Introduction: How Far Back Does A DBS Check Go?
How far back does a DBS check go? It’s hard to find a straight answer, so we’ll do our best: All DBS checks go back as far as the applicant’s records go. This means that, if you were born in the UK, DBS checks go all the way back to your birth! (Although the UK’s age of criminal responsibility is 10, so it’d be most unusual if the police had records on anyone younger than that).
However, it is worth noting that some information is omitted from DBS certificates after a certain amount of time has passed.
Table of Contents
How Far Back Does a Basic DBS Check Go?
Basic DBS checks go as far back as the police have records, there is no limit. Usually, this means that Basic DBS checks cover an applicant’s entire life. Basic DBS checks only show unspent convictions or conditional cautions, so the DBS check will only “go back” to these convictions if they are unspent.
The details of the conviction will determine how long it will remain unspent – more serious convictions can never become spent. For more information about spent and unspent convictions, you can read our article Spent and Unspent Convictions? What’s the Difference? The police still hold spent convictions on their records, they just won’t be included on the Basic certificate.
How Far Back Does a Standard DBS Check Go?
Standard DBS checks go as far back as the police have records, there is no limit. Usually, this means that Standard DBS checks cover an applicant’s entire life.
Unlike Basic checks, Standard checks also show spent convictions. However, they will not disclose “filtered” convictions/cautions. Filtered offences are never disclosed on Standard DBS checks. For more information on the filtering of offences, read our guide: Understanding the Filtering of Convictions
How Far Back Does an Enhanced DBS Check Go?
Enhanced DBS checks go as far back as the police have records, there is no limit. Usually, this means that Enhanced DBS checks cover an applicant’s entire life. Like Standard checks, they show both spent and unspent convictions. Unlike Standard checks, they also show any extra information the police deem relevant.
The graphic below should help to visualise ‘how far back does a DBS Check go?’
How Far Back Does A DBS Check Go For People Who’ve Lived Outside The UK?
The DBS cannot access criminal records held overseas! This means if an applicant has recently immigrated to the UK, or has lived abroad previously, their DBS certificate may well be missing information – the government website has a section providing advice for these cases, which we will link here.
Summary: How Far Back Does a DBS Check Go?
In summary, all DBS checks go back as far as the UK police have records. In most cases, this covers an applicant’s entire life, but the DBS is unable to access overseas records. This means that if the applicant has a criminal record in another country, it will not be revealed by a DBS check.
We hope this blog has sufficiently answered the question “how far back does a DBS check go?” along with any questions you may have. But if you do have any more questions about anything DBS-related, feel free to contact us at contact@aaronsdepartment.com, or ring us on 0113 877 0171. We’re always happy to help.
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About The Author
John Schofield-Antoncich
John has processed more applications than days he has been alive, and has become the DBS expert. Got a question? He knows the answer!