How to Find Your DBS Application Form Reference Number: Track and Join

Your DBS application form reference number is the unique code assigned to your Disclosure and Barring Service check when it enters the system, and you’ll find it in one of three places: printed on the front page of a paper application form, inside the acknowledgment the DBS sends after an electronic submission, or on file with whoever submitted the application for you. If none of those work, the DBS helpline on 03000 200 190 can look it up.¹

Where the Number Appears

For a paper application, the reference number is printed on the front page of the form itself. If someone else completed the submission on your behalf, they should hold a copy of that form in their records.¹

For an electronic application submitted through the e-bulk system, the DBS sends an acknowledgment within two working days of receipt, with 95 percent arriving within 24 hours. The acknowledgment contains the reference number you’ll use to track the check.² If you applied through an e-bulk Registered Body, you can also ask them directly for the e-reference.¹

If You’ve Lost the Number

Start with your employer or the Registered Body that submitted the application. They keep records of every application they handle and can usually pull the reference number from their logs quickly.¹

If your employer can’t help, call the DBS helpline on 03000 200 190. Staff can look up your reference number as long as your application has already been received into the system. You’ll need to provide identifying details such as your full name and address history so they can verify who you are before releasing the number.³

If you already have a DBS online account, log in, select “Manage DBS checks,” request a one-time passcode, and enter your security details. Your applications will be displayed along with the information you need.⁴

Not the Same as Your Certificate Number

Three different numbers travel with a DBS check, and mixing them up is the usual reason people can’t get a system to accept the right one.

The application reference number is assigned when your check enters the DBS system. Its only job is to let you track the application while it’s being processed. Once the check finishes and the certificate is printed, that certificate carries its own separate number, which is what an employer needs for a status check through the Update Service. And if you subscribe to the Update Service, you’re issued a third identifier: a unique subscription ID that starts with the letter C followed by 10 digits.¹ Keep all three somewhere accessible once you have them.

Using the Number to Track Your Application

The DBS runs two separate tracking portals, and getting them the wrong way round is the most common reason people think the tracker is broken when it simply can’t find their application.

Basic DBS Checks

For a basic check, use the DBS online account tracking service. No account is required. Enter your application reference number, surname, and date of birth, and the system returns your current status.⁴

Standard and Enhanced DBS Checks

Standard and enhanced checks use a different portal at secure.crbonline.gov.uk. You’ll need your application reference number and date of birth to pull up results. Employers registered with the DBS can track multiple applications through the same service.⁴

Details must match exactly what was entered on the original application. A misspelled surname or a date of birth in the wrong format returns no results. If you get a “not found” error, check the information with whoever submitted the application before assuming something has gone wrong.

What the Status Messages Mean

As your check moves through the system, the tracker displays one of a handful of statuses:

Application received — the DBS has your form and has uploaded it, but the checks haven’t started yet.
In progress — your information is being checked against criminal record databases. This is the status you’ll see for the longest, especially if the application is waiting on a local police force.
Further information required — the DBS needs something clarified and will contact you or your employer directly.
Completed — all checks are finished.
Result dispatched — the DBS has reached a decision and generated the certificate.
Certificate dispatched — the physical certificate has been handed to Royal Mail, and tracking ends there.

An application sitting on “In progress” for more than three weeks is worth a call to the helpline or a follow-up with your employer to see whether the DBS has requested additional information.

Using the Number to Join the Update Service

The Update Service lets you keep a single DBS certificate current so you don’t need a fresh check every time you change roles. You can register using your application reference number while the check is still being processed, or within 30 days of the certificate being issued, whichever comes first. Miss that 30-day window and you’ll need to apply for an entirely new check before you can subscribe.⁵

The annual subscription costs £16, payable by credit or debit card. Volunteers who meet the DBS definition of a volunteer pay nothing, but if you later move from a volunteer role into a paid position, you’ll need to start paying the £16 annual fee.¹

1
GOV.UK. DBS Update Service: Applicant Guide
2
GOV.UK. E-bulk: Submitting Multiple Applications for DBS Checking
3
GOV.UK. Trouble Signing In DBS Online Account Guidance
4
GOV.UK. Track or View Your DBS Certificate
5
GOV.UK. DBS Update Service