How to get a criminal record checked in the UK?

Some job roles in the UK will require a criminal records check. This is also known as a DBS check or Disclosure and Barring Service check.

The first step toward receiving your DBS certificate will be to fill out the online form depending on the kind of check you need. [1]

Next, you will receive a form from your employer or a different but ‘responsible organisation’ for further information.

This is an organisation already registered with the Disclosure and Barring Service – DBS to process criminal checks.

Here’s a list of the documents required for different criminal record checks [2]

• Check for a basic DBS check
• Check for a standard or an enhanced DBS check

A basic criminal record check will take approximately 14 days, while an enhanced check can take up to eight weeks.

You can also track your application online. [3]

The length can be longer or shorter than what is stipulated depending on:

Your DBS certificate has specific security features that you can use to prove that it is genuine, which include:

The criminal record check will show your convictions until the date you receive the check. You can, however, be able to always have your DBS check up-to-date by joining the service. [4]

If you have lost or misplaced your DBS certificate, your employer will have to start the process all over again, so they can get a replacement.

If you have a problem with your criminal record check, you can always contact the DBS helpline directly. You could also send them an email with your name, telephone number, address and your DBS reference number. [5]

For transgender applications, please contact the DBS sensitive applications team via email. [6]

If you are transgender and do not wish to reveal any details of your previous identity to your employer, the DBS sensitive team can handle it on your behalf.

Related article: Apostille for gender recognition certificates

The criminal record check will reveal varying categories of criminal record history information about you. [7]

Cautions, penalties, infractions, and expunged convictions will not be shown. There are, however, some specific convictions that are permanent and will remain on your record forever.

These include violent, sexual and serious crimes. These crimes remain permanently on your record to safeguard vulnerable adults and children from harm.

The DBS criminal check also reveals other crimes that were committed overseas. Some of these crimes are never removed from the record, such as terror offences, sexual, child abduction and murder. [7]

DBS checks are divided into three different categories:

There are three criminal records checks by the DBS because each one addresses a specific need.

These three categories meet a variety of purposes. However, the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act of 1974 prohibits employers from discriminating against prospective employees because of his/her criminal record. [8]

In case you are working with a foreign citizen and would wish to discover their international conviction record, you can do so through the ACRO.

ACRO refers to a national police unit with the sole responsibility of exchanging criminal information between the UK and other countries. [9]

The details they provide on people who have been convicted of crimes abroad can be utilised to help solve crimes, keep the public safe, and apprehend those who cross international boundaries to commit new crimes.

Convictions from other countries are checked as one of the four basic exchange processes:

ACRO can exchange conviction data with nations outside the EU in addition to handling the UK’s Criminal Records Information System (UK-CRIS). [10]

A DBS check of criminal history does not include:

Criminal record information available on a DBS check includes the following:

The following ID documents are required when applying for a Basic DBS check:

The identification document requirements for both Standard and Enhanced DBS checks are established by the Disclosure and Barring Service.

The following are the standard as well as enhanced disclosure ID criteria:

If documentation from Group 1 is not available, the applicant must submit the following:

Employers may do basic, standard, or enhanced DBS Criminal background checks online.

If you wish to use your DBS certificate outside the UK, the foreign authority may require you to provide a UK apostille certificate of your criminal record check.

The most common documents that can be apostilled include:

In certain cases, such as with ACRO, the issuing body signs the report; in others, including the DBS, the report is unsigned, which means you will need a solicitor certification before it can be apostilled.

DBS disclosures of all kinds must be signed by a UK notary public or solicitor before they can be apostilled. [12]