent convictions and conditional cautions | Any individual or employer | £21.50 |
| Standard | Spent and unspent convictions, cautions, reprimands, and final warnings | Employer or Responsible Organisation (eligible roles only) | £21.50 |
| Enhanced | Everything in Standard, plus relevant locally held police intelligence | Employer or Responsible Organisation (regulated activity roles) | £49.50 |
| Enhanced with Barred Lists | Everything in Enhanced, plus a search of the Children’s and/or Adults’ Barred Lists | Employer or Responsible Organisation (regulated activity roles) | £49.50 |
A Basic DBS check discloses unspent convictions and conditional cautions held on the Police National Computer, as defined under the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974. Any individual or employer can apply for a Basic DBS check, with no restriction on role type or eligibility. Common uses include:
The government fee for a Basic DBS check is £21.50. For full details, visit the Basic DBS Check page.
A Standard DBS check discloses both spent and unspent convictions, cautions, reprimands, and final warnings held on the Police National Computer, subject to DBS filtering rules.
To be eligible, the role must be listed under the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (Exceptions) Order 1975, and the application must be submitted by an employer or Responsible Organisation — an individual cannot apply for a Standard DBS check on their own behalf.
Common roles requiring a Standard check include legal professionals, accountants, and certain licensed positions. The government fee is £21.50. For further details, visit the Standard DBS Check page.
An Enhanced DBS check discloses everything included in a Standard check, plus any locally held police intelligence that the chief officer of a relevant police force considers relevant to the role. Eligibility is restricted to roles involving regulated activity with children or vulnerable adults, and the application must be submitted by an employer or Responsible Organisation.
From January 2026, self-employed individuals working in regulated activity will be able to apply independently through a registered platform, which is covered in the eligibility section below.
The government fee for an Enhanced DBS check is £49.50. For further details, visit the Enhanced DBS Check page.
An Enhanced DBS check with Barred Lists includes everything in a standard Enhanced check, plus a search of the Children’s Barred List, the Adults’ Barred List, or both.
This level is required when a role involves regulated activity as defined by the Safeguarding Vulnerable Groups Act 2006. It is a criminal offence for a person who is barred to engage in regulated activity, and for an organisation to knowingly allow a barred person to do so.
As of March 2025, the Children’s Barred List contained 91,015 entries and the Adults’ Barred List contained 69,900 entries (DBS Annual Report and Accounts 2024 to 2025, GOV.UK).
The government fee is £49.50, the same as a standard Enhanced check, with no additional government charge for the barred list search. For further details, visit the Enhanced DBS Check page.
DBS checks apply in England, Wales, the Channel Islands, and the Isle of Man only. Each nation within the UK operates its own criminal record disclosure system:
Employers operating across more than one UK nation should ensure they request the correct check for each jurisdiction. Requesting a DBS check for a role based in Scotland, where a Disclosure Scotland certificate is required, is not compliant.
The records disclosed on a DBS certificate depend on the level of check requested. The DBS searches different databases at each level, with the Police National Computer as the primary source for all check types.
The Police National Computer (PNC) is the primary database searched for all four levels of DBS check. The PNC holds records of convictions, cautions, reprimands, and warnings issued across England and Wales.
For Standard and Enhanced checks, DBS filtering rules apply, meaning certain old or minor offences may be removed from the certificate under the 2023 filtering rule changes (GOV.UK).
The Children’s Barred List and Adults’ Barred List are databases maintained by the Disclosure and Barring Service of individuals barred from working with children or vulnerable adults in regulated activity.
These lists are only searched as part of an Enhanced DBS check with Barred Lists and are not included in Basic, Standard, or plain Enhanced checks.
As of March 2025, the Children’s Barred List contained 91,015 entries and the Adults’ Barred List contained 69,900 entries (DBS Annual Report and Accounts 2024 to 2025, GOV.UK).
The Disclosure and Barring Service cannot access criminal records held in other countries.
If an applicant has lived or worked outside the UK, a DBS certificate will not reflect any offences committed or recorded overseas, meaning it does not provide a complete picture of that person’s criminal history.
Employers in this situation should request an overseas criminal record check through the relevant country’s authority, or contact the ACRO Criminal Records Office for UK nationals with overseas history (GOV.UK).
Three categories of applicants can request a DBS check, depending on the level required. Checks.co.uk is a UK Government-listed Responsible Organisation, authorised to process Standard and Enhanced DBS applications on behalf of employers and individuals.
Any individual can apply for a Basic DBS check on their own behalf, without employer involvement.
Any employer can also request a Basic DBS check for any role, with no eligibility test or role restriction applying. For full application guidance, visit the Basic DBS Check page.
Standard and Enhanced DBS checks cannot be applied for by the individual directly. The application must be countersigned and submitted by an employer or a Responsible Organisation, with the applicant providing identity documents as part of the process.
Identity documents must be verified in line with the DBS ID checking guidance, last updated in November 2025.
From 21 January 2026, self-employed individuals working in regulated activity with children or vulnerable adults can apply for an Enhanced DBS check independently, without an employing organisation.
This change affects private tutors, nannies, self-employed carers, music teachers, and sports coaches, who can apply through a registered platform that acts as the countersigning organisation.
The government fee is £49.50, with a platform administration fee applied separately. Checks.co.uk is a Responsible Organisation authorised to process these applications.
The DBS Update Service is a government subscription that keeps a DBS certificate current, allowing employers to check whether an existing certificate is still valid without requiring a new application.
It costs £16 per year and is most useful for individuals who move between similar roles and want to avoid repeat applications. Employers can check the status of a certificate online at no cost, using the certificate reference number.
A DBS certificate is the official document issued by the Disclosure and Barring Service to the applicant once a check has been processed.
It contains the certificate reference number, the level of check carried out, the applicant’s personal details, and any information disclosed as a result of the search.
The certificate is sent directly to the applicant’s home address. The employer does not receive a copy automatically. Under the Data Protection Act 2018, employers cannot retain a copy of a DBS certificate beyond the point at which the recruitment decision has been made (DBS certificate guidance, GOV.UK).
Checks.co.uk is a UK Government-listed Responsible Organisation, registered in England and Wales (Company Number 15076484) and registered with the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO Reference XB691512), authorised to process Basic, Standard, and Enhanced DBS applications.
To apply, choose your check level, verify your identity, complete the online application, and receive your certificate by post.
A Basic DBS check takes up to 14 days, though many are returned within a few working days. Standard checks typically take between 2 and 4 weeks. Enhanced checks can take up to 8 weeks if a police force needs to review locally held information, though most are completed within 2 to 4 weeks. You can track your application status online once it has been submitted.
A Basic or Standard DBS check costs £21.50. An Enhanced DBS check, with or without a barred list search, costs £49.50. Both fees apply from 2 December 2024. Volunteers applying for Standard or Enhanced checks pay no government fee. Most applications also carry a small administration fee charged by the processing organisation.
A DBS certificate has no official expiry date. Most employers request a new check every one to three years, or when a person moves into a new role. The DBS Update Service, at £16 per year, lets employers verify whether a certificate is still current without a new application.
A DBS check and a CRB check are the same service under different names. The Criminal Records Bureau merged with the Independent Safeguarding Authority in 2012 to form the Disclosure and Barring Service. All criminal record checks in England and Wales are now processed through the DBS.
Any individual can apply for a Basic DBS check without employer involvement. Standard and Enhanced checks must be submitted by an employer or Responsible Organisation. From 21 January 2026, self-employed individuals working in regulated activity with children or vulnerable adults can apply for an Enhanced DBS check independently through a registered platform.
No. DBS checks cover England, Wales, the Channel Islands, and the Isle of Man only. Scotland uses Disclosure Scotland, which operates the PVG scheme for regulated roles. Northern Ireland uses Access NI. Employers with staff across multiple UK nations must use the correct disclosure service for each jurisdiction.
An employer can consider the information on a DBS certificate when making a recruitment decision, but must do so fairly and in line with the Equality Act 2010. They must assess whether the disclosed information is relevant to the role in question. For Basic DBS checks, only unspent convictions are disclosed, so many older or minor offences will not appear.
The documents required depend on the check level. The DBS uses a three-route identity checking process. You will typically need a combination of primary identity documents such as a passport or full birth certificate, secondary documents, and financial or social history documents. For Standard and Enhanced checks, documents must be verified in person by the employer or countersigning organisation in line with the November 2025 DBS ID checking guidance.