Certn offers the UK Basic DBS (Disclosure and Barring Service) check which is an official criminal record check available to applicants working in roles based in England and Wales, Channel Islands, Isle of Man, or Jersey. It verifies whether an individual has any unspent criminal convictions. This check is processed digitally via the DBS and forms part of a client's compliance and safeguarding requirements.

In this article

• Order this check
  • Who can order this check
  • Issuing authorities
  • Identity verification requirements
  • Turnaround time for this check
• Stages of this check
  • Applicant experience
• Next steps

Order this check

Who can order UK Basic DBS checks

Basic DBS checks are available as self-serve background checks. This means that it is possible for you to create your account, order a check for your applicant, and receive results, often without waiting for one of our account representatives to manually intervene. This workflow helps you to get results as quickly as possible. 

The Basic DBS check can be ordered regardless of the industry or the applicant’s role. For those who are ordering the Basic DBS check for employment purposes, you will need to enter the employment details including the position and employment sector. However, you must ensure that you have a lawful basis for accessing applicants’ information, as prescribed by the applicable data protection laws in your region.

For more information on ordering checks through CertnCentric, see the Order checks Certn Help article.

Issuing authorities

These checks are designed to be compliant with the requirements of the issuing authorities that govern criminal record checks in each region. The issuing authority for the Basic DBS check is the Disclosure and Barring Service.

Identity verification requirements:

Our Basic DBS check includes an identity verification check to verify the identity of your applicant. This identity verification check is performed by an identity service provider (IDSP) that is approved by the UK government. Certn is an authorized IDSP, enabling us to manage these matters directly. 

During the identity verification portion of the check, your applicant will take a selfie and a capture an image of acceptable identity documents. If your applicant cannot successfully complete the identity verification portion of the check, then an in-person, manual identity verification must be completed before a Basic DBS check can be submitted. 

Learn more about identity verification checks and their requirements.

Turnaround time

The average time to complete a UK Basic DBS check is typically within 24 hours after your applicant submits their application.

In some cases, the turnaround time for each check can exceed its typical range. For example, a check may exceed the turnaround time if your applicant could not successfully complete the identity verification portion of this check, because manual identity verification will then be required. Learn more about next steps when manual identity verification is required. 

If you ordered this check and are looking for information about its progress, refer to Stages of this check.

Stages of this check

When you use CertnCentric to invite your applicant to complete a UK Basic DBS check, the stages of the check are as follows:

Applicant experience

When you order a UK Basic DBS check your applicant receives an email inviting them to complete an online form for the included checks. Through this process, an applicant will supply Certn with their:  

• consent and authorization to run the check, 
• full name (including previous names and aliases), 
• date of birth and birth details,
• Sex,
• National Insurance number (optional),
• address details for the last 5 years with no gaps,
• address details of the position or property for which they are applying (includes options for no specific address and remote work), 
• valid identity documents,
• selfie, as well as
• signed DBS informed consent.

Next steps

After you've placed your order and Certn has received the required details from your applicant, the check begins processing.

You can view the case and check results in the client portal. Learn more in our Manage your cases Certn Help article.

To learn more about this check’s results and what happens if the applicant can’t complete the check, see our UK Basic DBS Check results Certn Help article.