Documents you must provide for your DBS checks

Important information

Please be aware that applicants for 2026 entry who have firmly accepted an offer to study will be contacted in due course to complete the DBS process. The DBS team are contacting course cohorts in order of urgency to complete the DBS process, starting in early summer, most cohorts will be contacted in late August, after A Level results day. Please do not be concerned if you have not yet been contacted.

Applicants who firmly accept an offer of a place will be contacted by the University via email with further information about completing the online DBS process. Please do not send any documentation through the post as our staff will not be available to receive this. If you are required to attend an ID checking session in person, you will be invited to a specific date and time, we cannot see applicants or students on an ad hoc basis due to hybrid working patterns.

If you have changed your name since birth, please provide confirmation of the name change, e.g. change of name deed alongside your ID documents for the DBS check.

The applicant must be able to show:

one document from Group 1, below
two further documents from either Group 1, or Group 2a, or 2b, below

The combination of documents presented must confirm the applicant’s name and date of birth.

**Group 1: Primary identity documents**
Document	Notes
Passport	Any current and valid passport. A UK passport can be expired up to a maximum of 6 months.
e-Visa	Accessed via the ‘View and Prove’ service. The share code requested by the applicant should be an ‘immigration status’ share code. If you do not have a UKVI account to access your eVisa you can create you can create one online (Get access to your online immigration status (eVisa) - GOV.UK)
Biometric residence permit (BRP)	UK. A BRP showing Indefinite Leave to Remain, Indefinite Leave to Enter or No Time Limit can be used up to 18 months past the expiry date of the BRP. BRP holders should be encouraged to create an account and access their eVisa.
Application Registration Card (ARC)	Issued by the Home Office. Must be checked against the Home Office Employer Checking Service.
Current driving licence photocard (full or provisional)	Current and valid photocard driving licence issued by UK, Isle of Man, and Channel Islands. From 8 June 2015, the paper counterpart to the photocard driving licence will not be valid and will no longer be issued by DVLA.
Birth certificate - issued within 12 months of birth	UK, Isle of Man, and Channel Islands - including those issued by UK authorities overseas, for example embassies, High Commissions and HM Forces. Must be original birth certificate. Certified copies are a group 2a document.
Adoption certificate	UK and Channel Islands

**Group 2a: Trusted government documents**
Document	Notes
Current driving licence photocard (full or provisional)	Current and valid. All countries outside the UK (excluding Isle of Man and Channel Islands)
Current driving licence (full or provisional) - paper version (if issued before March 2000)	Current and valid. UK, Isle of Man, and Channel Islands. For a paper licence to be valid it must be issued before March 2000 and all information, including name and address, must be up to date.
Birth certificate – issued after time of birth	UK, Isle of Man and Channel Islands
Marriage/civil partnership certificate	UK and Channel Island
Immigration documentm visa, or work permit	Issued by a country outside the UK. Valid only for roles whereby the applicant is living and working outside of the UK. Visa/permit must relate to the non-UK country in which the role is based.
HM Forces ID card or HM Armed Forces Veteran card	UK
Firearms licence	UK, Isle of Man and Channel Islands

**Group 2b: Financial and social history documents**
Documents	Notes	Issue date and validity
Mortgage statement	UK	Issued in last 12 months
Bank or building society statement	UK and Channel Islands. A print off of a bank statement that is endorsed with a stamp and signed by the bank is acceptable if you cannot have hard copy bank statements posted to you	Issued in last 3 months
Bank or building society statement	Countries outside the UK	Issued in last 3 months - branch must be in the country where the applicant lives and works
Bank or building society account opening confirmation letter	UK	Issued in last 3 months
Credit card statement	UK	Issued in last 3 months
Financial statement, for example pension or endowment	UK	Issued in last 12 months
P45 or P60 statement	UK and Channel Islands. Cannot be an online document	Issued in last 12 months
Council Tax statement	UK and Channel Islands	Issued in last 12 months
Letter of sponsorship from future UK employment provider	Valid only for applicants residing outside of the UK at time of application	Must still be valid
Utility bill	UK - not mobile telephone bill. Cannot be printed from an online account	Issued in last 3 months
Benefit statement, for example Child Benefit, pension	UK	Issued in last 3 months
Central or local government, government agency, or local council document giving entitlement, for example from the Department for Work and Pensions, the Employment Service, Local Authority	UK and Channel Islands – a letter confirming entitlement to benefits. For example: Personal Independence Payment (PIP), free school meals, universal credit, asylum support etc.	Issued in last 12 months
HMRC self-assessment letters or tax demand letter	UK	Issued in last 12 months
European Health Insurance Card (EHIC) or Global Health Insurance Card (GHIC)	UK	Must still be valid
EEA National ID card		Must still be valid
Irish Passport Card	Cannot be used with an Irish passport	Must still be valid
Cards carrying the PASS accreditation logo	UK, Isle of Man, and Channel Islands. Digital PASS cards are acceptable where they have been issued by an approved digital PASS provider and the QR code has been used to confirm details.	Must still be valid
Letter from head teacher, college principal, apprenticeship provider	UK - for 16 to 19 year olds in full time education or on an apprenticeship - only used in exceptional circumstances if other documents cannot be provided	Issued in the last month