Caution Calculator

Our specialist DBS solicitors have created a Police Caution Calculator to help you understand how the current DBS filtering and disclosure rules may apply to your police caution.

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Youth Caution Adult Caution

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Police Caution DBS Certificate Calculator

Find out if your police caution will show up on a DBS Certificate

Is your caution an adult simple/conditional caution or is it a youth simple/conditional caution (including youth reprimands and warnings)

Adult or Youth Caution?

Basic DBS Certificates:

A youth caution will become spent immediately and will not be revealed on a basic DBS certificate. For a conditional youth caution it will become spent after 3 months if the conditions last 3 months or more, or on the date the conditions end if the conditions last less than 3 months. All youth warnings and reprimands issued under the old final warning scheme are also immediately spent and will not show on a Basic Certificate.

Standard DBS Certificate:

Any youth caution or warning or reprimand will become immediately “protected” and will not show on a standard DBS certificate.

Enhanced DBS Certificate:

Any youth caution. warning or reprimand will become immediately “protected” and will not automatically show on a Enhanced DBS certificate, however the police can also disclose “relevant information”. The more serious the offence, and more recent the incident, then the more likely the information will be disclosed. If information is disclosed on an Enhanced DBS certificate, this can be challenged directly with the police, then to the Independent Monitor, then finally Judicial Review.

ACRO Police Certificates:

Youth Cautions (and warnings and reprimands) can also be disclosed on ACRO police certificates. ACRO Police Certificates are requested by many countries when any UK resident or citizen is looking to live or move overseas.

For most youth cautions they will be “stepped down” after 5 years, for more serious offences they become stepped down after 10 years. See the full list here: ACRO Step Down Rules

After a criminal record is stepped down, it will nevertheless still be indirectly revealed on a Police Certificate; after the step down period a Certificate will state “No Live Trace”. If someone has never had a criminal record, or had their record expunged, their Police Certificate will simply state “No Trace”.

If a “No Live Trace” record is revealed, then a foreign nation, notably the USA, China, Singapore, Malaysia, Saudi Arabia, Canada, Australia, and others, will request full details about that person’s previous record.

How long does a caution stay on your DBS?

If you have a police caution and you are wondering how long does it stay on your DBS, you can use our police caution calculator above.

Our police caution calculator has been created by an expert DBS solicitor and is up to date with the current DBS disclosure rules.

You may have looked elsewhere online and seen a confusing amount of contradictory, or incomplete, information about how long a police caution will stay on your DBS certificate.

Our calculator will tell you the correct rules that apply to your circumstances whether you have a youth or adult caution, or whether it is conditional or simple.

The calculator will provide you the rules related to each level of DBS certificate, and also details the rules related to ACRO police certificates (which are used for overseas travel/immigration).

If you don’t want to use the police caution calculator, you can read our article about how long a police caution stays on your record. You can see our article here: Can you appeal a DBS check?

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020 8099 9051
info@legisia.co.uk
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The North Colchester Business Centre
340 The Crescent, Colchester
Essex, CO4 9AD
Cases are conducted nationwide & internationally
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50 Liverpool Street, London EC2M 7PY

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About Legisia Legal Services

Matt Elkins

Director | Solicitor

Matt Elkins is the Director of Legisia Legal Services and a Solicitor Advocate with over 17 years of experience helping professionals clear police records, challenge DBS disclosures, and defend against regulatory investigations. He holds Higher Rights of … Read More

Myriam Rubi

Office manager | NMC and HCPC Qualified

Myriam Rubi is the first point of contact for most clients at Legisia. She manages Legisia’s operations and client care. As a qualified mental health nurse registered with the NMC and HCPC, she understands the unique pressures professionals face when … Read More

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Initial Enquiries and Consultation Policy

Whilst we welcome initial enquiries;

Please do not send a detailed case summary by email prior to consultation.
We are unable to give legal advice by email alone.
Following an enquiry, your initial telephone call will confirm whether your matter falls within the scope of our services. If, following this initial call, you wish to speak with a solicitor, you will be required to book a fixed-fee initial consultation.
During this consultation, we will provide clear legal advice on your position and a written report setting out your prospects of success.
Please include a telephone number with your enquiry so we can contact you directly.

Fees and Legal Aid

The initial telephone call is not charged. Fees are only incurred once a fixed-fee initial consultation with a solicitor is booked.
After this initial consultation, if your case has merit, we will offer you a detailed written advice with clearly explained costs.
In most cases we offer fixed fees, unfortunately we do not offer legal aid.
Some more complex cases may require a slightly higher fixed fee, whereas for more straightforward cases, the costs will be lower.

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Caution Calculator

Police Caution DBS Certificate Calculator

Find out if your police caution will show up on a DBS Certificate

Adult or Youth Caution?

Is your Caution for a "Specified Offence"?