Frequently Asked Questions About Criminal Record Checks
The apostille is often required on UK criminal record checks. We hope the following FAQs are helpful, but please contact us if you need any assistance.
Birth Certificate Questions
A Criminal Record Background check details an individual’s criminal record and states any offences that may have been committed at any time up until the document has been issued. A criminal records check has no official expiry date however it is general practice that many employers or licensing bodies may request a new CRB document is issued every 3 years. Only employers and licensing bodies can request a DBS check.
Many Criminal Record check documents are signed by an official at the institute who issues the document to you. If the Record check document contains an official signature then no solicitor certification is required. When an official signs the document it is classed as an individual with a high enough legal standing for an Apostille to be issued based upon. However, on many Basic Disclosure documents there will not be a signature from any official. This therefore means that in order for the UK Foreign Office to issue their Apostille stamp, solicitor certification must be added to the certificate.
The Disclosure Barring Service (DBS) is a public body that ensures employers can make suitable recruitments for their businesses, and also ensures vulnerable groups are safeguarded from ill-suited individuals. The DBS are able to provide background information on individuals through disclosure applications, and this prevents any individuals barred to work in certain sectors from obtaining jobs.
Disclosure Scotland are Department within the Scottish Government that assist in providing Criminal background checks for employers. Ultimately, providing a prospective employer has the consent of a candidate, Disclosure Scotland "basic" checks may be used to carry out checks. The Disclosure Scotland service is similar to that of DBS, however DBS checks include spent convictions which employers are legally not entitled to know about.
We are able to have an Apostille stamp issued to a CRB check document from the UK Government in approximately just 1-2 working days as we are a registered business with the UK Foreign office. We legalise hundreds of Criminal Record Check documents every year and these are one of the many types of documents we specialise in legalising for use overseas.
ACPO (Association of Chief Police Offers), ACRO (Criminal Records Office) and NPCC (National Police Chiefs Council) are all UK governing bodies that can assist in providing background check documentation for employment purposes. Similar to DBS these bodies ensure that full background checks are provided on individuals and any offences are detailed generally within a certificate format. This ensures that potential employers find the most suitable candidates to work within any specialist area.