AccessNI Check Explained: Levels, Fees and Eligibility

Northern Ireland does not use the Disclosure and Barring Service. Its criminal record checks are run by AccessNI, part of the Department of Justice, through three levels: Basic, Standard, and Enhanced. Which one you can get, and what it costs, depends on the role and who is asking.

What AccessNI is

AccessNI is the criminal record disclosure service for Northern Ireland, run within the Department of Justice. It is a separate organisation from the Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS), which covers England and Wales, and from Disclosure Scotland, which covers Scotland. A certificate issued by one of these three bodies is not interchangeable with the others; an employer or organisation operating across the UK still needs the Northern Ireland-specific AccessNI check for a role based in Northern Ireland. See the DBS check and Disclosure Scotland and PVG pages for how those two systems work, and the which check do I need guide for a plain comparison across all three nations.

The three levels of AccessNI check

AccessNI issues three levels of certificate, each disclosing progressively more information and each gated to a different set of applicants.

Basic check. Shows unspent convictions only, or confirms that none are held. Anyone can apply for their own Basic check, whatever the reason for wanting one.

Standard check. Shows both spent and unspent convictions, plus informed warnings and other non-court disposals recorded against the applicant. A Standard check is only available where the position applied for is listed as exempt under the Rehabilitation of Offenders (Exceptions) (NI) Order 1979. An individual cannot apply for one directly; the application must be submitted and countersigned by an AccessNI registered body, typically the employer or organisation.

Enhanced check. Includes everything a Standard check shows, plus any relevant information held by the police and, where the role involves regulated activity with children or vulnerable adults, a check against the relevant barred list. Like a Standard check, an Enhanced check must go through a registered body and cannot be self-applied for.

Levels and fees at a glance

Fees are paid per application. Genuine volunteers are treated differently, covered below.

Who can actually get a Standard or Enhanced check

The Rehabilitation of Offenders (Exceptions) (NI) Order 1979 lists the specific roles and professions where an employer is legally allowed to ask about spent convictions and request a Standard check, for example certain roles in healthcare, education, or other regulated professions. If a role is not on the exceptions list, the employer has no legal basis to request anything beyond a Basic check, and it is not something an applicant can request on the employer's behalf. Enhanced checks are normally required for roles providing services to, or closely and regularly supervising, children or vulnerable adults, and the barred-list element is added only where the role is regulated activity. See spent convictions in Northern Ireland for how rehabilitation periods work outside an exempt role.

Free checks for volunteers

Standard and Enhanced AccessNI checks are free of charge for people volunteering, unpaid, for a non-profit organisation, where the role is not for their own benefit or a close relative's. AccessNI does charge if you volunteer directly for a statutory organisation, or for a non-profit in a position delivering statutory services under contract or in a specific project where the organisation receives government funding to pay for volunteers' checks. This waiver applies to Standard and Enhanced checks. Whether the same free-of-charge treatment extends to Basic checks for volunteers is not stated in AccessNI's published guidance, so do not assume that it does. A registered body handling a volunteer's application can confirm which fee applies before submitting it.

What filtering removes from a certificate

Not every spent conviction stays on a Standard or Enhanced certificate forever. A conviction is filtered out, meaning it is no longer disclosed, once 11 years have passed since the date of conviction (5.5 years if the person was under 18 at the date of conviction), provided it is not a specified offence and did not result in a custodial sentence (including a suspended sentence). Since 9 June 2021, having more than one conviction no longer prevents filtering in Northern Ireland. Specified offences, broadly serious violent, sexual, and safeguarding-related offences, and any conviction that carried a custodial sentence are never filtered, regardless of how much time has passed. Cautions for non-specified offences are filtered after six years (two years if under 18), diversionary youth conferences after two years, and informed warnings after one year. Filtering operates alongside the general rehabilitation-period rules in the Rehabilitation of Offenders (NI) Order 1978, which separately determine when a conviction becomes spent for most non-exempt purposes.

How to apply

A Basic check can be applied for directly, online or otherwise, by an individual acting on their own behalf. A Standard or Enhanced check cannot be self-initiated: the applicant needs an employer, voluntary organisation, or other body registered with AccessNI to submit the application and countersign it before it can be processed. Processing times vary by level and are published and updated by AccessNI, so check current turnaround times before relying on a certificate arriving by a specific date.

Northern Ireland is not England, Wales, or Scotland

An AccessNI certificate only covers Northern Ireland's records and processes. It is not the same product as a DBS check, used in England and Wales, or a Disclosure Scotland Level 1 or Level 2 disclosure combined with PVG scheme membership, used in Scotland, and none of the three is a substitute for either of the others. An organisation recruiting across more than one UK nation for a role that touches Northern Ireland needs the Northern Ireland-specific AccessNI check for that role, not a check from wherever its head office happens to sit. Compare all three directly on the which criminal record check do you need guide.

This article is for general information only and is not legal advice. AccessNI eligibility depends on the specific role in question, so anyone unsure whether a Standard or Enhanced check applies to them should check with the registered body handling the application, or with AccessNI directly, rather than relying on this page alone. For the wider picture of UK data protection and criminal record disclosure, see the UK Data Privacy hub and the United Kingdom hub.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is AccessNI?

AccessNI is the criminal record disclosure service for Northern Ireland, run by the Department of Justice. It issues Basic, Standard, and Enhanced certificates and is a separate body from the DBS in England and Wales and Disclosure Scotland in Scotland.

Does Northern Ireland use the DBS?

No. Northern Ireland has its own system run by AccessNI. A DBS check from England or Wales is not valid in place of an AccessNI check, and an AccessNI check is not valid in place of a DBS check.

How much does an AccessNI check cost?

A Basic check costs £16. A Standard check costs £16. An Enhanced check costs £32. Standard and Enhanced checks are free for genuine volunteers working unpaid for a non-profit organisation, with some exceptions, such as volunteering directly for a statutory organisation.

Can I apply for a Standard or Enhanced AccessNI check myself?

No. Only a Basic check can be self-applied for, and anyone can apply for one. A Standard or Enhanced check must be submitted and countersigned by an AccessNI registered body, and is only available where the role is legally exempt under the Rehabilitation of Offenders (Exceptions) (NI) Order 1979.

Are AccessNI checks free for volunteers?

Standard and Enhanced checks are free for people volunteering unpaid for a non-profit organisation, except where you volunteer directly for a statutory organisation, or in a role delivering statutory services under contract or in a project whose government funding pays for volunteers' checks. Published guidance does not confirm whether the same applies to Basic checks, so check with the registered body handling the application.

What does filtering remove from an AccessNI certificate?

A conviction filters out of a Standard or Enhanced certificate after 11 years, or 5.5 years if the person was under 18 at conviction, provided it is not a specified offence and did not carry a custodial sentence (including a suspended sentence). Since June 2021, having more than one conviction no longer stops filtering in Northern Ireland. Specified offences and custodial sentences are never filtered.

Is an AccessNI certificate valid in England, Wales, or Scotland?

No. An AccessNI certificate only covers Northern Ireland. England and Wales use the DBS, and Scotland uses Disclosure Scotland Level 1 and Level 2 disclosures alongside the PVG scheme. None of these three systems substitutes for another.