BS 7858 Screening Explained: A UK Guide for Employers and Applicants (2026)

If you buy security services, BS 7858 is one of the clearest signs that the officers on your site have been properly checked. If you are applying for a security job, it is the screening you will go through before you start. This guide explains what the standard covers, how the process works step by step and what you need to prepare.

It is written by Universal Support Services Group (USSG), an SIA Approved Contractor based in Stockport. Our directly employed security officers are screened to BS 7858 before deployment.

What is BS 7858?

BS 7858 is published by BSI, the UK’s national standards body. Its full title is Screening of individuals working in a secure environment. Code of practice. The current edition, BS 7858:2019, was published in September 2019 and replaced BS 7858:2012.

The 2019 edition changed the title from “security environment” to “secure environment”, because the standard is now used well beyond security companies, including facilities management, retail, sports and entertainment and local government. It applies to full-time and part-time staff, contractors, sole traders and directors. It also places more weight on risk assessment and on the responsibility of senior management, and it removed character references, which BSI described as too easy to abuse.

Who has to screen to BS 7858?

There is no general law that says every security company must use BS 7858. The SIA licenses individuals, not companies. But the standard is required in several important places:

• SIA Approved Contractors. The SIA states that pre-employment screening must conform to BS 7858 for a company to remain an SIA approved contractor, and that outsourcing screening does not outsource the responsibility.
• NSI and SSAIB certification. The certification bodies for security services include BS 7858 screening in their schemes. NSI requires it for all of its security services approvals.
• Insurers and clients. Some insurers make BS 7858 a policy condition and may ask for more, such as a longer screening period. Many client contracts and tenders ask for it too.

Our memberships and accreditations page shows the approvals USSG holds and how to check them.

The BS 7858 screening process, step by step

1. Application and consent

   The applicant is told that screening will take place and gives consent. Screening cannot start without it. They provide a full history of employment, education and any other activity for the screening period.

2. Preliminary checks

   The employer sees original identity documents and keeps copies, confirms the current address, checks the right to work in the UK, and checks public record information such as county court judgments and bankruptcy.

3. Financial check

   Financial information is obtained through a credit reference agency. Serious findings, such as county court judgments over £10,000, bankruptcy or directorships, are reviewed by senior management, who must sign to accept the risk.

4. Criminal record

   The applicant declares all cautions and convictions, including motoring offences and pending cases. This is backed by a valid SIA licence or a criminal record disclosure, and a higher level of disclosure may be needed for work with children or vulnerable adults.

5. Limited screening and a conditional start

   Once the preliminary checks are done and at least three years of history are accounted for, the person can start work on a conditional basis while the rest of the checks are completed.

6. Full screening

   Employers, schools and colleges confirm the history in writing, covering at least five years. Any period over 31 days that cannot be verified must be resolved.

7. Decision and records

   Only when full screening is complete should employment be confirmed. The screening file is kept securely during employment and for a set period afterwards.

What BS 7858 checks

For some roles, the employer may also carry out open-source and social media checks. BS 7858 mentions these as something that might be prudent, not as a requirement, and they must be carried out fairly and lawfully.

The five-year history and the 31-day rule

The heart of BS 7858 is a continuous, verified record of what the person has been doing. Every job, course, period of self-employment or unemployment, travel or career break is accounted for. A gap is fine as long as it is explained and evidenced; what the standard does not allow is an unverified period of more than 31 days.

Where a former employer has closed or will not respond, other evidence can be used, such as payslips, P45s or P60s. A statutory declaration is a last resort: NSI’s summary of the standard limits it to one unverified period of no more than six months in the most recent five years, with written approval from senior management. Where a longer screening period is required, the standard uses ten years.

Applying for a security job: what to prepare

Most screening delays come from missing dates and contact details. Having these ready makes your screening faster:

• Photo IDYour passport or photo driving licence. Originals are seen and copied.
• Proof of addressA recent bill or bank statement in your name.
• Right to workA British or Irish passport, or a Home Office share code beginning with W. Share codes last 90 days.
• Five-year historyEvery job, course and break with start and end dates, plus employer names, addresses and contact details.
• Evidence for gapsPayslips, P45s, P60s, benefit letters, travel bookings or self-employment records.
• SIA licenceYour licence card for security roles. Basic criminal record checks for England and Wales cost £20 if you are asked for one.

Be open on your declaration. You will be asked about all cautions and convictions, including motoring offences and pending cases, so make your declaration complete. If you have had a county court judgment or bankruptcy, it is not automatically the end of an application: it is reviewed against the role.

Ready to apply? See current roles and our application forms on the USSG careers page.

Buying security: questions to ask your provider

Almost every security company says its staff are vetted. These questions show whether screening is really done to BS 7858:

1. Are all officers who will work on our site screened to BS 7858:2019 before deployment?
2. Do you screen in-house, or use a screening company? Either is acceptable, but the provider stays responsible.
3. How do you handle officers who start on a conditional basis, and how do you make sure full screening is finished within 12 weeks?
4. Are you an SIA Approved Contractor, and can we see your entry on the SIA register?
5. Are your officers directly employed, or supplied through another agency?
6. When an officer is replaced at short notice, is the replacement screened to the same standard?

Our guides on how to choose a security company and what manned guarding is cover more checks before you sign.

BS 7858, SIA licence and DBS check: what is the difference?

An SIA licence does not replace BS 7858 screening. The licence shows that a person may do security work; BS 7858 shows that the employer has checked their background for the role. Screening also covers key holding officers, who hold client keys and enter empty premises.

Existing staff, transfers and records

• Existing staff. Staff already in a relevant role should be screened to the standard. People screened to the 2012 edition do not need re-screening if the earlier screening can be clearly shown.
• TUPE transfers. When officers transfer from another contractor without proof of BS 7858 screening, screening should start from the date of transfer. The SIA notes that employment does not automatically have to end if it cannot be completed.
• Records. NSI’s summary of the standard says key screening records are kept for seven years after employment ends. Under UK GDPR, employers must tell candidates about vetting, have a lawful basis for criminal record checks and keep data only as long as they can justify.

Frequently asked questions

Related guides: what manned guarding is, what key holding is and how to choose a security company.