ACRO certificate vs DBS check: what is the difference

ACRO and DBS certificates solve different problems. See the difference, which one visas and employers ask for, and how apostille works for each.

Apostilla UK is a private documentation-support company. We are not a government body: we are not ACRO, not the Disclosure and Barring Service and not part of any UK authority, and we do not issue certificates or apostilles on behalf of the state. What we do is help people prepare and legalise documents, including apostilles on UK police certificates and DBS certificates.

The short answer to the ACRO vs DBS question is this: an ACRO Police Certificate is for foreign governments, a DBS check is for UK employers. They are issued by different organisations, they look different, and they answer different questions. Mixing them up is one of the most common reasons a visa file gets sent back.

Here is how the two documents actually differ, which one fits your situation, and what happens when an apostille enters the picture.

What is an ACRO Police Certificate?

An ACRO Police Certificate is a formal statement about your criminal record in the UK, produced by the ACRO Criminal Records Office (originally the Association of Chief Police Officers Criminal Records Office). It is designed specifically for use in visa and immigration applications abroad. The certificate is based on a search of the Police National Computer (PNC), the national database of recordable offences.

Under Home Office guidance on GOV.UK, a police certificate issued by ACRO is required for visa applications to a specific list of countries:

• Australia

• Belgium

• Canada

• Cayman Islands

• New Zealand

• South Africa

• USA

ACRO also issues the International Child Protection Certificate (ICPC), a separate document used when someone from the UK takes a role working with children overseas.

What is a DBS Check?

A DBS check is a background check carried out by the Disclosure and Barring Service, the public body responsible for criminal record checks in England and Wales. Its natural habitat is UK recruitment: hospitals, schools, care providers, charities and licensing bodies all rely on it as part of safeguarding processes.

The level of the check determines what the certificate reveals, and that level is chosen by the role, not by you. The next section breaks down each type in detail.

Types of DBS checks

There are three levels, and they are not interchangeable:

• DBS Basic Check: unspent convictions only. Any individual can apply for this one themselves.

• DBS Standard Check: spent and unspent convictions, cautions, reprimands and warnings. Available only through umbrella bodies and registered bodies, not to private individuals directly.

• DBS Enhanced Check: the Standard level plus any relevant information held by local police. Also restricted to registered bodies, and used for roles with close contact with children or vulnerable adults.

The restriction matters in practice. If a foreign employer asks you for a Standard or Enhanced certificate, you cannot simply order one as an individual; an eligible organisation has to request it. A Basic check, by contrast, is open to anyone, which is why it is the level most often used when someone needs proof of a clean record on their own initiative.

The difference between ACRO and DBS, in plain terms

Both documents ultimately draw on the same underlying source, the Police National Computer (PNC), but everything around that data is different. The comparison comes down to five points:

• Issuing body: ACRO Criminal Records Office versus the Disclosure and Barring Service.

• Audience: a consulate or immigration officer abroad versus an employer or regulator in the UK.

• Trigger: a visa or residence requirement versus a job offer or safeguarding duty.

• Content style: a statement about the existence of a record versus tiered levels of disclosure.

• Who can apply: anyone for an ACRO and a DBS Basic; only registered bodies for Standard and Enhanced.

Because of this split, the two certificates are not interchangeable. A DBS certificate rarely satisfies a consulate that asked for a police certificate, and an ACRO certificate does not replace a DBS check for a UK care employer.

Which one do you need? A decision path

Most people can resolve the question with three questions about their own situation.

• Where is the document going? If it is being submitted to an embassy, consulate or immigration authority outside the UK, you almost certainly need an ACRO Police Certificate. ACRO issues police certificates for visa and immigration purposes, and they are required for visas to countries such as Australia, Belgium, Canada, the Cayman Islands, New Zealand, South Africa and the USA.

• Who is asking for it? If a UK employer, agency or regulator requested the check for a role in the UK, that is a DBS check, and questions about it go to the Disclosure and Barring Service. Keep in mind that standard and enhanced checks are only available through umbrella bodies and registered bodies, so individuals cannot apply for them directly.

• What is the role? Work with children abroad may require the International Child Protection Certificate (ICPC), which is also issued by ACRO, instead of or alongside a standard police certificate.

When the request comes from a foreign employer rather than a government, the waters get muddier. Some overseas employers accept a DBS Basic certificate; others insist on an ACRO certificate because it matches the “police certificate” format they know. The only reliable source of truth is the requesting organisation itself, so ask them to name the document in writing.

What each certificate actually says

The wording on the two documents differs more than people expect, and consulates read that wording closely.

An ACRO certificate answers a binary-style question: does the national database hold a record for this person or not. Where no match is found, the certificate states that there is no trace of a criminal record, which is the phrasing most immigration authorities want to see. Where a record exists, the certificate sets out the details in a structured format.

A DBS certificate works on disclosure levels instead. A DBS Basic Check lists unspent convictions only, a DBS Standard Check adds spent convictions and cautions, and a DBS Enhanced Check can include relevant local police information. So the same person can hold a blank Basic certificate and a non-blank Enhanced one, depending on what each level is allowed to reveal. A consulate that expects a “no trace” style statement may not know what to make of DBS disclosure levels, which is exactly why ACRO is the default for immigration files.

Criminal record checks for visas and immigration

The requirement for criminal record certificates in UK immigration itself has a formal origin: it was introduced by the Statement of Changes to the Immigration Rules (HC1078), as set out in Home Office guidance on GOV.UK (checked 15 September 2026). Under those rules, certain visa categories require applicants to supply criminal record certificates from every country where they lived for 12 months or more over the previous 10 years, counted from age 18.

The guidance is specific about who is affected. Tier 2 (General) applicants working in health, education or social care must provide these certificates for their time abroad, excluding the UK itself. And the consequence of missing paperwork is spelled out just as clearly: without the certificate, or a satisfactory explanation for its absence, the visa application will be refused.

The same logic works in reverse when you are the one moving abroad. Immigration authorities in the destination country want proof from the UK, and that proof is the ACRO certificate, legalised if required.

DBS checks for employment and safeguarding in the UK

Inside the UK, the DBS system exists to protect children and vulnerable adults, so it is woven into recruitment for care, education and similar sectors. Employers in these fields cannot legally skip the check, and the level they request depends on the duties of the role. A teaching assistant and a hospital porter will typically end up with different levels of disclosure for exactly the same personal history.

This is the domestic use case in a nutshell: the DBS certificate stays inside the UK hiring and licensing ecosystem. Regulators, councils and care providers request it as part of their safeguarding duties, and the certificate is read by people who understand its disclosure levels. Once the document leaves that context and travels to a foreign employer or consulate, its usefulness drops sharply.

Northern Ireland runs its own parallel system through AccessNI. Its basic check discloses unspent convictions under the Rehabilitation of Offenders (NI) Order 1978, and NI Direct notes that such certificates are not accepted by every country. There is a useful detail for anyone legalising documents from Northern Ireland: AccessNI does not issue apostilles itself, but it is authorised to sign basic certificates so that the FCDO can confirm their genuineness and legalise them (NI Direct, checked 15 September 2026).

Apostille for ACRO and DBS certificates

In the UK there is exactly one authority for legalisation: only the FCDO (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office) can issue apostilles on official UK documents, through its Legalisation Office (NI Direct, checked 15 September 2026). The office checks the signature, stamp or seal on the document and attaches the apostille.

A detail that catches many applicants out: per GOV.UK, the e-apostille service is not available for ACRO police certificates or for DBS certificates in England and Wales. So even if you received your certificate digitally, the apostille route is the paper one. The practical sequence looks like this:

• Obtain the physical (paper) certificate from ACRO or the DBS.

• Submit it to the FCDO Legalisation Office for an apostille.

• If the destination country is not part of the Hague Apostille Convention, arrange embassy attestation after the apostille.

For countries inside the Convention, the apostille is the final step. You can verify an apostille issued in the UK online using its issue date and number, which is handy if the receiving authority wants proof of authenticity.

How to obtain each certificate

The application routes are different, and knowing them in advance saves a lot of back-and-forth.

• ACRO Police Certificate: apply directly to the ACRO Criminal Records Office online. You provide your personal details and addresses, and the certificate is posted to you.

• DBS Basic Check: apply as an individual through the Disclosure and Barring Service route on GOV.UK.

• DBS Standard or Enhanced Check: the request must come through an umbrella body or registered body, typically your employer. You cannot apply for these levels on your own.

• Criminal record checks for other countries: if you need a certificate from a country other than the UK, Home Office guidance says you apply in that country or through its relevant embassy in the UK.

Questions about applying for a criminal record check in the UK are directed to the Disclosure and Barring Service, while questions about a specific visa requirement should be directed to the embassy or consulate asking for the document.

Countries that accept ACRO certificates

The clearest signal comes from the official list: ACRO police certificates are required for visa applications to Australia, Belgium, Canada, the Cayman Islands, New Zealand, South Africa and the USA, according to NI Direct guidance checked on 15 September 2026. Beyond that list, many other countries accept an ACRO certificate as a standard UK police certificate, though each sets its own rules on recency and legalisation.

DBS certificates occupy a narrower space. A DBS Basic Check is sometimes accepted by foreign employers as evidence of a clean record, but acceptance varies widely. Before ordering anything, confirm two things with the requesting authority: the exact document they want, and whether it needs an apostille or embassy attestation.

Ordering tips

• Order the certificate close to your application date. Authorities rarely print an expiry date, but most expect the document to be recent.

• Ask for the paper version if an apostille is likely. Since e-apostille does not cover ACRO or DBS certificates, a digital-only certificate can complicate legalisation.

• Check whether the destination is in the Hague Convention. Convention countries need an apostille from the FCDO; others need embassy attestation on top of it.

• Keep the names consistent. The name on the certificate, the apostille and your visa file should match your passport exactly.

If you already hold an ACRO or DBS certificate and need it legalised for use abroad, the apostille guides on our blog walk through the FCDO process step by step. You can also start from the homepage to see all services, or read more practical articles in the blog on police certificates, embassy attestation and document legalisation.

See also

• DBS check for Ukrainians in the UK: basic, standard and enhanced explained

• ACRO Police Certificate UK, Application Assistance

• Apostille for a UK Birth Certificate

This page is for general information only and is not legal advice. Apostilles for UK public documents are issued exclusively by the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO) Legalisation Office; this site is not affiliated with any government body. Please consult a qualified professional before making decisions.

FAQ

It is a police certificate issued by the ACRO Criminal Records Office for visa, immigration and residence applications outside the UK. It is based on a search of national police records.

A DBS Check is a background check carried out by the Disclosure and Barring Service, mainly for employers in England and Wales. It comes in Basic, Standard and Enhanced levels.

An ACRO certificate is written for foreign authorities reviewing a visa or immigration file, while a DBS certificate is written for UK employers. They come from different bodies and follow different rules.

When a government abroad asks for a UK police certificate as part of a visa, residency, citizenship or work permit application.

When a UK employer, licensing body or regulator asks for a criminal record check for a role in the UK, especially in care, education or other safeguarding positions.

No. According to GOV.UK, e-apostille is not available for ACRO police certificates or DBS certificates in England and Wales, so the paper route through the FCDO Legalisation Office applies.

Some foreign employers and regulators ask for a legalised DBS certificate. Whether an apostille is needed depends on the requesting country, so confirm the requirement with them first.

There is no fixed validity period printed on the certificate. Most requesting authorities expect it to be recent, so check their rules and order it close to your application date.

Related pages

Which UK documents can be apostilled: certificates, degrees, company and court papers, e-Apostille rules, FCDO rejections and embassy attestation explained.

Which countries accept a UK apostille, which require embassy attestation, and country-by-country guides for UK documents used abroad.

Apostille meaning explained for UK documents: what the FCDO certificate looks like, which documents qualify, e-Apostille and embassy legalisation.

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