DBS check or ACRO police certificate? Why the £20 check and the £70 one do different jobs

Tips · 2026-10-25 · 10 min read

If you are moving to Australia or New Zealand, the ACRO Police Certificate is the UK check built for visas and emigration, while a basic DBS check is a copy of your criminal record for jobs in England and Wales. They are not interchangeable: the ACRO certificate costs £70 and can take up to 20 working days, and it can show cautions, reprimands and warnings as well as convictions; the basic DBS check costs £20, usually takes up to 3 days and shows only convictions that are not spent. Order the one the person asking actually names, because an employer, a registration body and a visa officer may each want something different.

This guide sets the two side by side, explains where the free subject access request fits, covers Scotland and Northern Ireland, and walks through how to answer each kind of request without paying twice.

Two certificates built for different questions

ACRO Criminal Records Office says its Police Certificate is for people who want to emigrate, travel, need a visa to live or work abroad, or want citizenship or residency in another country. Gov.uk's page on getting a copy of your police records adds that you may need one if you are applying for a visa or emigrating to some countries, and it names Australia and New Zealand.

The basic DBS check (gov.uk also calls it a basic disclosure) answers a narrower question: what an employer in England or Wales may see about your record for a job. Gov.uk's basic DBS check page sets out the rules, and says there is a different way to apply if the job is in Scotland or Northern Ireland.

So a visa or emigration request points to ACRO, while a job-related "criminal records check" can point to a DBS-type check. The grey areas sit in between.

DBS check vs ACRO police certificate at a glance

Check	Made for	Cost	Time	What it shows	Address history needed
Basic DBS check	Jobs in England and Wales	£20	Usually up to 3 days	Convictions that are not spent	Last 5 years
ACRO Police Certificate	Visas, emigration, residency or citizenship abroad	£70 for one copy	Up to 20 working days, plus post	Convictions, cautions, reprimands and warnings under ACRO's step-down model, impending prosecutions, offences under investigation, and possibly records shared by overseas authorities	Last 10 years
Subject access request to ACRO	Your own personal use	Free	Not stated on gov.uk	Police National Computer records held by forces in England, Wales, Guernsey, Jersey and the Isle of Man, and the British Transport Police	Not stated on gov.uk

The difference in the "what it shows" column is the one that catches people out. A spent conviction will not appear on a basic DBS check, but the ACRO certificate follows its own step-down model, so the two documents can say different things about the same person.

Extra copies and delivery

Extra ACRO copies cost £7.75 each if you ask for them in the application, or £15 each if you order them up to six months after you receive the certificate. ACRO sends certificates by post only, so if more than one body will want an original, order copies at the start.

Who asks for which: visas, employers and registration bodies

The visa: Home Affairs

For an Australian visa, Home Affairs may ask for a police certificate from each country where you lived for at least 12 months in the past 10 years, and on the first Working Holiday visa (subclass 417) it says it will tell you if one is needed. These certificates are valid for 12 months from the issue date.

Our guide to how long an ACRO police certificate stays usable for an Australian visa works through the dates. On the Skills in Demand visa (subclass 482), applicants sponsored by an accredited sponsor do not need police certificates from countries other than Australia when they attach the sponsor's reference confirming good character and no criminal convictions; our 482 visa guide for people moving from the UK explains the rest of that visa. The working holiday visa guide for people in the UK covers when a request tends to arrive.

The job: Australian and New Zealand employers

Gov.uk's Living in Australia guide says you may need a criminal records check, known as a DBS check, to apply for a job there. Its Living in New Zealand guide says much the same: you may need to register in your occupation and provide a UK criminal records check (DBS check).

In practice, an employer's request can be worded loosely. "Please send a police check" from a care provider in Brisbane might mean either document. Ask them to confirm in writing which certificate they accept and whether it must be an original, then order that one. If the offer comes from New Zealand, our five checks before accepting an AEWV job offer are worth running at the same time. Care and support roles are a common place to meet these checks; you can browse community services jobs in Australia and New Zealand to see the kind of work involved.

Registration bodies: nurses and other regulated jobs

Some professions run their own checks. In Australia, internationally qualified nurses must meet the NMBA's registration standards, which include a Criminal History standard. New Zealand's Nursing Council requires all internationally qualified nurses to complete a criminal history check. A UK qualification does not make you a registered nurse or an enrolled nurse in Australia or New Zealand: registration is a separate process, and neither a DBS check nor an ACRO certificate replaces it. Our piece on UK nurse registration in Australia explains the stages.

Scotland, Northern Ireland and the subject access request

The basic DBS check covers jobs in England and Wales. Gov.uk says there is a different way to apply for a basic criminal record check if the job is in Northern Ireland or Scotland, so a reader in Glasgow or Belfast should follow the route gov.uk points to for their nation rather than ordering a DBS check by habit.

The free subject access request is a different thing again. It gives you a copy of the records the police hold about you, it is intended for personal use, and gov.uk says Scotland and Northern Ireland have a different process. It can tell you what is on file, but it is not a certificate to send to an employer or a visa officer.

Apostilles, copies and translations

UK certificates are already in English, so translation is rarely the issue. Legalisation can be. Gov.uk says you cannot get an e-Apostille for ACRO police certificates for England and Wales, DBS certificates for England and Wales, or disclosure certificates for Scotland and Northern Ireland, so these need a paper-based apostille if one is asked for. ACRO itself does not offer an apostille or a translation service.

Before you pay, note that ACRO cannot refund you if the requesting authority refuses its certificate, and that its Police Certificate cannot be used as a certificate of good character or good conduct.

How to answer a criminal record request, step by step

Read the request word for word. Note who is asking (Home Affairs, Immigration New Zealand, an employer or a registration body) and the exact name of the document they want.
Ask for it in writing if it is vague. "Police check" or "criminal records check" from an employer can mean a DBS-type check or an ACRO certificate. A short email confirming which one, and whether they need an original, saves you £20 or £70.
Gather what ACRO needs. A recent passport-style photo (JPG or PNG, maximum 3MB), colour copies of your passport, a valid email address, your address history for the last 10 years, details of any impending prosecutions and past convictions, and a debit or credit card.
Register an ACRO account first. Without one, the 10-page online form has to be finished in one go without saving.
Time it against the 12-month window. For an Australian visa, apply late enough that the certificate is still within 12 months of issue when it is used, and remember ACRO's up to 20 working days plus post.
Do not book travel or start dates around it. ACRO advises not to arrange travel, employment or accommodation until the certificate has arrived.

Alongside your certificates, an optional verified Talent Tabloid profile lets employers check your experience and can help your application stand out.

Common mistakes with DBS and ACRO checks

Sending a basic DBS check for a visa. Gov.uk points visa and emigration requests for Australia and New Zealand to ACRO's Police Certificate.
Assuming both documents show the same record. A basic DBS check shows only unspent convictions; the ACRO certificate can also show cautions, reprimands, warnings and pending matters.
Ordering a DBS check in Scotland or Northern Ireland by habit. Gov.uk says jobs there use a different route for a basic check.
Treating the free subject access request as a certificate. It is for personal use, not for employers or visa officers.
Ordering too early. A certificate ordered months before it is needed can fall outside Home Affairs' 12-month validity.

Frequently asked questions

Can I use a basic DBS check for an Australian visa?

Gov.uk says you may need an ACRO police certificate when applying for a visa or emigrating to countries including Australia and New Zealand, and ACRO says its certificate is made for visas and emigration. A basic DBS check is designed for jobs in England and Wales, so send it only if the body asking names it.

Why might my DBS check and ACRO certificate show different things?

A basic DBS check shows only convictions that are not spent. The ACRO Police Certificate shows convictions, cautions, reprimands and warnings in line with ACRO's step-down model, plus impending prosecutions and offences under investigation, so it can include more.

An Australian employer wants a "police check". Which one do I order?

Ask the employer to confirm in writing which document they accept and whether they need an original. Gov.uk's Living in Australia guide says a criminal records check, known as a DBS check, may be needed to apply for a job, but the employer decides which document it accepts.

How much do the two checks cost and how long do they take?

A basic DBS check costs £20 and usually takes up to 3 days. An ACRO Police Certificate costs £70 for one copy and can take up to 20 working days from when ACRO receives a correctly completed application, not counting postage.

I live in Scotland. Do I still need ACRO for a visa?

For a visa or emigration request, gov.uk points UK applicants to ACRO. For a job-related basic check, gov.uk says Scotland has a different route from the DBS check used in England and Wales, so follow the link it gives for Scotland.

Key takeaways

The ACRO Police Certificate (£70, up to 20 working days) is the UK check made for visas and emigration.
A basic DBS check (£20, usually up to 3 days) is for jobs in England and Wales and shows only unspent convictions.
Scotland and Northern Ireland use a different route for a basic check; the free subject access request is for personal use only.
Employers and registration bodies can ask for their own checks, so get the exact document name in writing.
Time any certificate for an Australian visa against the 12-month validity window.

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