Clear Check

Clear Check: online DBS certificate application service in the United Kingdom

Clear Check Ltd is a private organisation registered as an Umbrella Body and Responsible Organisation with the UK Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS), with registration number 30064200005. Its activity consists of processing DBS certificate applications — also known as criminal record checks — for individuals, businesses and self-employed professionals, including applicants from overseas. The company operates through its online platform and is not a government website; its services include an additional processing fee for managing and supporting the application.

DBS check levels available

The company processes all three levels of DBS certificate available in England and Wales:

• Basic DBS: shows unspent criminal convictions and conditional cautions held on record.
• Standard DBS: includes both unspent and spent criminal convictions, as well as conditional cautions.
• Enhanced DBS: adds to the above relevant information held in local police databases.

The site also offers other verification services: Police Checks, ACRO, Driving Licence Checks, List 99 Checks and Identity Checks, as well as an apostille service.

Application process for individuals

For a Basic DBS certificate, the applicant completes a short form and makes payment. According to the information on the website, individual applications can be processed in as little as one hour once all applicant details are provided, and results can be downloaded as a digital PDF while waiting for the printed certificate to arrive by post. DBS guidelines now incorporate digital identity checks: the applicant must provide a digital identity verification carried out by a government-approved provider (IDSP), dated within the three months prior to the application, and fees may apply. The company offers several ways for documents to be verified by a third party.

Applications for businesses and self-employed professionals

For Standard and Enhanced certificates, it is the employer who must carry out the check on behalf of the employee. The company must first register a corporate account, from which it accesses a cloud-based dashboard (Corporate Cloud) to apply for, manage, monitor and store all of its employees' applications and certificates in a single secure location. A verifier from the organisation must examine and confirm the applicant's identity and proof of address documents; Clear Check provides a list of acceptable documents. According to the website, Basic, Standard and Enhanced checks for employees and contracted staff are typically processed in less than 48 hours, with the result available for download as a digital PDF while waiting for the printed certificate.

Certificate dispatch and delivery options

After manual review by the verification team, the application is submitted to the DBS, which carries out the police and background checks and sends the certificate directly to the address stated on the application (or to a care-of address if one has been provided). The company offers Tracked and Recorded delivery options for applicants from overseas or when the certificate must be sent to a care-of address.

Scope of application and territorial differences

The DBS processes background checks for residents in England and Wales only. Similar systems exist in Scotland and Northern Ireland, known as Disclosure Scotland and AccessNI respectively, which may use different terminology and have separate application processes, although largely similar. Clear Check indicates that police checks are relevant for positions of trust in financial institutions and in the legal profession, as well as for any employment involving contact with vulnerable groups, such as hospital patients, children, disabled adults or older people.

Fees and payment methods

For individuals applying for a Basic DBS, the site shows a split payment: at the time of application only the DBS government fee of £21.50 is paid, and three days later the service fee of £57.00 is automatically charged to the same card, or earlier if the application is submitted to the DBS before that deadline. The government fee is refunded if the application is rejected. For checks managed through organisations, the website details a breakdown per check that includes an Adult First Check fee (Enhanced only), the DBS fee (as of 2 December 2024), the organisation fee, the VAT applicable to that fee and a resulting total cost.