Enhanced disclosure
An enhanced disclosure is used to help employers make sure people are suitable for certain roles.
You may need an enhanced disclosure if you apply:
- to adopt a child
- for a gaming or lottery licence for your business
Enhanced disclosure is a type of higher level disclosure. Different roles use other types of disclosure.
Information on an enhanced disclosure
An enhanced disclosure shows criminal history information, including:
- unspent convictions
- relevant spent convictions
- unspent cautions
- inclusion on children's or adults' lists (if it's relevant to the job)
- other relevant information held by the police
- information from the Sex Offenders Register
Under the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974, some convictions can be treated as spent after a certain length of time, meaning they're not relevant to some types of disclosure.
EU Nationals applying for roles with children
Disclosure Scotland checks your criminal history information held in the UK, as well as from your country of nationality, if your nationality is one of the following:
- Germany
- Lithuania
- Netherlands
- Portugal
- Romania
- Hungary
- Greece
- France
- Ireland
- Italy
- Spain
- Poland
How to apply
The organisation you're working with will send you a form to complete.
Organisations can download the digital form. Once the form is complete, the organisation needs to email it to Disclosure Scotland.
If you cannot complete the digital form, organisations can ask for a paper form instead.
Once your application is processed, both you and the organisation you applied with are sent a copy of the enhanced disclosure certificate.
Organisations must register with Disclosure Scotland to apply for enhanced disclosure. If they do not want to register, they can use an umbrella body instead.
Cost of enhanced disclosure
An enhanced disclosure costs £25. This can be paid by debit or credit card. It can also be paid by invoice if the organisation is registered with Disclosure Scotland.
You will not get a refund unless Disclosure Scotland has made an error.
How long it takes to get your certificate
Most applications are processed within 14 calendar days. A certificate is then sent to you by post. If there are mistakes in your application it may take longer.
Information for care experienced people
There’s information to help you complete the application, including how to answer the address history part of the form.
Help
You can contact Disclosure Scotland for help, for example if you need your certificate number and cannot find it.
- email: response@disclosurescotland.gov.scot
- phone: 0300 020 0040
Opening hours
- Monday to Thursday 9am to 4pm
- Friday 9am to 3:30pm
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