DBS checks and the Update Service

An enhanced criminal records check from the Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) is part of every London PHV driver licence application. This guide explains what the handbook says about it, how it fits with the "fit and proper" requirement, and what we do and do not know about the DBS Update Service.

What the handbook says about DBS

The DBS is described as a public body that does checks on people's backgrounds. As part of the application you must have an enhanced criminal records check. The handbook says the checks will show any convictions, cautions, reprimands and final warnings you have had. They will also show whether the local police have any information that is relevant to you working as a PHV driver, and whether you are on a list of people who are prevented from working with vulnerable groups.

The handbook adds that TfL uses a separate company to arrange DBS checks for applicants, that you must use that company to get your DBS certificate, and that further details are on the TfL website. In other words, you cannot just bring a certificate you obtained some other way. Check TfL's page for the current process.

In the glossary, "enhanced" is described as a higher level of DBS check that shows full details of criminal records, including cautions and warnings.

Fit and proper

The licensing requirements say you must be a "fit and proper" person to hold a licence, and that you will need an enhanced criminal records check. The glossary says there is no fixed definition in law, but it generally means not having a criminal record and being honest in your dealings with authority. That is the handbook's own wording, so it is a good guide to how seriously honesty is taken. If you have a conviction or caution, be open about it and ask TfL how it affects your application. We cannot tell you how any particular record will be treated.

Fees

TfL's licence page listed the enhanced DBS check at the online fee in our licence cost calculator when we checked on 1 Oct 2026, with a separate Post Office Check and Send document check fee shown there too. Because fees change, check TfL's page before paying.

The DBS Update Service

The handbook version 1.0 does not mention the DBS Update Service. TfL's fee page, as we last checked it on 1 Oct 2026, listed a DBS Update Service fee of 16 pounds per year. We have not confirmed what the service is for in TfL's process, so we do not describe it. What we have not confirmed, and so do not claim, is:

• Whether TfL requires you to subscribe.
• When you need to subscribe, or whether it affects renewal.
• How TfL uses your subscription.

If you are applying or renewing, read TfL's page, and ask TfL if the wording is unclear. Do not pay for any service because a third-party website says you must.

After you are licensed: what you must report

A clear DBS check at application does not end your duties. The handbook says you must tell TfL immediately if you are arrested, charged with, convicted or cautioned for any crime. That includes fixed penalty notices and road traffic offences that bring penalty points on your driving licence. You must not rely on the police telling TfL. If you fail to tell TfL about convictions, you could have your licence revoked.

You must also tell TfL immediately if you are disqualified from driving, subject to a mental health order or sexual offences order, on either the Adults or Children's Barred Lists, or if another licensing authority suspends, revokes or refuses a licence. Our guide on what you must tell TfL sets out the full list and time limits.

You do not have to report ordinary penalty charge notices or parking tickets that carry no points, though frequent ones can lead to licensing action.

Why TfL cares: licence revocation and vehicles

The handbook says that if a driver is charged with or convicted of a serious violent or sexual offence, TfL may also revoke the licence of a vehicle they own, because of the risk to public safety.

Practical tips

• Use only the route TfL gives you for the DBS check, and keep any reference numbers.
• Keep your contact details up to date with TfL so you receive letters and emails. The handbook says to tell TfL within 21 days of a change of home address.
• Respond to every TfL request. The handbook says TfL can only decide based on the information it has.

What this guide does not cover

How long a DBS certificate is valid for TfL purposes, what happens with an old conviction, and how the Update Service is used are not covered by the handbook. Ask TfL.

General information, not legal advice.