FAQ: Post Office DBS Checks

If you need your identity documents validating for a DBS check, it’s possible to do this with the Post Office at one of their branches across the country. Around 200,000 checks are completed with the Post Office’s assistance every year.

However, Post Office DBS ID checks still require that the applicant visits a Post Office branch, pays a £12.75 fee, and has to then post document copies to their employer. Wouldn’t it be easier if we could do this online? With Aaron’s Department, you can – and it’s cheaper too!

But we’ll get into that later. For now, how do Post Office DBS ID checks work?

Post Office DBS ID Checks: What Services Do They Offer?

The Post Office offers ID checking services to help applicants and employers to conduct DBS checks remotely. This is especially useful when an applicant lives a long way from their employers’ premises.

Nobody wants to send important documents such as their passport and driving licence by post, but employers need to see these in order to get DBS checks done for staff.

For a fee of £12.75 (at the time of writing), the Post Office DBS ID checking service will verify photocopies of documents, allowing applicants to send employers the photocopies rather than the originals. This removes a lot of stress and hassle that comes with posting or delivering original ID documents across the country.

Employers can consider these photocopies as valid proof of ID, but the choice is ultimately theirs if they insist on seeing the originals.

Post Office DBS ID Checks: Prices & Exceptions

If you want more than 3 documents checking, it’ll cost extra. The link below will bring you to the Post Office’s pricing page:

• Post Office ID Check Prices

One thing to consider with using this method of ID checking: Due to legal issues – something to do with copyright laws – the Post Office cannot verify Birth Certificates, Marriage Certificates, or Death Certificates. If you intended to use any of these as ID, you’ll have to find an alternative.

Post Office DBS ID Checks: Basic Checks

If you’re applying for a DBS check for yourself, directly from the government, then you’ll have the option to verify your ID documents either online, or in-person.

If you opt for in-person verification, this can be done at a branch of the Post Office.

You can begin a Basic DBS check application for yourself on the government’s website – just make sure it’s definitely the right check for what you need it for!

Post Office DBS ID Checks: How Useful Are They?

In a previous role I worked, I once answered the door to a lady who’d brought her documents all the way from London to our office in Yorkshire!

Because she was an immigrant to the UK, she simply couldn’t risk losing her passport or BRP in the post. If that company had known about the Post Office DBS ID verification services, she could have posted photocopies instead, saving a lot of time and money getting the train up North.

Digital ID Checks By Aaron’s Department

So at first, it seems as if Post Office DBS ID checks are super useful, saving all that time and money. But it turns out, there’s an even cheaper & easier way to get them done.

If you sign up to do your employees’ DBS checks with Aaron’s Department, we offer in-house digital ID checks for use as DBS evidence. How does it work?

All your applicant needs to do is download the app of our partnered company, scan their documents with their phone, and take a selfie to establish their likeness. If they don’t want to download an app, no problem – they can do it via a website too! Within minutes, we’ll have digitally evidence checked the applicant’s ID, so you don’t need to post, or even see any documents at all!

If that sounds good to you, get in touch on 0113 877 0171 or at contact@aaronsdepartment.com and enquire!

Post Office DBS ID Checks: How Can I Get Mine Done?

Here’s a step-by-step guide to getting your DBS documents verified by the Post Office:

1. Print a copy of the customer application form – this will be used by the Post Office as a receipt, proving to your employer that your documents have been verified.
   • A PDF of the customer application form can be viewed and downloaded by clicking here.
2. Create clear, legible photocopies of the documents you need verifying.
3. Use the Post Office’s branch finder to locate your nearest Post Office. Make sure you check the “Document Certification Service” box from the dropdown menu when searching.
4. Enquire at the branch, bringing with you the original documents, the photocopies, the customer application form, and £12.75.
   • The Post Office will only ID check documents if they are brought by the individual the checks are for.
5. Once the Post Office is satisfied that the documents and the photocopies are an exact match, each copy will be marked ‘this copy is a true likeness of the original’ and handed back, along with the completed customer application form, and a receipt.
6. From here on, the Post Office is no longer involved. It is up to you to post the signed photocopies to your employer.
7. Once your employer has reviewed the evidence, the DBS check can continue as usual.

Summary: Post Office DBS ID Checks

By using the Post Office DBS ID verification service, it’s possible for employers to accept photocopies of documents as ID evidence for DBS checks.

This is most helpful if the applicant and the employer are far apart – posting original documents is risky and stressful, and taking them in-person can be expensive and time-consuming.

If you’re an applicant and this service sounds useful to you, you should always ask your employer about it beforehand. They might not be comfortable accepting photocopies as evidence, even though they are allowed to in this case.

Something Even Better Than Post Office DBS ID Checks

As mentioned previously in the article, if you get your staff DBS checks with Aaron’s Department, we offer a digital ID check service that completely removes the need for you to see your applicant’s documents, and it’s cheaper than the Post office method too!

If that appeals to you, please do get in touch on 0113 877 0171 or at contact@aaronsdepartment.com and enquire!

Further Reading

If you’ve found our post, “FAQ: Post Office DBS Checks” useful, you’ll probably find these handy too:

• What questions are asked on a DBS check?
• Do DBS checks go to the applicant or the employer?
• What is a digital ID check?

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About The Author

Matthew Dugdale

Matthew is our go-to when it comes to all things related to Recruitment & DBS checks. His experience and expertise helps make sure that everyone gets the correct level of check.

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