DBS Address History for Students or Unusual Addresses

Your DBS check needs your full address history for the last five years, with no gaps. If your situation isn't straightforward, find it below. ## The Basics - Your **current address** must be a full UK address, because it's where your certificate is sent. - Enter dates as **MM/YYYY**, in the provided fields. For example **02/2023.** - Do not list short stays, such as a night or two in a hotel for work or a one- or two-week holiday. ## Students - Add every student address from the last five years, including halls of residence. - Use your non-term-time address to fill any gaps between student addresses. - You can use either your non-term-time address or your student address as your current address. **Choose the address where you want your certificate sent.** ## Working away from home - If you stay away for a night or two at a time, enter **only** your permanent home address. - If you live somewhere else for **months** at a time, or are away in the week and home at weekends, you can enter both addresses. - You must declare your permanent home as your **only current address.** ## Cruise ships, canal boats, and merchant vessels - If a vessel was your permanent home, enter its registered port or permanent mooring address and the dates you lived on board. ## No fixed abode - If you had no fixed abode, please input a postcode of a **local landmark/council office within the area** where you were temporarily staying. - If you were in more than one county or city, add each as a separate entry. - You cannot use this as your current address. - If you do not have a fixed current address, you can use a [care of address](https://help.zincwork.com/en/article/fa760006-how-care-of-addresses-work-for-a-dbs-check) instead, such as the address of a support organisation. ## HM Armed Forces - Enter your BFPO number as the first line of the address, and use your BFPO postcode in the postcode field - You still need the dates; you can declare this address as your current or previous address. ## Living overseas - Enter **OVERSEAS** as the first line of the address, with the country and dates. - For any required fields, enter 000. This will not cause delays to your DBS. - If you had a **fixed address** overseas, declare this properly. - Your history can include overseas addresses, but **your current address must be in the UK.** - If you live abroad now, use a UK-based [care of address](https://help.zincwork.com/en/article/fa760006-how-care-of-addresses-work-for-a-dbs-check), such as your employer or a trusted contact. ## Frequent or long-term travellers - The DBS require a **full UK current address** to send the certificate to. - You can declare long periods of travel by entering **TRAVELLING** in the first line of the address. - Supply the name of the country in which you were travelling in the **country** field and the dates between which you were in that country in the **dates from and to** fields. - For any required fields, enter 000. This will not cause delays to your DBS. ## Refuges and sheltered accommodation - Enter the address and dates as normal. - Do not mention the type of accommodation anywhere on the form. ## Time in prison - Enter the name of the prison, the town, city, or county it is in, and the dates you were there. For more on dates, see [What Does Duration of Stay Mean During the Address History?](https://help.zincwork.com/en/article/b31992c1-what-does-duration-of-stay-mean-during-the-address-history). For overseas addresses, see [Can My DBS Address History Include International Addresses?.](https://help.zincwork.com/en/article/faba7cdd-can-my-dbs-address-history-include-international-addresses)