What Shows Up on a Criminal Record Check in Scotland?

Who this guide is for

People who are asked for a criminal record check for a job, volunteering or another purpose in Scotland. In Scotland these checks are called disclosures, and they are done by Disclosure Scotland. This guide explains the disclosure levels, what each one shows, the PVG scheme and how to ask for a disclosure to be reviewed.

What this guide does not cover

• Jobs in England, Wales or Northern Ireland: see the England and Wales guide or the Northern Ireland guide.
• Whether a conviction is spent, and what you have to tell an employer yourself: see the spent convictions guide for Scotland or see our spent convictions guide.
• Which roles are regulated roles, or need a Level 2 disclosure: ask the employer, and use Disclosure Scotland's eligibility guidance.
• The time limit for asking for a review, and how to challenge a Level 1 disclosure: ask Disclosure Scotland.
• Barring and listing decisions: ask Disclosure Scotland or a solicitor.
• What to do if you were turned down or dismissed because of what a disclosure showed: ask Citizens Advice Scotland or a solicitor.

At a glance

• Since 1 April 2025 the disclosure levels are: Level 1, Level 2, Level 2 with barred list check, and the Protecting Vulnerable Groups (PVG) scheme. Level 1 replaced basic disclosure. Level 2 replaced standard, enhanced and PVG disclosures.
• Level 1: anyone can apply. It shows unspent convictions.
• Level 2: only for specific roles, such as solicitors and prison workers. It shows unspent convictions, certain spent convictions and other information, such as notification requirements.
• Since 1 April 2025 PVG scheme membership is a legal requirement for anyone doing a regulated role with children or protected adults.
• Since 1 April 2026 new PVG scheme membership lasts five years and then has to be renewed.
• You can ask Disclosure Scotland to review a Level 2 disclosure.

What the rules depend on

1. Where is the job? Scotland: this guide. England, Wales or Northern Ireland: see that guide.
2. Which level is it? Level 1, Level 2, Level 2 with barred list check, or PVG. If you do not know, ask the employer.
3. Is the conviction spent? A Level 1 disclosure shows only unspent convictions. Use the spent convictions guide for Scotland to work this out.
4. For Level 2 or PVG: what was the offence, how old were you on the date of conviction, and how long ago was it?
5. Is the role a regulated role with children or protected adults? Then you need to be in the PVG scheme.
6. Is something on the disclosure wrong, or should it not be there? See "Asking for a review".

What each level shows

Level 1

The lowest level. It replaced basic disclosure. Anyone can apply for one, to share with an employer or for personal reasons. It shows any unspent convictions.

Level 2

Only used for specific roles, such as solicitors and prison workers. It replaced most standard disclosures. It shows unspent convictions and certain spent convictions, and other information, such as any notification requirements.

Level 2 with barred list check

A separate level listed by Disclosure Scotland. Ask the employer or Disclosure Scotland whether a role needs it and what it will show.

PVG scheme

For regulated roles with children or protected adults. When you apply to join, Disclosure Scotland carries out criminal record checks and you get a disclosure with the outcome.

Spent convictions on Level 2 and PVG disclosures

• Offences that must be disclosed: serious offences, such as culpable homicide, are shown on Level 2 (including PVG) however long ago the conviction was, even if the sentence was an admonishment or absolute discharge.
• Offences disclosed according to rules: offences such as fraud or theft are shown on Level 2 (including PVG) for 11 years if you were 18 or over on the date of conviction, or 5 years and 6 months if you were under 18.
• Disclosure Scotland calls these List A offences (the most serious, such as serious violence, sexual offending and terrorist offences) and List B offences (less serious, but still disclosed when spent, such as theft and fraud).
• You can apply to have certain spent convictions removed from a disclosure. For an offence on the must-disclose list, you have to wait until a certain length of time has passed.
• Convictions from when you were under 18, and children's hearing outcomes, are dealt with case by case. A children's hearing outcome is only ever included on a Level 2 disclosure after a review.

The PVG scheme

• Since 1 April 2025 PVG scheme membership is a legal requirement for anyone who is to carry out a regulated role with children or protected adults. "Regulated roles" replaced the old term "regulated work".
• If you are already a PVG scheme member and need to join for a different workforce, you make a "join" application, not an "existing" application.
• Since 1 April 2026 membership lasts five years from the date you join. Anyone who applies to join is automatically on a five-year membership, and has to renew every five years to stay in the scheme.
• If you are an existing lifetime member and make a PVG scheme application on or after 1 April 2026, your membership moves to five years. Other lifetime members are being moved in phases, starting with those who joined in 2011. Disclosure Scotland contacts you when it is your turn.
• Renewing is a separate process from applying for a disclosure. You renew mainly through your online account.
• PVG scheme membership is free for volunteers with qualifying voluntary organisations.

Asking for a review

• When you get a Level 2 disclosure, you can apply to Disclosure Scotland, within the time limit it gives you, for a review of whether any of the information is accurate.
• You can also ask for a review of whether certain information should be included at all: a spent conviction from when you were under 18, a children's hearing outcome, information from the police, or a removable conviction.
• For a removable conviction, Disclosure Scotland first decides whether it is relevant and ought to be included, and gives you a chance to make representations. If it decides to keep it in, you can ask, within the time limit, for the independent reviewer to look at it.
• A review cannot challenge the facts the conviction was based on.
• For the review, you have to answer questions about that conviction honestly, even if it is spent.

Deadlines

• Review of a Level 2 disclosure: there is a time limit. Ask Disclosure Scotland for it as soon as you get the disclosure. This guide does not give it.
• PVG scheme membership that started on or after 1 April 2026: renew every five years.

Money figures

• Level 1 disclosure: £25. Level 2 disclosure: £25. Joining the PVG scheme: £59. PVG scheme disclosure for an existing member: £18. Social care workers do not pay for a PVG scheme application. PVG scheme membership is free for volunteers with qualifying voluntary organisations.

Traps

• For a job in Scotland, the check comes from Disclosure Scotland, not DBS.
• The old names basic, standard and enhanced disclosure were replaced on 1 April 2025 by Level 1 and Level 2.
• A Level 1 disclosure shows only unspent convictions. A Level 2 or PVG disclosure can show spent ones.
• An offence on the must-disclose list is shown however long ago it was, even after an admonishment or absolute discharge.
• Doing a regulated role without PVG scheme membership is not allowed since 1 April 2025.
• New PVG scheme membership is no longer for life: it lasts five years.