Which DBS check do veterinary surgeons need?

Shows spent and unspent convictions, cautions, reprimands and warnings that have not been filtered. Must be countersigned by a registered body.

Why this level, in law

ROA Exceptions Order Sch.1 Pt.I para.4 — veterinary surgeon. RCVS registration is the trigger, not the employer.

Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (Exceptions) Order 1975, Sch.1 Pt.II — excepted office or employment

What the three levels show

Basic

Shows unspent convictions and conditional cautions. Anyone aged 16 or over can apply for their own.

Standard

Shows spent and unspent convictions, cautions, reprimands and warnings that have not been filtered. Must be countersigned by a registered body.

Enhanced

Everything in a standard check, plus any information a chief officer of police reasonably believes to be relevant. Must be countersigned by a registered body.

Barred list check

Where the work is regulated activity, an enhanced certificate also says whether the applicant is barred from it. It is not a separate check and there is no separate fee.

Before you send the form

DBS returns forms for a short list of reasons: a gap in the five-year address history, an initial where a forename should be, a job title over 30 characters, a previous name left off. Our free checker finds them in the details you type; the £14.99 pack tells you exactly what to write instead and which form field it belongs to. We never predict what your certificate will say, and we never promise a turnaround time.