How to Get a Replacement DBS Certificate if you Have Lost Yours
You may have lost your DBS Certificate shortly after receiving it, or you may simply wonder what would happen if you did. It is very easy to lose paperwork. People move houses, or have sort-outs where things are accidentally thrown away; or it is easy to misplace in the house amongst bills and letters etc. It is, however, very important to try to take good care of your DBS Certificate though and keep it safe. You could try to keep it with other important ID documents such as your passport, driving license or academic certificates. You may wonder what you should do if you have misplaced yours.
This article will explain what you need to do in the scenarios of you misplacing a DBS Certificate you have received; or if you think the DBS Certificate has been lost in the post.
Reasons Why DBS Will Not Reprint a Certificate
- If you have lost it, or it has become damaged or destroyed after you have received it
- If you had the certificate, and since then three months have passed
- If the certificate has been printed and sent to you, but you have not yet received it (there is a time-limit that needs to apply, see below for more on this)
In the first two instances here, in order to get a replacement, you would have to start the DBS application form from the very beginning again and pay the normal DBS Check fee.
DBS ‘May’ Issue a Copy of a Standard of Enhanced DBS Certificate if the Following Apply
- If it has been fourteen days since the DBS Certificate was issued but you have never received it.
- If you request the certificate within three months of issue
- If your current address matches the address you put on the DBS application form
If you have moved house since you submitted the DBS application, it is your responsibility to get Royal Mail to redirect your post. You can’t change your address once you have submitted the application form.
How Long Does it Take to Receive a DBS Certificate Copy?
If you have a valid reason to have a DBS Certificate copy issued to you, DBS aim to get this to you in five working days, but this can’t be guaranteed and may depend upon how many requests they are dealing with at that time.
Can I Get a Copy of a Basic DBS Check?
If fourteen days have passed since you were first issued the original certificate, but you did not receive it, you can request a copy of your Basic DBS Check. But you can only request a copy of your Basic DBS check if you requested a paper copy of it on your original application form. You can request a copy via your online DBS account. If you completed the form on paper and not online, then you can phone the DBS instead.
DBS will only ever issue one copy of a DBS certificate.
General advice is to take good care of your DBS Certificate once received and keep it in a safe place with other important documents. If you haven’t received an expected certificate contact the DBS about this very soon after fourteen days have passed to get a Copy certificate sent to you.
