Manual certificates are used in rare circumstances when an automated DBS certificate cannot be issued. A manual certificate looks different to an automated certificate, but the application itself will have gone through the exact same checking process.

The manual certificate is still an Enhanced DBS certificate and can still be used for making a licensing decision. However, a driver will not be able to apply for the DBS Update Service with a manual certificate. The Disclosure and Barring Service are looking into a way to resolve this issue.