DBS Update Service results explained

The four results

The on-screen messages are longer than the extracts above. The DBS guide gives them in full.

What “confirmed” means

The DBS guide says information is considered confirmed when a new conviction or caution is positively matched to the certificate, when the person is added to one or both barred lists, or when the police confirm that there is relevant information that ought to be disclosed.

It lists what changes a status:

• For all DBS certificates: new convictions, adult cautions and unspent conditional cautions added to police records, and police amendments to existing ones.
• For Enhanced certificates: the above, plus any new, relevant non-conviction police information.
• For Enhanced certificates with a barred list check: the above, plus the person becoming barred from either or both barred lists.

The DBS searches for new convictions and for barred list information weekly. It searches for non-conviction information every nine months, and then asks the police to decide whether it ought to be disclosed. The DBS does not tell you when a status changes. The guide says you need to carry out periodic checks, with the person's consent, to find out.

If the result is “no longer current”

The DBS guide says:

• You need to apply for a new DBS check to see the new information.
• If a status check shows a change, it recommends having a discussion with the individual about the reason or reasons for the change.
• Any action you take before you find out the new information is a matter for your organisation.

The guide gives two worked examples.

• In one, an academy's policy is to call the person in for a discussion about what the new information is, and to apply for a new certificate. When the new certificate shows a new conviction, the academy follows its policies to risk assess the conviction and decide whether to continue the person's employment.
• In the other, a new check shows the person is barred from working with children in regulated activity. The guide notes that it is illegal for a barred person to offer to work, seek to work or work in regulated activity, and illegal for anyone to allow it knowingly. In the example the college withdraws the offer of a place and informs the police.

Early confirmation check. The DBS guide says an early confirmation check shows whether a status has changed because the person has been added to a barred list. It is free. You can only request one if all of these apply: the person is subscribed to the Update Service, a status check has shown the certificate is no longer up to date, the certificate included a check of a barred list, you have the right to know the outcome of that barred list check, and you have the person's consent. You complete a form and email it to the DBS, and the guide says you will get a response within 7 working days.

Duty to refer to the DBS. This sits outside the Update Service, but the sources say:

• The Charity Commission says a charity must refer to the DBS if it provides regulated activity, stops someone working with children or adults at risk, and certain criteria are met.
• Keeping children safe in education 2026 (paragraph 428) says there is a legal requirement to refer to the DBS where an individual is removed from regulated activity and the referral conditions are believed to be met.

If the result is “details do not match”

The DBS guide lists the details you enter:

• the name of your organisation (a private employer enters the phrase "private employer");
• your forename and surname;
• the DBS certificate number;
• the current surname of the certificate holder, as shown on their certificate;
• the holder's date of birth in day/month/year format, without additional zeros: the guide's example is 3 7 2006, not 03 07 2006.

It adds that you should make sure there are no spaces after entering the information.

The Update Service page on GOV.UK says a subscription lasts one year. If it is not renewed before it ends, the person needs to apply for a new DBS check and register for the Update Service again. It says people can register within 30 days of the certificate's issue date, or while their application for a Standard or Enhanced check is in progress.

Before every check

The DBS guide says you must be able to answer yes to each of these questions before a status check. If the answer to any is no, you cannot carry out a status check.

• Have you, at any point since the certificate was issued, seen the applicant's original paper certificate in person? If that is not possible, has the employer or recruiting organisation viewed it and confirmed it is genuine? Copies, or viewing over video link, are not enough.
• Have you checked the applicant's ID under the DBS ID checking guidelines, either as part of the original application or before the status check?
• Do you have the applicant's consent?
• Are you legally entitled to the same level of certificate: Standard, Enhanced, or Enhanced with the relevant barred list or lists?
• Does the certificate contain only the workforce, and only the barred list checks, that you are entitled to know about for the role?

It also says you must stop checking if the person leaves your organisation, moves to a position where there is no legal entitlement to the same check, or withdraws consent. Continuing to check in those cases, it says, breaks the law. Every check is recorded and the person can see it on their Update Service account. Basic checks are not on the Update Service.

Our step-by-step guide covers the process: How to check a DBS on the Update Service.

Sources

• DBS Update Service: employer guide, GOV.UK, updated 5 October 2026
• DBS Update Service, GOV.UK
• Safeguarding and protecting people for charities and trustees, Charity Commission, GOV.UK, updated 8 October 2026
• Keeping children safe in education 2026, Department for Education

Daily DBS is independent of the DBS and UK Government. This guide summarises published guidance. If anything here differs from the DBS guide, the DBS guide is the authority. Checked against these sources on 10 November 2026.