If you look at the guidance on what documents you can provide for a DBS certificate, you’ll see it is split into several categories. The second of these categories is “trusted government documents”. If you have identification such as passport or a driving licence, you might not need anything from this group at all. But if you don’t, it’s important to understand what the category means, and what can be accepted as identification.

Items in the Trusted Government Documents Group

There’s quite a long list of documents in this category on the DBS website. These include:

• Non-EU driving licence or paper driving licence
• Marriage certificate
• HM Forces ID card
• Firearms Licence

Depending on your situation, you might have one or more of these documents. Let’s look at the requirements for each one in turn.

Driving Licences

If you have a pink UK or EU card driving licence with your photo on it, this counts as Primary identification and is in a separate group. If you have a photocard driving licence issued outside the EU, such as the Australian example in the picture, you can use that in your DBS application. The same rules apply as with UK documents. Your driving licence must be valid, and not expired. The details on your driving licence – such as your surname – must match the details on the rest of your ID and on the DBS application form. If you still have one of the old paper driving licence issued in the UK before 1998, you can also use it to apply for your DBS check.

Mariage or Civil Partnership Certificate

Although these documents don’t have your photograph, you can easily you it to prove who you are. The benefit of using a marriage or civil partnership certificate is that it is easy to prove a change of surname. Only marriage and civil partnership certificates issued in the UK can be used to prove your identity. Civil partnership certificates are accepted on an equal basis with marriage certificates. If you’ve lost your marriage or civil partnership certificate, you can order a replacement office from the register office in the town where you got married.

HM Forces ID Card

This type of ID only applies to people who are currently service in the British Army, Navy or Airforce. As applicants are put through a strict vetting process to get one of these cards, they are a useful form of ID. The card has the holder’s photograph and other personal details. Applicants wanting to use this form of ID will need the original of the card, not a photocopy.

Firearms Certificate

It’s perhaps unlikely that this is the only form of ID which you have. However, around 150,000 people in the UK hold a firearms licence. This document can be useful when applying for a DBS check. The Police run thorough background checks on anyone applying for a firearms licence to make sure they are suitable. Applicants can only use firearms certificates issued in the UK. Also, certificates should be current and not expired.