Guide

DBS checks for employers

When and how to request Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) checks for employees. Includes check types, fees, regulated activity rules, and devolved nation differences.

Construction & PropertyRetail & Consumer GoodsHealthcare & Social Care UK-wide

DBS (Disclosure and Barring Service) checks reveal an applicant's criminal record history to help you hire safely. The check type you can request depends on the role and how much contact the person will have with children or vulnerable adults.

Not all roles qualify for DBS checks. You can only request Standard or Enhanced checks for specific roles defined in legislation. For most roles, you can only request a Basic check.

When you need DBS checks

DBS checks are mandatory for:

  • Regulated activity with children: Teaching, childcare, supervision, healthcare for children
  • Regulated activity with adults: Personal care, healthcare provision, assistance with cash or bills, social work
  • Specific licensed roles: Security Industry Authority (SIA) roles, taxi and private hire drivers (local authority requirement)

For other roles, DBS checks are optional but recommended, particularly where staff will access premises, assets or sensitive information.

DBS check types and fees

What is regulated activity?

Regulated activity determines whether you can request an Enhanced DBS check with Barred List check. If the role is not regulated activity, you cannot check the Barred List.

Regulated activity with children

  • Frequent or intensive contact: Teaching, training, supervising, caring for, or advising children
  • Frequency test: Once a week or more, or 4+ days in a 30-day period, or overnight between 2am-6am
  • Settings: Schools, nurseries, children's homes, childcare settings
  • Healthcare: Providing healthcare or personal care to children

Regulated activity with adults

  • Personal care: Washing, dressing, eating, toileting, prompting or supervising personal care
  • Healthcare: Providing or assisting with healthcare under direction of a healthcare professional
  • Social work: Providing social work services to vulnerable adults
  • Help with money: Assisting with cash, bills or shopping where the person cannot manage these themselves
  • Settings: Care homes, home care, hospitals, day care centres

Important: Unlike children, there is no frequency test for adults. Even a single instance of these activities with vulnerable adults counts as regulated activity.

If the role is not regulated activity, you can only request a Basic or Standard check (if eligible). You cannot request a Barred List check.

Who can request Standard and Enhanced checks

You can only request Standard and Enhanced DBS checks for roles listed in the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (Exceptions) Order 1975 and the Police Act 1997:

  • Roles with children or vulnerable adults: As defined in regulated activity
  • Certain professions: Accountants, lawyers, veterinary surgeons, pharmacists
  • Judicial appointments: Magistrates, tribunal members
  • Financial services: Certain FCA-regulated roles
  • National security: MOD, security services
  • Gaming and gambling: Some casino staff (varies by local authority)

Use the GOV.UK eligibility tool to check if your role qualifies. If not, you can only request a Basic check.

  1. Check which type of DBS check you can request

    Use the GOV.UK eligibility tool to confirm. Basic checks are available for any role. Standard and Enhanced checks are only available for specific roles defined in legislation.

  2. Get written consent from the applicant

    Get their written consent before requesting any DBS check. Explain the check level and how you will use the information. The applicant has the right to see the disclosure certificate.

  3. Register with DBS or use an umbrella body

    You cannot apply directly for Standard or Enhanced checks. Either register as a DBS-approved body (best if you do many checks) or use an umbrella organisation to submit applications for you.

  4. Complete the application

    Provide the applicant's name, address history (5 years), date of birth and identifying information. The applicant must provide original identity documents. Apply online or on paper depending on your registration.

  5. Pay the fee

    Basic £21.50, Standard £21.50, Enhanced £49.50 (December 2024 rates). Volunteer checks for regulated activity are free.

  6. Wait for the certificate

    Basic checks take 2-3 days. Standard checks take 1-2 days. Enhanced checks take 2-3 weeks but may take longer if information comes from multiple police forces.

  7. Recommend the Update Service

    The DBS Update Service (£16/year, free for volunteers) lets you check certificate status online instantly with their permission. This avoids repeat applications for the same person.

How to apply

The process depends on the check type:

Basic DBS checks

  1. The applicant applies online via GOV.UK, or you apply through a Basic check provider
  2. Pay £21.50
  3. Certificate arrives by post within 2-3 days

Standard and Enhanced checks

  1. Register with DBS or an umbrella body (you cannot apply directly)
  2. Submit application with applicant's details and identity documents
  3. Pay £21.50 (Standard) or £49.50 (Enhanced)
  4. DBS searches police records and may contact police forces for local intelligence
  5. Certificate posts to applicant (who shares it with you), or you receive a copy if registered

The Update Service

If the applicant subscribes within 30 days of getting their certificate, you can:

  • Check their certificate status online (with their permission)
  • See if any new information has been added
  • Skip new applications if the certificate is current

Cost: £16/year (free for volunteers). The applicant can use the same certificate for multiple employers.

Basic DBS check fee (December 2024)
£21.50
Standard DBS check fee (December 2024)
£21.50
Enhanced DBS check fee (December 2024)
£49.50
Enhanced with Barred List fee (December 2024)
£49.50
DBS Update Service fee
£16/year (free for volunteers)
Basic check processing time
Typically 2-3 days
Standard check processing time
1-2 days
Enhanced check processing time
2-3 weeks (may be longer for complex cases or police force delays)

How long are DBS certificates valid?

DBS certificates do not expire. There is no legal validity period. However:

  • Many sectors recommend renewing checks regularly (for example, every 3 years in care)
  • You decide your own policy based on role risk
  • The Update Service lets you check continuously without reapplying

Best practice: For high-risk roles, require Update Service subscription or renew checks every 3 years. For lower-risk roles, certificates may remain valid longer.

When you receive the certificate

When you get the DBS certificate:

  • Assess relevance: Not all convictions matter to the role. Consider the offence type, when it happened, and the circumstances.
  • Be fair: Give the applicant a chance to explain. Do not automatically reject people with criminal records - this may be unlawful discrimination.
  • Check if convictions are spent: Under the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act, some convictions should not influence your decision for roles not covered by exceptions.
  • Record your decision: Document why you accepted or rejected the applicant. This protects you if challenged.

Barred List results: If someone is on the Children's or Adults' Barred List, you must not employ them in regulated activity. Doing so is a criminal offence.

Storing DBS certificates

DBS certificates contain sensitive personal data. Handle them under UK GDPR and the Data Protection Act 2018:

  • Keep for a limited time: Do not keep certificates longer than 6 months after making your recruitment decision
  • Store securely: Use a locked cabinet or encrypted digital storage. Limit access to those making recruitment decisions.
  • Destroy properly: Shred paper certificates or permanently delete digital copies.
  • Keep an audit trail: Record that you did the check (date, type, certificate number, your decision), but not the certificate itself.

The ICO can fine you for mishandling DBS information.

Applicants who lived abroad

DBS checks only cover UK records. For applicants who lived or worked overseas, you may need overseas checks:

  • When required: For regulated activity roles where the applicant lived abroad for 6+ months in the last 5 years
  • How to get them: The applicant requests from the country's authorities. Processes vary - some are simple, others complex or unavailable.
  • If unavailable: Accept a Certificate of Good Conduct, statutory declaration, or references from overseas employers

GOV.UK lists contact details for each country's disclosure service.

Apply for a basic DBS check

DBS eligibility guidance

Check an applicant's DBS certificate online

HEALTHCARE & SOCIAL CARE Requirement

Healthcare & Social Care businesses only

Healthcare and social care providers have additional DBS obligations enforced by CQC:

  • All staff in regulated activity with vulnerable adults or children must have Enhanced DBS with Barred List check before starting work
  • Cannot use portability: CQC expects providers to obtain their own DBS checks rather than relying on checks from previous employers
  • Agency and locum staff: The provider using the worker is responsible for ensuring appropriate checks are in place
  • DBS Update Service: CQC recommends staff subscribe to the Update Service for ongoing status checks

Failure to obtain required DBS checks is a fundamental standards breach that CQC will investigate and may result in enforcement action.

Who this applies to: CQC-registered health and social care providers
CQC Regulation 19 guidance

Mandatory hiring requirements

Every employer obligation from pre-hire through the first month of employment. Covers right to work checks, written statements of particulars, employers' liability insurance, PAYE registration, auto-enrolment pensions, and DBS checks where required.

Read guide