• How Do I Track My DBS Application?

Verifile is unable to access any additional status information beyond what is shown on the DBS tracking services.

To track your DBS application, you will need your DBS application reference number. This is provided in the confirmation email you receive after your application has been submitted to the DBS titled:

If you have not yet completed ID verification with the organisation requesting your check, your application may not have been submitted to DBS yet. In this situation, please contact the organisation that requested your screening.

If you have applied for a Basic DBS Check, you can track your application through the DBS Online Account Tracking Service.

To track your application, you will need:

Your DBS application reference number

Your surname

Your date of birth

Applicants can also view their Basic DBS certificate online through their DBS account once it has been issued.

If you have applied for a Standard or Enhanced DBS Check, you can track the progress of your application using the DBS Tracking Service.

To track your application, you will need:

Your DBS application reference number

Your date of birth

The DBS tracking service will show which stage your application has reached.

There is no guaranteed processing time for DBS applications.

As a general guide:

Basic DBS Checks: typically take 2-10 working days

Standard/Enhanced DBS Checks: often take somewhere between 2-6 weeks, depending on police force processing times, but this only an estimate and they can take longer.

Once completed, certificates are normally delivered within 5-10 working days to the address provided on your application.

Enhanced DBS applications progress through several stages:

Stage 1 - Application received and validated by DBS
Stage 2 - Police National Computer (PNC) check completed
Stage 3 -Barred List checks completed (where applicable)
Stage 4 - Local police force records check
Stage 5 - Certificate printed and issued

Most delays occur at Stage 4, where local police forces review records and provide any relevant information to DBS. Processing times at this stage vary depending on local police workloads and resourcing, but a delay is not an indication that anything is wrong with the application.

Some police forces unfortunately have a backlog of checks to work through and because an application can be sent to multiple police forces at stage 4, a delay at just one of them will delay the whole application.

For more information see Understanding the DBS stages (and why delays can happen)

If your application has been at Stage 4 for more than 60 days then the DBS will escalate it directly with the relevant police force, they then have 14 days to provide a response. Please note Verifile cannot intervene in escalating delayed applications.

Please note that as certificates are produced and issued directly by the DBS, Verifile cannot provide copies and the address listed on the application cannot be changed once it has been accepted by the DBS.

Reprints are available for Standard / Enhanced DBS Checks but only if the original certificate was issued within 3 months (93 days).

A DBS reprint form (available on GOV.UK) and email it to DBSReprints@dbs.gov.uk, but again the address provided on your original application cannot be changed.

If you have moved address, you should arrange mail redirection with Royal Mail before requesting a reprint. For further information, please see DBS certificate reprint guide and forms – GOV.UK.

Need further help? If your query relates to completing your screening form or obtaining your DBS application reference number, please contact the Verifile Candidate Team.

Need help?

Live Chat is available on the right, and you can self-serve via our Help Centre.

Call us at +44 (0) 1234 339 300 (Monday to Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. U.K. time).

Email hello@verifile.co.uk.