Last updated: September 2026
How long does a DBS check take? It’s one of the most common questions for employers waiting to get new starters through their pre-employment checks.
The answer depends on the level of DBS check, the information provided and, for Enhanced checks, whether the application needs to be referred to a police force.
This guide brings together the latest DBS turnaround times and police performance information to give employers a clearer picture of how long DBS checks are currently taking, what can cause delays and what you can do to reduce avoidable hold-ups in your screening process.
We’ll keep this page updated as new DBS performance information is released, so you can return here for the latest position.
Current DBS turnaround times
According to the latest DBS Police Performance Information, the average processing times in August 2026 were:
| DBS Check | Average processing time |
|---|---|
| Basic DBS check | 0.9 days |
| Standard DBS check | 1.1 days |
| Enhanced DBS check | 14.6 days |
These are average processing times, rather than guaranteed turnaround times. An individual application can be completed sooner or take longer depending on the circumstances of the check.
For comparison, the DBS’s current performance targets are to dispatch at least:
- 85% of Basic DBS applications within 2 days
- 85% of Standard DBS applications within 3 days
- 80% of Enhanced DBS applications within 14 days
This distinction is important. Published averages tell us how checks are currently performing overall, while the DBS targets measure the level of service it aims to achieve. Neither represents a guaranteed completion time for an individual application.
How long does a DBS check take?
Based on the latest August 2026 performance information, the average DBS turnaround time ranges from less than one day for a Basic check to 14.6 days for an Enhanced check.
However, there isn’t one waiting time that applies to every application.
Basic and Standard checks are currently being processed much faster on average than Enhanced checks. This is largely because Enhanced DBS applications can involve additional searches of information held by police forces and law enforcement agencies.
The time your application takes can be affected by:
- the level of DBS check required
- whether the information submitted is complete and accurate
- whether an Enhanced application needs to be sent to a police force
- the police force or forces involved
- whether information needs further review
- current volumes and staffing at the relevant police force
This is why published DBS turnaround times should always be treated as a guide rather than a guaranteed completion date.
How long does a Basic DBS check take?
The latest DBS performance information shows an average Basic DBS processing time of 0.9 days in August 2026.
The DBS’s wider performance target is to dispatch at least 85% of Basic applications within two days.
Basic checks are generally the quickest type of DBS check because they do not go through the additional local police checking process that can apply to Enhanced applications.
Individual applications can still take longer, particularly where information needs to be clarified.
How long does a Standard DBS check take?
The average Standard DBS check took 1.1 days to process in August 2026, according to the latest DBS performance information.
The DBS’s current performance target is to dispatch at least 85% of Standard applications within three days.
Standard DBS checks involve relevant information held on the Police National Computer but do not include the additional search of locally held police information that forms part of the Enhanced checking process.
How long does an Enhanced DBS check take?
The latest figures show that the average Enhanced DBS check took 14.6 days to process in August 2026.
That’s considerably longer than the current averages for Basic and Standard DBS checks.
Why?
Enhanced DBS checks can involve an additional search of information held by police forces and law enforcement agencies.
Where an application needs to be referred to the police, the turnaround time can therefore depend on the forces involved and whether information needs further assessment.
The DBS’s current performance target is to dispatch at least 80% of Enhanced applications within 14 days. However, individual checks can take considerably longer.
If your Enhanced DBS check has been sitting at Stage 4, understanding what happens during the different stages can help explain why.
What are the stages of an Enhanced DBS check?
An Enhanced DBS application passes through a number of checks before a certificate can be issued.
Stage 1: Application received and validated
The application is received and checked.
Making sure the correct and complete information is supplied at the beginning matters.
Missing, unclear or incorrect information can create a conflict that needs to be clarified with the employer, Registered Body or applicant before the application can progress.
Stage 2: Police National Computer searched
The applicant’s details are checked against information held on the Police National Computer.
Stage 3: Barred Lists searched, where applicable
If the role is eligible for a check of the Children’s and/or Adults’ Barred Lists, the relevant search is carried out.
Not every Enhanced DBS check includes a Barred List check. Eligibility depends on the role being undertaken.
Stage 4: Local police records searched
This is an important difference between Enhanced DBS checks and lower levels of checking.
Enhanced applications can be referred to a police force where there is a potential match between information supplied on the application and information held on police systems.
Importantly, this doesn’t necessarily mean the applicant has lived in the area covered by that police force. A check can be referred to another force if its systems contain details relating to somebody with the same or a similar name.
The relevant police force then needs to determine whether it holds information relating to the applicant and, where information is identified, whether it is relevant to the workforce and should be disclosed.
Stage 5: DBS certificate issued
Once the necessary searches and assessments have been completed, the application returns to the DBS and the certificate can be issued.
How long does Stage 4 of an Enhanced DBS check take?
There isn’t a fixed Stage 4 DBS waiting time.
The latest DBS Police Performance Information shows that in August 2026, it took police forces an average of 27 days to return a check that had been sent to them.
This figure shouldn’t be confused with the overall 14.6-day average for Enhanced DBS checks. Not every Enhanced application follows exactly the same journey or spends the same amount of time with a police force.
The DBS reported that it commissions 52 police forces and law enforcement agencies to carry out checks on its behalf, with around three million checks sent to forces each year.
So, if an Enhanced DBS application has reached Stage 4 and appears to be taking longer than another person’s application, that doesn’t necessarily indicate that something has gone wrong.
Are there currently delays to Enhanced DBS checks?
Yes, some police forces are currently experiencing delays.
According to the September 2026 DBS Police Performance Information, 12 forces were experiencing delays during August:
- Hampshire and Isle of Wight
- Thames Valley
- Sussex
- Dyfed-Powys
- Avon & Somerset
- Cleveland
- Northumbria
- Cambridgeshire
- Hertfordshire
- West Yorkshire
- Durham
- Police Scotland
That doesn’t mean every DBS application involving one of these forces will experience the same waiting time.
The overall number of aged cases held by forces increased from 8,390 to 9,779 during August, although 38 of the 52 Police Disclosure Units had fewer than 100 aged cases.
The picture therefore varies considerably between police forces.
Why are some DBS checks taking longer?
There isn’t one single cause of an Enhanced DBS delay.
The latest DBS information highlights several factors affecting police performance, including staffing levels, recruitment, training and the volume and complexity of checks being handled.
Across police forces, there were 1,179 staff in post against a requirement of 1,303 in August 2026, a difference of 124 positions, while another 135 members of staff were in training.
Recruitment doesn’t provide an immediate fix either. DBS reports that recruitment campaigns can take around three months, police vetting can add another three months and training can then take at least six to nine months.
Other factors that can increase DBS waiting times include:
- high demand for checks
- assessment of locally held information
- obtaining legal advice in some cases
- representations that require further information
- multiple police forces being involved
- missing or incorrect information on an application
Where police hold potentially relevant information, they also need time to assess whether that information is relevant to the specific workforce and whether it should be disclosed.
That assessment can take time even where nothing is ultimately disclosed on the DBS certificate.
Why is my Enhanced DBS taking so long?
If your Enhanced DBS check is taking longer than the current average, it doesn’t necessarily mean there is a problem with your application or that information will appear on your certificate.
An Enhanced application can be sent to a police force simply because there is a potential match against the name and information supplied on the application.
The police may then need to determine whether the information actually relates to the applicant and whether anything identified is relevant to the role.
DBS says most certificates do not contain approved information from local police. However, the police may still have had to review information before reaching that decision.
The process can take longer where several police forces are involved.
Missing, unclear or incorrect information can also cause delays. If an issue creates a conflict, the application may need to return to DBS so the information can be clarified with the employer, Registered Body or applicant.
Providing complete and accurate information from the beginning is therefore one of the simplest ways to avoid unnecessary delays.
Is there a DBS backlog?
There are currently aged cases within the police checking process, but the position varies significantly between individual forces.
In August 2026, the number of aged cases increased from 8,390 to 9,779, while 73% of the aged cases held at the beginning of the month had been completed by the end of the month.
DBS also reported that overall volumes sent to forces during August were 5,393 checks, or 2.2%, below forecast.
Rather than treating a delayed individual application as evidence that every DBS check is experiencing a backlog, it’s more useful to look at the current performance of the particular process and police forces involved.
DBS says it works with police forces and law enforcement agencies daily to support the completion of checks. Applications that exceed 60 continuous days with any force are automatically identified by DBS through daily reports issued to forces for completion as soon as possible.
We’ll continue updating this section as new performance information becomes available.
Can you speed up a DBS check?
There are parts of the DBS process that an employer or screening provider cannot make faster.
If an Enhanced application has been referred to a police force and information needs to be searched or assessed, that process has to be completed properly.
But there is a difference between DBS processing time and avoidable administration time.
Employers can make the wider screening journey more efficient by reducing unnecessary manual steps before an application reaches the DBS.
That includes:
- collecting complete candidate information from the outset
- making identity verification straightforward
- reducing duplicate data entry
- identifying missing information earlier
- removing unnecessary hand-offs between systems and providers
- keeping DBS applications and wider employment checks in one place
You can’t control every stage of a DBS check. You can control how efficiently your organisation gets the application there.
How employers can reduce avoidable DBS delays
Accurate information matters.
DBS guidance states that providing as much information as possible during the application and identity verification process makes it easier and quicker for DBS to accurately process applications.
That includes details such as previous names and a full five-year address history.
DBS also strongly encourages Registered Bodies and employers to consider digital identity verification where the applicant can present the appropriate identity documents.
For an organisation processing checks regularly, this is where technology can make a meaningful difference.
Instead of HR or recruitment teams manually moving candidate information between emails, spreadsheets, identity checks, DBS applications and other employment screening processes, those steps can be brought together into a single workflow.
Process DBS checks through EBC Global
EBC Global is a DBS Registered Body and Responsible Organisation (RB/RO), allowing us to process DBS applications directly through our employment screening software.
This removes unnecessary third-party hand-offs and gives organisations a more streamlined way to manage DBS checks alongside their wider pre-employment screening.
With Employment Check Pro, employers can automate more of the journey around the DBS application, helping to reduce manual administration, keep candidate information moving and maintain visibility over the screening process.
That doesn’t mean we can make a police force complete Stage 4 faster.
It means we can help remove the avoidable delays and manual touchpoints your organisation can control before and around that process.
Processing DBS checks at volume?
For organisations carrying out regular or higher volumes of employment checks, EBC Global can help bring DBS screening, identity verification and wider pre-employment checks into one place.
Start a free trial to explore Employment Check Pro, or book a demo to see how EBC Global could support your organisation’s screening process.
Frequently asked questions about DBS turnaround times
Employers can improve the process by collecting accurate candidate information from the outset, using appropriate digital identity verification and reducing unnecessary manual data entry and hand-offs.
EBC Global’s employment screening software brings DBS applications together with wider pre-employment checks to create a more automated and centralised screening process.
As a DBS Registered Body and Responsible Organisation (RB/RO), EBC Global can process DBS applications directly, reducing unnecessary third-party hand-offs and keeping more of the screening journey in one place.
EBC Global (or any other screening provider) cannot shorten police or DBS assessment stages that need to be completed.
What we can do is help employers reduce avoidable administration around the application by streamlining candidate data collection, identity verification and DBS processing through EBC Global Pro.
DBS monitors applications that remain with police forces for extended periods. According to its September 2026 performance information, applications exceeding 60 continuous days with a force are automatically identified through daily reports so forces can complete them as soon as possible.
Some are. DBS reported that 12 police forces were experiencing delays in August 2026.
However, performance differs between forces and between individual applications, so this doesn’t mean every DBS check is currently delayed.
Two applications submitted at the same time can have different turnaround times.
The level of check, applicant information, potential matches and police forces involved can all affect how an application progresses.
Stage 4 involves searches of relevant locally held police information for Enhanced DBS checks.
A check may spend longer at this stage because of police workloads, staffing, the information that needs to be assessed or because more than one police force is involved.
A longer Stage 4 wait does not by itself mean that information will be disclosed on the certificate.
There is no fixed Stage 4 turnaround time.
In August 2026, police forces took an average of 27 days to return checks that had been sent to them. Individual Stage 4 waiting times can vary depending on the police forces involved and whether information needs further assessment.
The average Enhanced DBS processing time was 14.6 days in August 2026.
The DBS’s performance target is to dispatch at least 80% of Enhanced applications within 14 days, but individual applications can take longer, particularly where local police checks are required.
According to the latest DBS performance information, average processing times in August 2026 were 0.9 days for Basic DBS checks, 1.1 days for Standard DBS checks and 14.6 days for Enhanced DBS checks.
Individual applications may take more or less time.
