Regulations laid in Scottish Parliament confirm that the 5 year Protecting Vulnerable Groups (PVG) scheme membership will come into force on Wednesday 1 April 2026.

From this point, people who join the PVG scheme will automatically be part of the 5 year scheme membership. Every 5 years, renewal will be required.

Important information:

Organisations should continue to submit PVG scheme applications as normal. From now (or once the 5 year membership starts Wednesday 1 April 2026), organisations should not change how often or when they should apply for the PVG scheme.
PVG scheme members who joined before Wednesday 1 April 2026 do not need to do anything now. Disclosure Scotland will:
- contact the applicant when they will move to the 5 year PVG scheme membership
- expect this to happen in phases
- work with VSDS to understand the requirements for this transition
- will share more information about this as soon as possible

In the meantime, PVG scheme members should ensure that their details are up to date.

For information on how applicants can update their PVG details, timescales and legal requirements, please visit the Disclosure Scotland website (linked for your convenience).

Third sector organisations can also visit the Volunteer Scotland Disclosure Services (VSDS) page for information, as VSDS is funded to support the third sector in its disclosure checks.