What is a Criminal Records Bureau (CRB) check?

As part of the approval process applicants are required to apply for an Enhanced Criminal Records Bureau Disclosure (CRB check). A CRB check is a document containing information held by the police and government departments and can be used by employers and voluntary organisations to make safer recruitment decisions. Disclosures are provided by the Criminal Records Bureau (CRB), an executive agency of the Home Office.

The CRB check is necessary for those regularly caring for, training, supervising or being in sole charge of children or vulnerable adults and contains details of all convictions on record including spent convictions, plus details of any cautions, reprimands or warnings. It also involves an extra level of checking with local police force records in addition to checks with the Police National Computer (PNC) and the government department lists of those who are legally barred from work with children.

Applicants who have lived abroad

This guidance will apply if you have lived in a country other than Great Britain in the 5 year period prior to your application. This guidance applies to Northern Ireland because it is not covered by the Criminal Records Bureau.

If you have lived continuously for 6 months or more in a country, other than Great Britain, in the 5 years prior to your application, you must produce evidence of a criminal record check covering the whole period that you lived in that country, from an official source which we can verify.

If you do not have the information we need, or if we are not satisfied that the evidence is authentic, up to date, complete (that is, covers each country you have lived in for more than 6 months, excluding Great Britain, in the 5 years prior to your application) lists any offences on your record and comes from an official verifiable source, then we will not be able to approve your application.

We will only accept originals of any records and documents and they must, where necessary, be translated by an accredited translation agency, embassy or high commission.

This applies to both British citizens and overseas nationals.

If you are not sure where you can obtain this information you should contact the embassy or high commission of the country for advice.