Home > Registration > PVG Scheme and Overseas Checks Apply for Registration Qualified in Scotland Qualified outside Scotland College Lecturer Additional Support Needs Independent Schools Becoming a Teacher Instrumental Music Instructors Return to the Register and Teaching Manage your Registration Add an additional subject/sector Retire/Cancel Registration Update your contact and employment details Proof of registration in Scotland (LOPS) Fee and Criminal Records Checks Registration Fee Protection of Vulnerable Groups (PVG) Criminal Record Check Protecting Vulnerable Groups Scheme and Overseas Checks There is a requirement for any teacher applying for registration to be a member of the Protection of Vulnerable Groups (PVG) Scheme. To join the Protecting Vulnerable Groups (PVG) Scheme, checks are carried out for all unspent and spent convictions and cautions held against an applicant. These checks include any non-conviction data held by police that may be relevant to the type of employment being sought; in our case, teaching. Applications for the PVG Scheme membership are processed by Disclosure Scotland. Disclosure Scotland provides this service as a means of enhancing security, public safety and protecting the vulnerable in society. There is a £59 fee to join the PVG Scheme membership and an £18 fee for an update. This is payable by you. The application for PVG Scheme membership must be completed and returned to us along with three photocopies of identity: • photo identification such as passport or driving licence • birth certificate • confirmation of your current address - utility bill/ bank statement Please do not send originals, photocopies will be sufficient. We will forward the completed PVG application to Disclosure Scotland on your behalf. Once Disclosure Scotland has finalised its checks, you (the applicant) will be sent a PVG Scheme Record and a copy will be sent to us (the countersignatory). If PVG Scheme membership is refused by Disclosure Scotland, registration will not be possible. If you are already a PVG Scheme member, with membership for regulated work with children, you will be required to complete an existing PVG Scheme member application (EPVG). This is to cover the period when you joined the scheme up to the present date. There is an £18 fee for this, payable by you. The application for PVG Scheme membership must be completed and returned to us along with three photocopies of identity: • photo identification such as passport or driving licence • birth certificate • confirmation of your current address - utility bill/ bank statement • PVG scheme record result, you will have received this document when you joined the scheme This document provides you with your PVG Scheme Number and Membership Status, which requires to either be with children or children and adult. Please do not send originals, photocopies will be sufficient. If on receipt of your PVG Scheme record check, there is new information recorded, you will be required to complete a further full scheme record check. This will cost you an additional £41. If your PVG Scheme membership is with regulated work with adults rather than children, you will be required to join the PVG Scheme with regulated work with children at the cost of £59. Overseas Criminal Records checks We require an overseas police check from the following applicants: those who have spent three months or more (in a single period) in a non-UK country in the last ten years those who were born and have lived overseas until adulthood If this applies to you, please obtain an official statement confirming you do not have any criminal record proceedings pending. The police check should cover the entire country, not just one state or province; for example, we require FBI clearance for the USA and RCMP clearance for Canada. The statement can be obtained from: police or judicial authorities government departments the Home Embassy/ consulate of your country Statements are only valid for application purposes for six months from the date of issue. This does not apply if you relocated to the UK before the six month period expired and have not been a resident in the country concerned since. Advice regarding Republic of Ireland Police Clearance Please note that we cannot accept 'Garda Criminal Records Database' search results, as these are not official Police Clearance documents. We can only accept Garda Vet statements, which are issued to teachers by the Garda Central Vetting Unit via the Teaching Council Ireland. Please contact the Teaching Council Ireland for further information about obtaining this document. For teachers qualified outside Scotland Overseas criminal record checks should be submitted with your application form. If it is not submitted at this time then applicants have a maximum of 56 days to submit it, after which the application is closed and destroyed. We strongly recommend candidates do not submit their application until they have obtained their overseas criminal record checks. Some countries can take several months to process the request resulting in the application being closed and all documentation being destroyed. If this happens candidates will be required to submit a full new application and pay a further £65 processing fee. Useful Links Protection of Vulnerable Groups Questions and Answers Canada Visa Although this website is called CanadaVisa, it provides a list of all countries, providing useful addresses, Email addresses and contact telephone numbers to help you obtain an overseas police check. Disclosure Scotland Website Protecting Vulnerable Groups Scheme