LONDON - eTradeWire -- Self Employed DBS, the online DBS check platform for sole traders and single-person companies, has launched a free tracking tool that shows the progress of a Standard or Enhanced DBS application in under a minute.

The tool needs two details: the ten-digit application form reference number (it starts with an "E") and the applicant's date of birth. It builds the correct secure link and opens the official Disclosure and Barring Service tracker in a new tab. It works for any Standard or Enhanced application, whichever umbrella body or employer submitted it. Basic checks are tracked separately through the GOV.UK account used to apply, so the tool does not cover them.

The launch follows a change in the law. Since 21 January 2026, self-employed workers in England and Wales have been able to apply for their own Enhanced DBS checks through a registered umbrella body. Before that, only organisations could submit Enhanced applications, which left tutors, carers, childminders and coaches without access to the same level of screening as employed staff. Many of the people now applying have never held a DBS certificate before, and the most common question they ask is where their application has got to.

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The official tracker displays up to five stages, each marked Completed, In Progress or Not Started. An Enhanced check can pass through all five; a Standard check usually skips the barred-list and local-police stages. The tool's guide explains what to do when an application stalls: if it has sat at Stage 4 for weeks, the applicant can contact the relevant police force directly, and if Stage 5 drags past ten working days, the DBS can be reached on 03000 200 190.

"Stage 4 is where applications sit the longest, and it's also where people start to panic," said a spokesperson for Self Employed DBS. "The tracker can't speed anything up. What it does is tell you whether to wait, chase the police force, or ring the DBS."

The tool is free and there is no need to register.

Track an application: https://self-employed-dbs.co.uk/dbs-tracking-service/

Step-by-step tracking guide: https://self-employed-dbs.co.uk/how-to-track-dbs-application/

Self Employed DBS is a brand of MJD Ventures Limited, an independent government-approved umbrella body. It is not affiliated with the Disclosure and Barring Service.