The Police Act 1997 (Criminal Records) (Amendment) Regulations 2026
Reduced the fees for basic, standard, and enhanced criminal record certificates and the criminal record update service.
These Regulations reduce the fees charged for various types of criminal record checks and the criminal record update service in England and Wales.
The order lowers the cost of basic and standard certificates to £20, reduces enhanced certificate fees to £41, and adjusts the update service fee to £15.
These changes apply to any individual or employer applying for a certificate or update information through the Disclosure and Barring Service starting from 5 October 2026.
Arguments For
The regulations reduce the financial cost for individuals and employers requiring criminal record checks in England and Wales.
The document specifies that the fee for a basic criminal conviction certificate will be reduced from £21.50 to £20.
The order lowers the fee for a standard criminal record certificate from £21.50 to £20 and an enhanced certificate from £49.50 to £41.
The instrument reduces the annual subscription or renewal fee for the Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) update service from £16 to £15.
Arguments Against
The explanatory note states that no full impact assessment was produced because no significant impact on the private or voluntary sector was foreseen, which may be questioned by organizations managing high volumes of checks.
The regulations only apply to England and Wales, creating a fee discrepancy for applicants in Scotland or Northern Ireland who are subject to different regulatory regimes.
Some administrative bodies may face short-term implementation costs to update payment systems and guidance to reflect the new price points by the October deadline.
Citation, commencement and extent
- —(1) These Regulations may be cited as the Police Act 1997 (Criminal Records) (Amendment) Regulations 2026 and come into force on 5th October 2026.
(2) These Regulations extend to England and Wales.
This section establishes the official name of the regulations and sets the date they become legally active as 5 October 2026.
It limits the legal jurisdiction of these changes to England and Wales only.
Amendments to the Police Act 1997 (Criminal Records) Regulations 2002
- —(1) The Police Act 1997 (Criminal Records) Regulations 2002 are amended as follows.
(2) In regulation 3A (fee for criminal conviction certificates), for '£21.50' substitute '£20'.
(3) In regulation 4(1) (fees for criminal record certificates and enhanced criminal record certificates)—
(a) in sub-paragraph (a), for '£21.50' substitute '£20';
(b) in sub-paragraph (b), for '£49.50' substitute '£41'.
(4) In regulation 6(1) (fees for requesting up-date information under section 116A of the Police Act 1997)—
(a) in sub-paragraph (a), for '£16' substitute '£15';
(b) in sub-paragraph (b), for '£16' substitute '£15'.
This section modifies the existing 2002 Regulations to set new, lower price points for criminal record checks.
It reduces the fee for basic and standard certificates to £20 and enhanced certificates to £41.
It also lowers the fee for accessing or renewing the update service, which allows employers to check if a certificate is still current, to £15.
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