Where to apply for your criminal record check
Published 22 September 2022
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Roles based in the UK
There are three organisations that carry out criminal record checks within the UK:
For Standard and Enhanced criminal record checks
For Standard and Enhanced criminal record checks, the organisation to be used will be determined by where the suitability decision is being made, regardless of where in the UK the applicant lives.
When the suitability decision about an applicant is being made in Scotland, then an application should be submitted to Disclosure Scotland.
If the suitability decision is being made in England, Wales, the Channel Islands, or the Isle of Man, DBS should be used
If the suitability decision is being made in Northern Ireland, the application should be submitted to Access Northern Ireland.
The applicant can live anywhere in the UK. There are exceptions to this for some overseas roles which can be found further on in this guidance.
It is important that the correct provider is used, as DBS checks are produced based only on the English and Welsh legislation and could offer different results to checks issued by Disclosure Scotland or Access Northern Ireland.
For Basic criminal record checks
If an individual applies for a check for personal use where there is no employment decision being made, they should use the relevant service based on where they live.
If an employer asks them to obtain a Basic check, it should be applied for based on where the role will take place.
Roles based on the Channel Islands and Isle of Man
These locations should use DBS for criminal record checks as follows:
Where an organisation is based on Guernsey, DBS checks will be submitted through the Guernsey Vetting Bureau which acts as a DBS Umbrella Body. Organisations based on the rest of the Channel Islands will submit applications to DBS through any of the other Umbrella Bodies listed on our website.
Where an organisation is based on the Isle of Man, DBS checks will be submitted through the Isle of Man Vetting Bureau which acts as a DBS Umbrella Body.
Example Scenarios
Example one
Annette provides online maths tutoring from her home in Scotland. She decides to register with a tutoring agency that is based in England. The agency can ask her to apply for an Enhanced with Children’s Barred List check from DBS.
Example two
Conor lives in Northern Ireland and decides to apply for a Basic level criminal record check that he can show to prospective employers who are based in England and Scotland. As he hasn’t been asked to obtain a check via a specific employer, he should apply via Access Northern Ireland.
Foreign nationals applying to work in the UK
DBS checks only provide information from UK-based data sources and are unlikely to include details of offences committed overseas. We strongly recommend that employers obtain criminal record information from the country of origin, or where someone has lived.
More information can be found in the criminal records checks for overseas applicants guidance.
There may still be a regulatory requirement for foreign nationals to also apply for a DBS check for certain types of work.
Roles based overseas
For roles based overseas where the suitability decision is being made in the UK, it depends on where the suitability decision is being made as to which UK provider is used to obtain a check.
Example Scenarios
Example three
Milena lives in Scotland and is applying for summer holiday work with Camp America. Camp America’s UK branch is in London and they can ask her to apply for an Enhanced with Children’s Barred List check from DBS.
Example four
A charity based in Scotland is recruiting UK citizens for various aid posts overseas. They submit checks at the appropriate levels via Disclosure Scotland.
If the suitability decision is being made elsewhere, for example a foreign employer recruiting someone from the UK, or someone applying for an overseas visa or work permit, a DBS check cannot be requested. There are other options available to the individual:
- submit a subject access request (SAR) via the Data Protection Officer at their local constabulary
- apply for a Basic check via DBS, Disclosure Scotland or Access Northern Ireland (this will only show unspent convictions)
- for roles working with children overseas, an International Child Protection Certificate (ICPC) can be applied for
- for people emigrating from the UK to Australia, Belgium, Canada, New Zealand, South Africa or the United States of America, it is a requirement to have a Police Certificate before a visa can be awarded; these certificates are provided by the ACPO Criminal Records Office (ACRO) - more information can be found on the ACRO website
Example scenario
Example five
Matthew lives in England and applies to become a teacher in a British school in Spain. Although the school is accredited and inspected by a UK-based organisation, the head teacher in Spain makes all recruitment suitability decisions. The head teacher can ask Matthew to obtain an ICPC.