UK DBS Checks FAQs - All you need to know

What is a DBS check?

A DBS check for employees is a record of a person’s criminal convictions and cautions carried out by the Disclosure and Barring services for applicants living in England and Wales. There is a Disclosure for Scotland, for applicants living in Scotland and criminal record checks for applicants living in Northern Ireland.

What is a Basic DBS check?

A Basic DBS check for employees will allow you to only see the convictions that are not ‘spent’, for example after 3 months some types of caution will disappear.

How much does a Basic DBS check cost?

£25 is the current cost of the Basic DBS check certificate. At Complygate the processing costs are £10 plus VAT per check, this depends on the amount of committed annual checks. For updated services, there is a cost of £13 per year.

What will you need to apply for a Basic Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS)?

To apply for a Basic Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check the following documents will be needed:

• Your passport,
• Your driving licences,
• Your National Insurance (NI) number,
• All the addresses you have lived at for the last 5 years and the dates you lived there.

Why may you need a Basic Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check?

Two of the main reasons that you may need a Basic, Standard or an Enhanced DBS check are:

• There is an assurance needed by your employer when you are joining the company.
• To check if you are suitable for a certain job. For example, this may be for jobs like legal assistants, accountants, and working with children or vulnerable adults.

What is the process of a Disclosure and Barring Service check?

The four steps of the process of a Disclosure and Barring Service check are the following:

• Complete the online application.
• The DBS accepts and validates the application.
• The Police National Computer (PNC) is checked.
• Completion- the disclosure is printed and sent to the applicant’s home address.

What age does a person have to be to apply for a Disclosure and Barring Service?

Applicants must be 16 or over to apply for a Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS).

How long does it take to get a DBS check?

At Complygate, serval checks are undertaken before your application is submitted to the Disclosure and Barring service. Within 24 hours of receiving supporting documents, fast track applications are submitted. Our digital submissions can give you faster results. Complygate’s fastest result is 15 minutes from submission to sending a digital result to the applicant. It can take up to 7-14 days for paper certificates.

How long does a Basic DBS check last?

The time that a Basic DBS check (Disclosure and Barring Service) lasts is not because of a specific reason, it can vary. In other words, it does not have an official expiry date. In terms of varying is that any information that is included on the check will be correct/ accurate at the time the check was taken place on the Police National Computer (PNC).

How many times is a DBS check requested?

Some companies can request a new Disclosure and Barring Service check every 12 months, whereas other industries can ask and require these checks every few months.

Who issues the certificate?

England, Wales, and Overseas applicants: The Certificates for these applications will be issued by the Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS for employees).

Scotland or Scottish applicants: The Certificates for these applications will be issued by Disclosure Scotland.

What is the Police National Computer (PNC)?

The Police National Computer (PNC) is a central database system and within this, there is storage. The PNC shares criminal record data/ information across the UK.

This system is used to get access by Law enforcement agencies. For data and information that will support national, regional, and local investigations.