Scotland and Northern Ireland
The PVG scheme in Scotland: membership, cost and rules
Choose your situation: the fee Disclosure Scotland charges for your PVG application.
What your PVG application costs
Level 2 PVG, joining the scheme
£59
| Join the scheme | £59 |
| Existing member | £18 |
| Social care waiver | 1 August 2026 to 31 July 2027 |
Membership lasts five years from 1 April 2026 onwards. Fees from Disclosure Scotland.
The Protecting Vulnerable Groups (PVG) scheme is Scotland's membership scheme for people doing regulated roles with children or protected adults. It is run by Disclosure Scotland, and it is a legal requirement to join it before doing a regulated role. Since 1 April 2026, membership lasts five years. Joining costs £59; an existing member applying for the same type of regulated role pays £18, and membership stays free for volunteers in a qualifying voluntary organisation. From 1 August 2026 to 31 July 2027, the fee is also waived for eligible workers starting a new role in commissioned adult or children's social care. Disclosure Scotland keeps checking members while they are in the scheme, so new information can lead to consideration for listing. Organisations start PVG applications; you can apply on your own only if you are a personal assistant, self-employed or work for an individual. The scheme replaces, for these roles, the DBS enhanced check with barred lists used in England and Wales.
Fees and rules checked by Radif Partners · Editorial policy · How the figures are built
Fees and processing
| PVG application | Fee | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Joining the scheme | £59 | Disclosure Scotland fees |
| Existing member, same type of regulated role | £18 | Disclosure Scotland fees |
| Volunteer, qualifying voluntary organisation | £0 | Disclosure Scotland fees |
| New role in commissioned social care, 1 August 2026 to 31 July 2027 | £0 | Quarter one 2026 update |
From April to June 2026, Disclosure Scotland completed 152,622 applications of all kinds in 3.5 days on average, 99.5% within 14 days (quarter one 2026).
How membership works
According to mygov.scot, Disclosure Scotland carries out criminal record checks when you apply and gives you a disclosure that you can share with the organisation. It keeps barred lists for children and protected adults and, while you are a member, keeps checking your suitability. Organisations with members doing regulated roles must report harmful behaviour to Disclosure Scotland. If you stop doing a regulated role, you can leave the scheme.
PVG and the other levels
Under its current disclosure levels, Scotland has Level 1, which replaced the basic disclosure, Level 2, which replaced most standard disclosures, Level 2 with a barred list check for specific activities such as adopting a child, and the PVG scheme for regulated roles. The fees page prices Level 1 and Level 2 at £25. The PVG check page compares the PVG with the enhanced DBS check.
Who must join
The test is whether the role is a regulated role with children or protected adults, and mygov.scot has a tool to check if a role needs PVG membership. Employers cannot let someone do a regulated role without it. A role that is not regulated may still need a Level 2 disclosure, chosen by the organisation. If you take a role with a group not on your membership, for example adults when you are a member for children, you apply to update your membership rather than join again.
Cost compared with England and Wales
Joining PVG costs £59, against £41 for an enhanced DBS check with barred lists since 5 October 2026. The gap narrows over time: a PVG member changing role pays £18, while a DBS certificate holder either pays £15 a year for the Update Service or £41 for each new check.