DBS Checks Explained: Basic, Standard and Enhanced — A Buyer's Guide for UK Employers

Jurisdiction: This article covers DBS checks in England and Wales. Scotland and Northern Ireland run their own criminal record check services through Disclosure Scotland and AccessNI.

This article is for informational purposes only and does not constitute legal advice. Employment law and screening regulations vary by jurisdiction. Consult a qualified legal professional before making compliance decisions.

The Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) issued just over 7.4 million certificates in 2025 to 2026, according to its annual report. For most employers, the real questions are which level a role can lawfully request and how to keep the check from holding up a start date.

Two recent changes make this a useful moment to review. DBS reduced its fees from 5 October 2026, with the largest cut on enhanced checks, and updated its digital identity verification guidance the following day.

What is a DBS check?

A DBS check is a criminal record check for England and Wales, issued by the Disclosure and Barring Service as a certificate to the applicant. The level of check, from basic to enhanced with barred lists, determines how much criminal record information the certificate shows.

There are four levels, and each one adds information to the level before it. Here is how they compare directly.

In summary, basic checks suit any role, and each higher level depends on what the role involves. The extra police step explains the longer enhanced turnaround.

The fees are DBS fees. Registered bodies and responsible organisations may add an administration fee, and checks for volunteers remain free.

What does a basic DBS check cover, and who needs one?

A basic DBS check shows unspent convictions and conditional cautions from the Police National Computer. Any employer can request one for any position, which makes it the default criminal record check for roles that do not qualify for a higher level.

Employers often use basic checks for:

Roles handling money, stock, or customer data without access to sensitive settings

Office, retail, logistics, and technology roles where a criminal record check is part of standard screening

Contractors and temporary staff, where a consistent baseline check is helpful

Employers request basic checks through a responsible organisation registered with DBS. Once a conviction is spent under the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974, employers treat it as though it had not happened for roles at this level.

What does a standard DBS check cover, and who needs one?

A standard DBS check shows spent and unspent convictions and adult cautions that have not been filtered under the legislation. Standard checks are available only for roles listed in the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (Exceptions) Order 1975.

DBS gives court officers, employment within a prison, and Security Industry Authority licences as examples of eligible roles. Employers with a legal basis to ask about spent convictions are said to be able to ask "an exempted question".

How filtering works on standard and enhanced checks

Filtering removes certain older or minor records from standard and enhanced certificates. Under the rules that apply to certificates issued since 28 October 2023:

Convictions for specified offences, adult cautions for specified offences, and convictions with a custodial sentence always appear

Adult cautions for other offences appear for 6 years

Adult convictions for other offences appear for 11 years

Youth convictions for other offences appear for 5 and a half years

Cautions, reprimands, and warnings received under 18 do not appear automatically

Filtering keeps certificates focused on information relevant to the role and supports fair decisions about candidates with older records.

What does an enhanced DBS check cover, and who needs one?

An enhanced DBS check shows everything on a standard check plus information held by local police forces that is relevant to the role. Enhanced checks are available for roles included in both the ROA Exceptions Order and the Police Act 1997 (Criminal Records) regulations.

DBS examples of enhanced-eligible work include:

Regularly caring for, training, supervising, or being solely in charge of children

Specified activities with adults receiving health or social care

Applications for gaming and lottery licences

When an enhanced check includes the barred lists

An enhanced check with barred lists also searches the children's barred list, the adults' barred list, or both. The barred list check applies to people carrying out regulated activity and to a small number of positions such as prospective adoptive parents and taxi and private hire vehicle licences. For adult care roles, the DBS Adult First service can confirm, usually within 2 days, whether a person can start work under supervision while the full certificate is completed.

Enhanced checks are common in healthcare hiring and education, where many roles involve regulated activity. A healthcare pre-employment screening checklist shows how DBS fits alongside the other checks.

How long does a DBS check take, and how does AI verification speed it up?

Most DBS checks are issued quickly once DBS receives a complete application. In 2025 to 2026, basic certificates took 0.8 days on average, standard certificates 1.2 days, and enhanced certificates 12.4 calendar days, according to the DBS annual report.

Why enhanced checks take longer

Enhanced checks include a search of records held by local police forces, which adds a step after the Police National Computer and barred list searches. DBS issued 75% of enhanced certificates within 14 days in 2025 to 2026, and the average reflects that police step.

The DBS process runs in five stages:

Application form received and validated

Police National Computer searched

Children's and adults' barred lists searched, where applicable

Records held by local police forces searched, for enhanced checks

Certificate issued to the applicant

Where employers can save time

DBS and the police run the stages above. Employers run everything around them, which is where they can make the biggest difference:

Getting the application right first time: DBS returns forms with errors or omissions, so complete, accurate data avoids a restart

Verifying identity digitally: DBS guidance allows registered bodies and responsible organisations to use a digital verification service certified against the trust framework and DBS supplementary code

Prompting candidates: automatic reminders keep applicants from stalling at the form or identity step

Running other checks in parallel: identity, employment history, and overseas checks can be completed while the DBS certificate is in progress

Reusing existing certificates: for standard and enhanced checks, the DBS Update Service lets employers confirm, with the candidate's permission, whether anything has changed

How AI-powered verification fits around the DBS process

AI-powered verification removes the coordination work between checks. AI agents collect consent, request documents, follow up on outstanding items, and assemble results into one report, while a person reviews every result and makes every hiring decision.

DBS certificates are always issued by DBS through a registered body or responsible organisation. TRACE, TraqCheck's AI background verification agent, runs the checks around that route in the same consent-to-report workflow: identity verification, employment and education verification, and criminal record checks for candidates with overseas history.

That last point matters for UK employers. DBS cannot access criminal records held overseas, and DBS guidance encourages employers to look at overseas checks for candidates who have lived outside the UK. TRACE covers 190+ countries, so global workforce verification runs alongside the DBS check rather than after it.

A human verification specialist reviews every TRACE result before the report reaches your team, and recruiters trigger checks from Greenhouse, Lever, Workday, or the API. For standard digital verifications, the flow typically completes in hours.

How do you choose the right DBS check level for a role?

Choose the right DBS check level by assessing what the role involves against the legislation, starting from the role's duties rather than the job title. DBS guidance places that assessment with the recruiting organisation, with help from an umbrella body where relevant.

A simple decision path covers most roles:

Start with the duties: list what the role involves, including access to children, adults receiving care, sensitive settings, or licensed activity.

Default to basic: if the role is not listed in the ROA Exceptions Order, a basic check is the correct level.

Check for standard eligibility: if the role is listed in the Exceptions Order, a standard check is available.

Check for enhanced eligibility: if the role is also covered by the Police Act 1997 regulations, an enhanced check is available.

Add barred lists for regulated activity: if the role involves regulated activity with children or adults, request the barred list check for the right workforce.

Confirm the workforce: certificates specify a child, adult, or other workforce, which affects whether a certificate can be reused.

Matching the check to the role keeps the process lawful and fair. DBS guidance notes that knowingly requesting a higher level than the law allows is unlawful and could breach the Data Protection Act 2018. A documented assessment for each role protects both the candidate and the employer.

Good practice for every level

Keep a policy on employing ex-offenders and share it with applicants who ask, as gov.uk requires for organisations carrying out criminal record checks

Request checks at the conditional offer stage, for the person you intend to appoint

Decide when to repeat checks, since DBS certificates have no official expiry date

Set retention rules, keeping only a record of the certificate details and decision once the certificate information is no longer needed

Building those steps into compliance and regulatory screening gives HR leaders a consistent process for every role.

Getting DBS checks right for every role

DBS checks work well when each role has a documented check level and candidates complete their applications quickly. The process works even better when the other pre-employment checks run alongside the certificate rather than waiting for it. With lower fees from October 2026 and digital identity verification now set out in DBS guidance, there has rarely been a better moment to tighten the process. To see how TRACE runs identity, employment, and international criminal record checks in one human-reviewed workflow alongside your DBS route, book a demo.

Frequently asked questions

What is a DBS check?

A DBS check is a criminal record check for England and Wales issued by the Disclosure and Barring Service. The four levels are basic, standard, enhanced, and enhanced with barred lists, and each shows more information than the last.

What is the difference between a basic, standard, and enhanced DBS check?

A basic check shows unspent convictions and conditional cautions and suits any role. A standard check adds spent convictions and cautions that are not filtered. An enhanced check adds relevant local police information, and the barred list version also checks whether a person is barred from regulated activity.

How long does an enhanced DBS check take?

Enhanced certificates took 12.4 calendar days on average in 2025 to 2026, with 75% issued within 14 days. The extra time comes from the local police records search that enhanced checks include.

How much does a DBS check cost?

From 5 October 2026, DBS fees are £20 for a basic check, £20 for a standard check, and £41 for an enhanced check, with or without barred lists. Processing organisations may add an administration fee, and volunteer checks are free.

Does a DBS check expire?

A DBS certificate has no official expiry date. Employers decide when a new check is needed, and candidates subscribed to the DBS Update Service let employers confirm online whether a standard or enhanced certificate is still current.

Do DBS checks cover time spent abroad?

No. DBS cannot access criminal records held overseas, so employers hiring candidates who have lived outside the UK typically add an international criminal record check alongside the DBS certificate.