Disclosure Scotland & PVG Scheme: Levels 1 & 2

Scotland does not use the DBS. Criminal record checks there are handled by Disclosure Scotland through three disclosure products, Level 1 Disclosure, Level 2 Disclosure, and Level 2 Disclosure with a barred list check, alongside the PVG Scheme for regulated roles with children or protected adults, all reshaped by the Disclosure (Scotland) Act 2020.

Scotland runs its own system, not the DBS

Criminal record disclosure is one of the few areas of UK life that splits completely along national lines. In Scotland, the public body responsible is Disclosure Scotland, an executive agency of the Scottish Government, not the Disclosure and Barring Service that covers England and Wales. Disclosure Scotland issues its own products, uses its own legislation, and sets its own fees. If you have only ever seen a DBS check, do not assume the Scottish equivalent works the same way; several details, including what counts as spent and how childhood convictions are treated, are genuinely different.

What changed on 1 April 2025

The Disclosure (Scotland) Act 2020 substantially came into force on 1 April 2025, overhauling the system Disclosure Scotland had run for years. Before that date, Scotland issued Basic, Standard and Enhanced Disclosure, broadly mirroring the old DBS product names, alongside separate PVG scheme records for people in regulated work. Since 1 April 2025, those products have been replaced by three disclosure products, Level 1 Disclosure, Level 2 Disclosure, and Level 2 Disclosure with a barred list check, alongside continuing PVG Scheme membership for regulated roles. "Basic Disclosure" is no longer a live product name in Scotland; anyone searching for it should look at Level 1 Disclosure instead, and most former Enhanced Disclosure use cases, such as adoption, now fall under Level 2 Disclosure with a barred list check.

Level 1 Disclosure

Level 1 Disclosure is the everyday, low-level check. Anyone can apply for their own Level 1 Disclosure; no employer, landlord or organisation needs to request it on your behalf. It shows unspent convictions only, plus sex offender notification status where that applies to the person. It does not show spent convictions or police information; a childhood conviction appears only while it is still unspent. The fee is £25.

Level 2 Disclosure

Level 2 Disclosure is the higher-level check, and it works differently from Level 1 in an important way: you cannot apply for your own Level 2 Disclosure. Only an accredited body, an organisation registered with Disclosure Scotland to request checks, can start a Level 2 application, and only for a role that is legally eligible for one, such as work as a solicitor, an accountant or a prison worker. People doing a regulated role covered by the PVG Scheme apply through the PVG Scheme instead and receive a PVG scheme disclosure.

A Level 2 Disclosure shows unspent convictions, certain spent convictions, childhood and children's hearing information handled under the Act's new review rules, and relevant police information. It does not include a barred list check; that is a separate product, Level 2 Disclosure with a barred list check, described below. The fee is £25.

Level 2 Disclosure with a barred list check

Level 2 Disclosure with a barred list check is a separately named product, applied for separately from plain Level 2 Disclosure rather than as an add-on to it. Only an accredited body can request one, for a role that is legally eligible, such as an adoption application, where barred list information is relevant but the role does not fall under the PVG Scheme. This product is what replaced most former Enhanced Disclosure use cases. It shows everything a Level 2 Disclosure shows, plus barred list status, and the fee is £25, the same as plain Level 2 Disclosure.

The PVG Scheme and "regulated roles"

The Protecting Vulnerable Groups (PVG) Scheme sits alongside Level 1 and Level 2 Disclosure and applies specifically to people doing regulated roles with children or with protected adults, for example most paid and voluntary work in schools, childcare, care homes and social care. "Regulated roles" is the term the 2020 Act uses; it replaces the older "regulated work" and is drawn more broadly than before.

PVG membership stopped being optional for these roles on 1 April 2025, when it became a legal requirement to hold PVG scheme membership before starting a regulated role. From 1 July 2025, it became a criminal offence for a person to do a regulated role without PVG membership, and equally an offence for an organisation to knowingly allow someone to do a regulated role without it. A PVG scheme disclosure to join the scheme, or to add a new vulnerable group, costs £59. An existing member continuing with the same vulnerable group pays £18 for a PVG scheme disclosure that adds the new organisation to their membership. An organisation normally starts the application, but personal assistants, self-employed people and people who work for an individual apply themselves through Confirmation of PVG scheme membership (£59 to join, £18 for an existing member), which shows membership and barring status but no conviction information. Disclosure Scotland waives the joining fee and the £18 PVG scheme disclosure fee for people doing an unpaid regulated role for a Qualifying Voluntary Organisation (QVO), so genuine volunteers joining through a QVO pay nothing; otherwise the £59 and £18 fees apply. Separately, the Scottish Government pays the fee for eligible social care workers on PVG applications received between 1 August 2026 and 31 July 2027.

Fees at a glance

PVG membership: from lifetime to a 5-year term

Until recently, PVG scheme membership lasted for life once granted, with ongoing monitoring rather than a fixed renewal date. From 1 April 2026, that changed: PVG membership now runs on a 5-year term rather than a lifetime basis. New applicants joining from that date receive 5-year membership, and people who already held lifetime PVG membership are being migrated onto the new term in phases rather than all at once. Disclosure Scotland has confirmed there is no additional cost to the PVG scheme or the separate renewal process: moving to a 5-year term does not add a renewal fee, for either new members joining from 1 April 2026 or existing lifetime members being migrated across in phases.

Childhood convictions and the review route

One of the 2020 Act's biggest changes is how childhood behaviour is treated. Previously, a wide range of childhood convictions and children's hearing referrals could appear on a disclosure indefinitely. The Act ended automatic disclosure of most childhood information and replaced it with a review process: if childhood information is proposed for inclusion on a Level 2 Disclosure, the person it relates to can ask for it to be reviewed. The review runs from Disclosure Scotland to an independent reviewer, and from there, only on a point of law, to a sheriff. A person who receives a disclosure containing this kind of information generally has 10 days to request a review before it is finalised.

How Scotland compares with England & Wales and Northern Ireland

Scotland's disclosure regime is a separate legal system from the rest of the UK, not a regional variant of one national scheme. England and Wales use the DBS, with its own Basic, Standard and Enhanced products; see the DBS check guide for how that system works. Northern Ireland uses AccessNI, with its own Basic, Standard and Enhanced checks under different legislation; see the AccessNI check guide. None of the three systems' certificates are interchangeable; a Level 1, Level 2, or Level 2 with barred list check Disclosure from Scotland is not recognised in the same way as a DBS or AccessNI certificate, and vice versa. If you are not sure which of the three systems applies to your situation, the which criminal record check do you need guide walks through all three side by side, and the spent convictions guide covers Scotland's own rehabilitation-of-offenders rules, which also differ from England, Wales and Northern Ireland.

This article is for general information only and is not legal advice. Fees, thresholds and processes can change, so always check current details on Disclosure Scotland's own website before applying. For the wider picture of UK data protection and disclosure rules, see the UK Data Privacy hub and the United Kingdom hub.

Frequently Asked Questions

Does Scotland use the DBS?

No. Scotland has its own system run by Disclosure Scotland, separate from the Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) used in England and Wales. The products, fees and legislation are different.

What is Level 1 Disclosure and how much does it cost?

Level 1 Disclosure is a check anyone can apply for themselves. It shows unspent convictions only, plus sex offender notification status where it applies, and costs £25.

What is Level 2 Disclosure and who can apply for it?

Level 2 Disclosure is a higher-level check that cannot be self-initiated. Only an accredited body can request one, for a specific eligible role such as a solicitor or prison staff. It does not include a barred list check. It costs £25. People in PVG-regulated roles apply through the PVG Scheme instead.

What is Level 2 Disclosure with a barred list check?

It is a separate product from plain Level 2 Disclosure, applied for only by an accredited body, for roles such as adoption applications where barred list information is relevant but the role does not fall under the PVG Scheme. It replaced most former Enhanced Disclosure use cases and costs £25, the same as plain Level 2 Disclosure.

What is the PVG Scheme?

The Protecting Vulnerable Groups (PVG) Scheme is for people doing regulated roles with children or protected adults, such as most work in schools, childcare and care settings. Joining, or adding a new vulnerable group, costs £59; an existing member continuing with the same vulnerable group pays £18 to add a new organisation. Disclosure Scotland waives both fees for people doing an unpaid regulated role for a Qualifying Voluntary Organisation (QVO), so genuine volunteers pay nothing.

Is PVG membership now compulsory for regulated roles?

Yes. PVG membership became a legal requirement for regulated roles from 1 April 2025, and from 1 July 2025 it is a criminal offence to do a regulated role without it, and an offence for an organisation to knowingly allow that.

How long does PVG membership last?

From 1 April 2026, PVG membership runs on a 5-year term rather than for life. New applicants get 5 years; people who already held lifetime membership are being moved onto the new term in phases. There is no additional fee for the renewal or the transition to the new term.

Can old childhood convictions be reviewed or removed from a disclosure?

The Disclosure (Scotland) Act 2020 ended automatic disclosure of most childhood information and created a review route. A person can ask for childhood information to be reviewed, going from Disclosure Scotland to an independent reviewer and, on a point of law only, to a sheriff, generally within 10 days of receiving the disclosure.

How is Disclosure Scotland different from AccessNI in Northern Ireland?

They are separate systems under separate legislation. Disclosure Scotland issues Level 1 Disclosure, Level 2 Disclosure, and Level 2 Disclosure with a barred list check, plus PVG membership; AccessNI issues Basic, Standard and Enhanced checks. Certificates from one system are not interchangeable with the other.