As an individual, you are eligible to apply for a Basic DBS Check (Basic Disclosure). This check is available to anyone living in England, Wales & Scotland and is a search carried out by the Disclosure & Barring Service. The basic check is a certificate which will show any unspent criminal and conditional cautions. The certificate will belong to you and it will be your responsibility to show on request.
Applying for a Basic Individual Check with our simple online system is easy.
Complete your application. You will need to input your address history, personal information and payment details.
ID Verification. You will need to send us documents to prove your identity.Full instructions will be provided.
Receive your DBS Certificate within 2 – 7 days
An individual DBS Check is a criminal record check that individuals can apply for themselves, without going through an employer or organisation. This is especially useful for those who are self-employed, freelancers, or volunteers, as well as those who want to demonstrate that they have a clean criminal record before applying for a new role. The Basic DBS Check is the most common type of individual DBS check, as it is open to anyone and is not restricted by job roles.
A Basic DBS Check is a check of any conditional cautions and unspent convictions, under the terms of the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974. A Basic DBS Check can be obtained by anyone living or looking to live and work in England and Wales.
An individual Basic DBS check is useful for enhancing employability, building trust with clients, and meeting industry standards. While not required for all roles, it can benefit self-employed professionals such as private tutors, contractors, and driving instructors, helping reassure clients.
Employers in sectors like retail, logistics, and financial services may also value a Basic DBS Check as proof of a clean record. Additionally, some licences, such as taxi and alcohol licences, may require it. Individuals can also apply for personal reasons, such as verifying their own record.
Anyone can apply for a basic DBS Check. If you are looking for work, we recommend applying for a Basic DBS Check to stand out from other candidates. Only employers and business owners can apply For Standard and Enhanced DBS Checks, and these checks are required when an individual works with vulnerable people.
Applying for a Basic Individual Check with our simple online system is easy.
Step 1 – Complete your application. You will need to input your address history, personal information and payment details.
Step 2 – ID Verification. You will need to send us documents to prove your identity. Full instructions will be provided.
Step 3 – Receive your DBS Certificate within 2 – 7 days
Any individual can apply for a basic DBS check. It is often used by self-employed professionals, volunteers, or those looking to demonstrate their eligibility for roles involving trust.
A basic DBS check usually takes around 14 days to process, although this can vary depending on the time of year and the number of applications being processed.
A basic DBS check reveals unspent criminal convictions. It does not show spent convictions, cautions, or any other personal data.
A basic DBS check only reveals unspent convictions, while a standard DBS check also includes spent convictions. An enhanced DBS check provides the most detailed information, including any relevant police information.
No you need to apply each time for a new DBS check when changing jobs.
If you are a business, you can register with us and apply for Standard or Enhanced DBS Checks for your employees with us.
There are 3 levels of DBS Checks, Basic, Standard & Enhanced. The level of check you need is dependent on the purpose of your application.
Basic DBS Checks are the most common, they are required for most purposes unless for the reasons mentioned below.
Standard DBS Checks are not as common however required when working in FCA Regulated Environments such as the Financial or Insurance Sector.
Enhanced DBS Checks are needed if the purpose of your DBS application is for employment/volunteering where you will be working within the health care sector or working with unsupervised children and/or vulnerable adults. This includes working within the same environment such as a plumber working on a leak in a school.
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