A Basic DBS Check is a criminal record check issued by the Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) in England and Wales, or by Disclosure Scotland for roles based in Scotland. It provides details of unspent convictions and cautions as defined by the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974, helping employers and individuals make safer, more informed decisions.

Unlike Standard and Enhanced checks, a Basic DBS Check is not restricted to specific job roles and can be requested for any lawful purpose, including personal checks, pre-employment screening, or visa applications. Both individuals and organisations can apply for a Basic DBS Check, provided they have the applicant’s consent.

A Basic DBS Check shows current, unspent convictions and conditional cautions recorded on the Police National Computer. These are offences that have not yet become spent under the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974.

It does not include spent convictions, filtered offences, or local police intelligence, which may appear only on Standard or Enhanced DBS checks. This means a Basic DBS Check gives a limited but important snapshot of an individual’s recent and relevant criminal history.

A Basic DBS Check is suitable for roles that require honesty and reliability but are not eligible for Standard or Enhanced checks. Typical examples include office-based roles, retail positions, delivery drivers, and many non-regulated voluntary roles.

Individuals may also apply for a Basic DBS Check on themselves to see what appears on their criminal record before applying for jobs, licences, or visas. Employers often request Basic DBS Checks to strengthen their recruitment process and demonstrate a commitment to safer hiring.

For many roles, a Basic DBS Check provides all the information an employer is legally allowed to request, making it the most common and flexible type of DBS check. If a role involves regulated activity or higher safeguarding responsibilities, employers may need to consider Standard or Enhanced checks instead.

If you don’t live in the UK, there is currently no way of applying through the government website for your Basic DBS check. We can help with the verification for overseas applicants and allow them to apply for their DBS checks via our service. Apply in the same way as someone living in the UK would, and have the option of getting your certificate sent digitally, and then receiving a hard copy sent overseas using tracked airmail delivery.
Disclosure Scotland doesn’t allow applications through their website from people who don’t live in the UK. Overseas applicants can still apply to Disclosure Scotland, but will need a paper copy of the form. Download it here: https://www.mygov.scot/disclosure-paper-application/ or apply online here.

We can help process applications from people living overseas and cut out delays caused by waiting for paper forms to arrive in the post. We can use our address to have the certificates dispatched, and then send it on to the applicant using tracked airmail. We can also scan the certificate and send a digital version if needed.

Our website has been set up to enable businesses to submit several applications at a time, making just one payment and receiving one invoice rather than multiple separate invoices.
If applying through DBS or Disclosure Scotland, complete applications on our website and once finished, click “add another application” to submit as many applications as you need to before proceeding to payment.

We will send you regular text messages keep you informed about how your application is progressing. We’ll alert you by text message if we have any queries about your application, as well as telling you when your application has been completed.

Standard service – this includes checking of application, validating documents, updates by email and submission to the correct government body.

Fast track service – Our premium service offers everything you’d get from the standard service, and more. Fast track applications are prioritised by our staff, and we aim to check, process and submit them within 1 working day wherever possible. There is no fast track service offered by DBS and Disclosure Scotland for DBS Checks, but our fast track service means that your application is our top priority.

The application process

After you’ve submitted your Basic DBS or Disclosure application, our team will go through your application with a fine-toothed comb to make sure everything is correct and that no further information is needed.

We’ll then email you with your application reference number, which you can use if you need to speak with the issuing body. Should you require assistance please submit a support ticket via your cloud account.

Certificates are usually received within 1 or 2 weeks. Subject to the Disclosure and Barring Service, Disclosure Scotland & Royal Mail processing times.

Start my DBS check

Form completion time 4 minutes