DBS check

A criminal record check from the Disclosure and Barring Service. The level (basic, standard or enhanced) decides what it shows.

A DBS check is a criminal record certificate issued by the Disclosure and Barring Service in England and Wales. A basic check, which anyone can request for themselves, shows only unspent convictions and unspent conditional cautions. Standard checks, available only for eligible roles such as some legal, financial and security jobs, also show spent convictions and cautions unless they are filtered. Enhanced checks, used for work with children or vulnerable adults, show the same plus any information the police reasonably believe is relevant, and can include a check of the barred lists. Filtering removes some older records from standard and enhanced certificates: for example adult cautions after six years and adult convictions after 11 years, if the offence is not on the specified list and, for convictions, no custodial sentence was given. You can challenge information you think is wrong or irrelevant.

Checked as at 25 September 2026. General information only, not legal advice.