How Far Back Does a DBS Check Go?
How far back does a DBS Check go? All DBS checks go back as far as possible into a person’s history. The police will cover all information they have access to, hypothetically going all the way back to a person’s birth certificate.
The police in the UK don’t have access to records held in other countries however – this means that if a person has lived outside the UK, the DBS will be unable to check anything that occurred during periods spent outside the UK.
However, there are some technicalities involved which can lead to information not being disclosed in the check, depending on which tier of DBS check is being taken.
How Far Back Does A DBS Check Go? Basic Check
Basic DBS checks show any Unspent convictions or cautions, regardless of how long ago they occurred. But if a conviction becomes “Spent”, it won’t show up on Basic DBS checks.
How Far Back Does A DBS Checks go? Standard Check
Standard DBS checks go as far back as possible, they show both Spent and Unspent convictions, as well as any cautions, reprimands, or warnings they may have received.
How Far Back Does A DBS Check go? Enhanced Check
Enhanced DBS checks go as far back as possible. They show both Spent and Unspent convictions, as well as any additional information held by the police that is considered relevant to the role being applied for. The police may disclose details of any convictions or cautions, regardless of how long ago they occurred, if they believe that it is relevant to the role being applied for.
Our useful graph below gives a visual representation of how far back a DBS check goes.
