DBS & PVG Checks For Martial Arts

If you’re teaching or supervising children or adults at risk, you will almost always need an Enhanced DBS check (or PVG check in Scotland). This includes:

• Lead instructors running classes or clubs.

• Assistant instructors who help regularly in sessions.

• Volunteers with ongoing, unsupervised contact with juniors or vulnerable adults.

• Designated Safeguarding Leads (DSLs) or Welfare Officers.

If your role involves occasional, supervised contact only (such as helping out once or twice a year), a full Enhanced check may not be required — but safeguarding training and appropriate club policies are still mandatory.

We strongly recommend every club treats DBS/PVG checks as a core safeguarding standard, not just a legal tick-box. Even if you think your contact with children or vulnerable adults is limited, having clear evidence of suitability is the best way to protect your students, your reputation, and your club.

Most Enhanced DBS checks are returned to applicants within 7–10 working days, but the DBS itself advises that checks can take up to 6 weeks depending on circumstances (for example, if multiple police forces need to be contacted). Please note: the turnaround time is entirely controlled by the DBS, not BMABA or our umbrella provider, so unfortunately we can’t speed up individual cases.

Yes. The government does not charge a fee for volunteer DBS checks, but they do charge for checks linked to paid work. From December 2024 the government fee is £49.50 for an Enhanced DBS.
That said, all DBS applications must go through a registered umbrella body. Our provider (Aaron’s Department) charges an admin fee on top of the government cost, which we must pass on. BMABA also incurs processing costs to run and log your DBS. Even with these charges, we make a loss on every DBS check we run to ensure costs for our members are kept as low as possible.

The process is simple. Once you’re registered with BMABA CIC, you can;

1. Request your check through our DBS application portal.

2. Submit your ID evidence (see below for acceptable forms).

3. Our umbrella body (Aaron’s Department) processes your application and submits it to the DBS.

4. Once your certificate is issued, you’ll receive it by post. BMABA will log your check status on our secure membership system for verification purposes.

The DBS requires original documents to confirm your identity, address, and right to work. Acceptable evidence includes:

• A current passport

• Driving licence

• Birth certificate

• Recent utility bill or bank statement (issued within the last 3 months)

• Proof of address documents if you’ve recently moved

The exact combination required depends on what documents you have. We’ll guide you through this as part of your application.

You can have a look in more detail here too.

Yes. If you’re subscribed to the DBS Update Service, BMABA can check your existing Enhanced DBS status online. This means you don’t need to reapply unless your certificate has changed, or if the role you’re applying for requires a different level of check. We strongly recommend joining the Update Service when you apply—it’s just £13 per year and saves money and time in the long run.

In Northern Ireland, vetting is handled by AccessNI. This is separate from DBS and PVG. BMABA cannot directly process AccessNI checks, but we can advise you on requirements and how to register with the correct body.

In Scotland, rather than an enhanced DBS check there is instead a ‘PVG’ or Protecting Vulnerable Groups scheme. This scheme functions separately to the DBS, but is regarded under the ‘DBS’ category for suitability vetting. We don’t process PVGs in-house, but we do recommend ChildSafe who have been brilliantly processing checks for our Scottish clubs for a number of years. You can specify BMABA as a referral, and we’ll be automatically updated when you enrol.

• Basic DBS Check – shows only unspent convictions. It does not give any detail about cautions, reprimands, or other relevant information.

• Standard DBS Check – shows spent and unspent convictions, cautions, reprimands, and warnings held on the Police National Computer. It does not include barred list checks.

• Enhanced DBS Check – the most detailed level. It includes everything on a Standard check plus any information held by local police that’s considered relevant to the role. Importantly, Enhanced checks can also include a check of the children’s and/or adults’ barred lists – making them the only reliable safeguarding tool for roles involving direct contact with children or vulnerable adults.

Because martial arts instructors work in positions of trust and authority with children and adults at risk, BMABA requires Enhanced DBS checks with barred list searches for all teaching, coaching, or supervisory roles. This ensures clubs, parents, and students can have full confidence that instructors have been vetted to the highest possible standard.