Disclosures cannot be thought of as licenses, and they do not expire after a certain period. Disclosures are a more like a snapshot of a person’s criminal record. If the government updates the individual’s criminal record the day after a Disclosure is generated, then the Disclosure will be almost immediately inaccurate. This scenario is unlikely to occur for most applicants, but it does highlight the true significance of a Disclosure document.
Therefore, it is recommended that periodic rechecks are undertaken at a frequency appropriate for the role. We recommend 3 years as the maximum recheck period before carrying out another criminal record check, although some organisations, such as hospitals, suggest a 1 year recheck period. It remains the final responsibility of the client to specify how long it is before a re-check is requested.
An applicant can choose to join the DBS Update Service within 30 days of receiving their Disclosure Certificate, and potentially re-use their Certificate under certain circumstances.
