Manual DBS certificates
This factsheet provides a brief overview of manual DBS certificates, and how they differ from automated certificates.
Applies to England and Wales
Manual certificates are used in rare circumstances when an automated DBS certificate cannot be issued for Basic, Standard, Enhanced or Enhanced with Barred List(s) DBS checks.
A manual certificate looks different to an automated certificate, but the application itself will have gone through the exact same checking process. We aim to complete these within our usual published processing standards.
Manual certificates are produced at the end of the application process, at the ‘DBS certificate printed’ stage. We do however carry out extra quality assurance checks when producing manual certificates, so the application may be at this stage for a little longer compared to automated certificates.
The progress of applications can be checked using the DBS tracking service.
After the manual certificate has been issued, the application must then be withdrawn from our system, and the tracking service will show ‘no record found’. There may be a gap of up to four weeks between the manual certificate being issued the application being withdrawn.
A letter is sent by post to the Registered Body or Responsible Organisation, explaining that a manual certificate has been issued. If the application was submitted electronically, this letter will also include the result notification that would be received normally.
Manual certificates and the DBS Update Service
Unfortunately, manual certificates cannot be used to join the DBS Update Service and they cannot be added to an existing Update Service subscription. If a manual certificate is used after an Update Service subscription has been paid for, a refund will be issued.
If you’re unsure if a certificate is genuine
If you are unsure as to whether a DBS certificate is genuine, or you have concerns that it may have been altered in some way, you should contact DBS immediately at FDIT2@dbs.gov.uk.
More information about the security features of a DBS certificate can be found in our ‘DBS checks: guidance for employers’.
Please be aware that we are constantly striving to improve the services we provide, and this can occasionally lead to small changes to our IT systems. A recent change made to our systems means that Registered Bodies may experience a small, but temporary, increase in the number of manual certificates issued by DBS.