When Recruiters Must Manually Verify a Candidate’s Address for a DBS Application

To meet the DBS requirements when submitting DBS applications, a current address must be verified. ## How Zinc Verifies a Current Address First, we will run a search through our certified Identity Service Provider (IDSP) using authoritative sources such as credit agencies and national postal records etc. This search verifies whether the candidate’s identity — based on their first name, last name, date of birth, and address — exists at their current address or at any previous addresses from the past five years provided by the candidate. After this search, we will attempt to **verify digitally via the candidate providing a proof of address for their current address**. The applicant is shown a list of options for the types of acceptable physical address proof documents, including: - Utility bill (last 3 months) — paper copy only (gas, electricity, water, landline, broadband) - Bank or building society statement (last 3 months) — paper copy only - Council tax letter (last 1 year) — paper copy only - Benefits letter (last 1 year) — paper copy only (job seeker allowance, housing benefit, tax credits) - Mortgage Statement (issued in the past 12 months) The candidate needs to upload a live photo of the full document page, showing their full name, type of document and date of issue. They will also need to ensure that the document states their full current address. If we were able to verify following the second digital option, the DBS application will be submitted directly to DBS. ## When You Need to Verify an Address Manually If the proof of address cannot be verified, it’s typically due to a few reasons. - The country of residence is not supported by our verification partner - There may be an issue with the address provided - The proof of address could not be processed. - The provided proof of address is not one that can be verified digitally. In these cases, we will need you to **manually verify the current address**. You will be notified of this via email by Zinc when you need to do this process and you will also see a request level status of Attention Needed. ## What Is the Manual Process? When an address proof cannot meet DBS submission rules, address documents must be **physically inspected**. **You must**: - See the **original physical documents unless noted otherwise in the guidelines** - Check the authenticity, consistency and validity of the documents - Confirm the documents belong to the applicant - Check letter headed paper is used, bank headers are correct, and all documentation looks genuine. The address should be cross-referenced with that provided by the applicant. **The organisation must**: - Record which documents were checked either with copies of the original documents seen or a clear record of the document details - Retain a record for at least 2 years - Be able to evidence who performed the check, when, and how DBS defines **3 options for manual checking**: - Option 1: In-person document check (default and **recommended**) where the candidate is in person with their documents physically there with them. - Option 2: Live video with you, the **checker** holding original physical documents and candidate is online (where Option 1 not possible). This below option should only to be used if individuals are going to be remote working or other exceptional circumstances. - Option 3: Live video with **candidate** holding original physical documents and checker is online, **but these must still be verified in person prior to employment starting** (and latest- on first day of employment) If the original documents are not physically verified in person before employment begins, **the process is incomplete**. You will need to connect with your candidate to determine what route is best for both of you but Option 1 is recommended in most cases where possible. ## What You Should Be Looking for in the Manual Check For an Enhanced or Standard DBS, the guidance can be found [here](https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/dbs-identity-checking-guidelines/id-checking-guidelines-for-standardenhanced-dbs-check-applications-from-22-april-2025#guidance-on-checking-documents). For a Basic DBS, the guidance can be found [here](https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/basic-check-guidance-and-policies/basic-check-id-checking-guidelines-from-22-april-2025). You will need to check the likeness in comparison to the candidate if possible, the authenticity of the document, and the consistency and validity of the documents provided. The address should be cross-referenced with that provided by the applicant. ## What You Should Do After the Manual Check After completing the manual check, please let Zinc know by inputting what address document was reviewed in the manual check in the **Address Verification** box and click **I have verified their address** to leave an audit trail of the check being performed by you, what document, and when you did the check. This step is crucial for the DBS to be processed. The **Address Verification** box only appears when the candidate has a DBS check and has failed the proof of address verification process on Zinc 6 times. This box is for address verification only, not identity document verification. There is a separate area for identity verification. If the **Address Verification** box is not available but you still need to record that a document has been seen, add a note in the **Comments** section at the top of the candidate report. This keeps an audit trail on the report. ## What Happens Next Once the manual process is completed, we will then proceed with submitting the DBS application automatically.