Standard DBS check

A Standard DBS check shows spent and unspent convictions and cautions, subject to the DBS filtering rules. It is available only for specific roles that are eligible in law, and, unlike a Basic check, an individual cannot request one for themselves; an organisation requests it. It is not simply a “middle tier” between Basic and Enhanced: eligibility is a legal category, not a measure of how responsible a job is.

This guidance is maintained by the Complys team and reviewed against the primary DBS and GOV.UK sources listed above, and it was last reviewed on 24 September 2026. It is general information, not legal advice, and DBS rules can change, so always confirm against the official sources.

What a Standard check shows

A Standard certificate discloses spent and unspent convictions and cautions held on the Police National Computer. [GOV.UK] It does not include information held by local police (that is the Enhanced level) and it does not include a barred-list check. The difference from a Basic check is significant: a Basic check reveals only unspent convictions and conditional cautions, whereas a Standard check reaches back into spent records too.

What appears is not simply “everything ever recorded”. Standard and Enhanced certificates are subject to the DBS filtering rules, which remove certain old or minor records so they are never disclosed. [GOV.UK] In broad terms an adult caution is filtered once it is more than six years old, and a single non-custodial adult conviction once it is more than eleven years old, provided the offence is not on the list of “specified” (serious, violent or sexual) offences that are always disclosed. Records from under-18s are filtered on shorter timescales, and since November 2020 youth cautions, reprimands and warnings are no longer disclosed and the old “multiple conviction” rule has been removed, each conviction is now assessed individually. Custodial sentences and specified offences are never filtered.

Standard is not a “middle tier”

It is tempting to picture the three levels as a ladder, Basic for ordinary jobs, Standard for more responsible ones, Enhanced for the most sensitive. That model is wrong and it leads employers to request the wrong level. The three levels are set by separate pieces of law, and a role qualifies for Standard only if it is named in the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (Exceptions) Order 1975. [GOV.UK] Seniority, salary or how much an employer trusts someone are irrelevant to eligibility.

The practical consequences are counter-intuitive. Many senior, high-trust positions, a finance director outside the regulated financial-services categories, for example, are Basic-only, because they are not listed. Conversely, some frontline roles that involve close contact with children or vulnerable adults skip Standard altogether and are Enhanced. There is no requirement to “pass through” Standard on the way to Enhanced. Treating Standard as an intermediate default is the single most common eligibility mistake, and requesting a level a role is not entitled to is unlawful. When in doubt, confirm the category rather than assume, our which DBS check do I need? guide and the DBS eligibility checker walk through it.

Who is eligible

Eligibility for a Standard check flows from the law, principally the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (Exceptions) Order 1975, which lists the specific roles and professions where spent convictions and cautions can be taken into account. [GOV.UK] The DBS keeps a collection of eligibility guidance for these roles, last refreshed in September 2026; it is the definitive reference, and eligibility should be confirmed against it rather than inferred from a job title. [GOV.UK]

The main categories a Standard check covers include: entry to certain professions (barristers, solicitors, chartered and certified accountants, actuaries, veterinary surgeons and notaries public); a range of judicial and court roles (judges’ clerks, court officers and security, High Court enforcement officers); prison and custody staff; some healthcare roles with access to patients; specified financial-services roles regulated by the FCA; and licensed roles such as private security (SIA) work. The category, not the job title, is what matters, so two people with the same title can differ if only one falls within a listed category.

Who can request it, and how

A Standard check is requested by an organisation, not the individual: it is submitted through a Registered Body, or an umbrella body where the organisation carries out fewer than 100 checks a year. [GOV.UK] The organisation is responsible for confirming the role is eligible for the Standard level and for verifying the applicant’s identity before it is submitted. The January 2026 self-application route for self-employed people covers Enhanced checks, not Standard, see DBS checks for the self-employed.

How long a Standard check takes

Timescales vary case by case. Once an application is submitted correctly, a Standard check is often completed within a couple of weeks, but it can take longer where identity or record-matching queries arise. The single biggest avoidable delay is an application that is incomplete or fails identity verification at the outset, so getting the applicant’s details and ID right first time is the most reliable way to keep it fast.

Fee, volunteers and the Update Service

The statutory DBS fee for a Standard check is set out below, including the reduction that takes effect on 5 October 2026. [GOV.UK] It is free for people who meet the DBS definition of a volunteer. [GOV.UK] A Standard certificate can be kept up to date on the DBS Update Service, which lets it be reused across roles at the same level and workforce. [GOV.UK]

Is a Standard check the same as a “CRB check”?

Many employers and application forms still say “CRB check” or “Standard CRB disclosure”. That terminology is out of date but describes the same thing. The Criminal Records Bureau issued Standard and Enhanced disclosures until it merged with the Independent Safeguarding Authority to form the Disclosure and Barring Service in December 2012. A “Standard CRB check” today means a Standard DBS check, there is no separate CRB process to apply for. If you have been asked for one, request a Standard DBS check for the eligible role.

Role/category → Standard may apply? → who requests → route

Basic vs Standard vs Enhanced

Worked examples

Where Complys fits

Complys does not carry out DBS checks. It helps you keep the record that a check was done, its level and date, and review/renewal reminders against each worker, within the official handling rules (see DBS record keeping & compliance).