Police Scotland
Eligibility Checker
Ten short questions on the rules Police Scotland publishes for new police officers. You see each rule you meet, each one to check and each one that rules you out for now, with the source. Free, no account and nothing stored.
Independent information, not advice · Sources checked 22 October 2026 · Scotland unless stated
You can apply if you are 18 or over, have lived in the UK for at least three years, are a UK or EEA national or hold indefinite leave to remain, hold a manual driving licence with no more than 6 points and meet the eyesight standard. Listed convictions, a current or recent trust deed, recent sequestration and defaults of £1,000 or more mean rejection.
Check your eligibility
Answer each question honestly. Nothing you enter leaves your browser. If you are unsure, pick the closest answer and the result will tell you what to check.
How old are you?
Free, no account. Your answers stay in your browser and are not stored or sent.
How the checker works
Each question maps to one rule Police Scotland publishes on its police officer page, its list of offences that mean rejection, its eyesight annex or its transferee and rejoiner pages. The checker gives each rule one of three results:
- Meets: your answer matches the published rule.
- Check with Police Scotland: the published rule leaves the answer open, or you said you were unsure. Ask the recruitment team before you spend months preparing.
- Does not meet yet: Police Scotland states a firm bar. Many of these lift with time (age, residence, a trust deed, eye surgery, a manual test), so the result tells you what to wait for.
It never says you are eligible. Police Scotland decides and checks everything again at vetting. The checker is for the questions you can answer now; the tested stages come later.
The rules it uses
| Rule | Meets | Does not meet yet | Check | Where Police Scotland says it |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Age | 18 or over | Under 18 | Police Scotland officer page; regulation 6 | |
| UK residence | Three years or more | Under three years | Time abroad or unsure | Police Scotland officer page |
| Nationality | British, or indefinite leave to remain or equivalent | Time-limited visa | EEA national; unsure | Police Scotland officer page; regulation 6(1)(i) |
| Driving licence | Full manual licence | Automatic only; no licence | Provisional with a manual test booked | Police Scotland officer page |
| Penalty points | 6 or fewer | More than 6; drink or drug driving | Offences that mean you'll be rejected | |
| Criminal record | Nothing to declare | Listed offences; adult prison sentence; sex offender orders | Other convictions to declare | Offences page; recruitment process page |
| Finances | None of the three bars | Trust deed active or under 12 months since discharge; sequestration or bankruptcy under 3 years; defaults of £1,000 or more | Other debt arrangements | Offences page |
| Eyesight | No known problem; glasses or lenses; laser surgery 6+ weeks ago; most colour deficiencies | Laser surgery under 6 weeks ago; RK, AK or corneal graft; monochromat | Annex 1 eyesight standards | |
| Tattoos | None | Never on its own | Any tattoo (declared and reviewed) | Recruitment process page; application example |
| Previous service | None; MOD Police, CNC, Royal Parks or port police (new candidates) | Never on its own | Former Police Scotland officer (rejoiner route); serving transferee | Transferees and rejoiners pages |
Police Scotland's police officer page says "at least three years" in the UK. Its rejoiner page adds "immediately prior to application", but the officer page does not, so the checker does not add those words for new officers. If you have spent long periods abroad, ask the recruitment team how it treats them.
What the results mean
| Overall result | What it means | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| Nothing in your answers rules you out | None of your answers is a published bar. | Start preparing: fitness to 5.4, the PSET and your application answers. |
| Some answers need checking | At least one rule depends on details Police Scotland does not publish, or you were unsure. | Ask the recruitment team or at a recruitment event before you apply. |
| At least one rule rules you out for now | A firm published bar applies to you. | Find the date it lifts and plan for after it with the timeline planner. |
Worked examples
These invented applicants were run through the same rules the checker uses when this page was built, so the table always matches the tool. Everyone else in each example answers the default way (18 or over, British, three years in the UK, manual licence, nothing to declare).
| Applicant | Rules affected | Overall |
|---|---|---|
| Aged 17, finishing sixth year at school, no licence yet | Age: Does not meet yet; Driving licence: Does not meet yet | Ruled out for now |
| Nurse on a Health and Care Worker visa, in the UK for five years | Nationality and right to work: Does not meet yet | Ruled out for now |
| EEA national living in Scotland for four years | Nationality and right to work: Check | Check with Police Scotland |
| Holds an automatic-only licence | Driving licence: Does not meet yet | Ruled out for now |
| 6 points for speeding, nothing else | Penalty points: Meets | Nothing rules you out |
| 9 points for speeding | Penalty points: Does not meet yet | Ruled out for now |
| Trust deed discharged eight months ago | Finances: Does not meet yet | Ruled out for now |
| Paying off a credit card on a payment plan, no defaults | Finances: Check | Check with Police Scotland |
| A breach of the peace conviction at 19, declared | Criminal record: Check | Check with Police Scotland |
| LASIK four weeks ago, two sleeve tattoos | Eyesight: Does not meet yet; Tattoos: Check | Ruled out for now |
| Serving Merseyside constable with five years' service | Route: Check | Check with Police Scotland |
| Former Civil Nuclear Constabulary officer | Route: Meets | Nothing rules you out |
Every question (10)
- How old are you? Under 18 / 18 or over
- How long have you lived in the UK? Less than three years / Three years or more / Not sure (for example, time spent abroad)
- Which best describes your nationality or immigration status? British citizen / EEA national (EU, Iceland, Liechtenstein or Norway) / Another nationality with indefinite leave to remain or equivalent / Another nationality on a time-limited visa / Not sure
- What driving licence do you hold? Full manual licence / Full automatic-only licence / Provisional licence, manual test booked / No licence
- Penalty points and driving offences 6 points or fewer, no drink or drug driving / More than 6 points / A drink or drug driving offence (including failing to provide a specimen)
- Do any of these apply to you? Tick all that do. Convicted of, or under investigation for, an offence on Police Scotland's rejection list / An offence as an adult that resulted in a prison sentence / Registered sex offender, or subject to a SOPO or SHPO / Another conviction or matter to declare that is not on the list
- Do any of these apply to your finances? Tick all that do. I am currently in a trust deed / My trust deed was discharged less than 12 months ago / I was sequestrated or declared bankrupt less than 3 years ago / I have defaulted accounts totalling £1,000 or more / Other debt arrangements or payment plans
- Which best describes your eyesight? No known problems / I wear glasses or contact lenses / Laser surgery (PRK, LASIK, LASEK) less than 6 weeks ago / Laser or cataract surgery 6 weeks ago or more / Radial or astigmatic keratotomy, or a corneal graft / Told I am a monochromat (no colour vision) / Another colour vision deficiency
- Do you have any tattoos? No / Yes
- Have you served as a police officer before? No / Yes: a former Police Scotland officer who completed probation / I am a serving officer in England, Wales, the PSNI or BTP with 3+ years' service / Another police service (for example MOD Police, CNC or a port police)
What it does not check
- The PSET. 49 questions in 60 minutes across language, numeracy and information handling. See the PSET readiness quiz.
- Fitness. The 15-metre bleep test to level 5.4. See the fitness test guide.
- The medical. Hearing, eyesight measured properly, urine, blood pressure, height and weight for BMI and breathing. See the medical guide.
- Vetting and references. Everything you declare is checked at the final stage. See the vetting guide.
- Business interests. You must tell Police Scotland about any business interest, including other paid work or a family member's licence in Scotland. The form asks for details.
- Tattoo acceptability. Police Scotland does not publish placement rules. See the tattoos guide.
After your result
- Read the full eligibility requirements guide for any rule marked Check.
- Plan your weeks with the recruitment timeline planner. The Police Officer vacancy closes on 31 March 2027.
- Start fitness training now. Police Scotland says more people fail the fitness test than any other stage.
- Practise the PSET under time, then the spoken assessment day exercises.
What we could not verify
- How Police Scotland counts time abroad within the three years for new officers.
- Whether a booked manual driving test is accepted at application.
- Whether the 3-year sequestration period runs from the award or from discharge.
- How debts other than the three published bars are treated at vetting.
- The hearing standard and the BMI range for new officers (the rejoiner page gives 18 to 30).
- Which tattoos are acceptable.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does this checker tell me if I am eligible for Police Scotland?
No. It compares your answers with the rules Police Scotland publishes, read on 22 October 2026. It shows which you appear to meet, which to check and which look like a bar. Police Scotland makes every decision. The best result the checker gives is that nothing in your answers rules you out.
Is anything I enter stored?
No. Your answers stay in your browser while the page is open and are cleared when you leave or press Start again. We record only anonymous events: that the checker was started and finished with an overall outcome (clear, check or blocked). None of your answers are recorded.
Can I join Police Scotland at 17?
No. Police Scotland says you can apply if you are 18 or over and regulation 6 of the Police Service of Scotland Regulations 2013 requires a candidate to have reached 18. England and Wales allow applications at 17.
Can I join Police Scotland on a Skilled Worker visa?
No. Police Scotland says applicants who are not UK or EEA nationals must hold indefinite leave to remain or equivalent at the point of application and time-limited visas do not meet the legal requirement, even with a current right to work.
Does Police Scotland accept an automatic driving licence?
No. Its police officer page lists a manual driving licence as a requirement, with the DVLA's group 2 medical standards. Special constables do not need a licence.
How many points can I have on my licence for Police Scotland?
The published bar is more than 6 points. So 6 or fewer is not an automatic rejection, but declare them. Drink or drug driving, including failing to provide a specimen, is an automatic rejection whatever the points.
Can I join Police Scotland if I am in a trust deed?
Not while it is active and not until 12 months have passed since discharge. Sequestration or bankruptcy bars you until 3 years have passed and defaulted accounts totalling £1,000 or more are also on the rejection list.
Why does it say Check for EEA nationals?
Regulation 6 applies the indefinite leave rule only to people who are not UK or EEA nationals, so it does not apply to you. You still need the right to work and three years' residence and Police Scotland's pages do not say more about EEA applicants, so confirm your status with the recruitment team.
Does it check fitness, the PSET or the medical?
No, because those are tested later in the process. The result lists them so you can prepare: the PSET (49 questions in 60 minutes), the 5.4 bleep test, the assessment day, the medical, a hair-sample substance test, references and vetting.
I am a serving police officer in England. Can I use this?
Yes. Choose the serving officer option. Police Scotland runs a separate transferee route for officers in a Home Office force in England or Wales, the PSNI or BTP with at least three years' service and no outstanding complaints. On the date we checked it had no current general transferee vacancies and pointed to a talent bank.
When can I apply to Police Scotland?
On 22 October 2026 the Police Officer vacancy on Police Scotland's candidate portal had a closing date of 31 March 2027 at 23:55.
Sources and how we checked them
Every factual claim on this page was written from the sources below, read on 22 October 2026. Rules and figures change, so check the source for the date you are reading this. Where we could not confirm something from an official or independent source, the page says so rather than guessing. Spotted something out of date? See our corrections policy.
- Police Scotland: Apply to become a police officer : age 18, three years in the UK, indefinite leave rule, manual licence and DVLA group 2, eyesight standard (accessed 22 October 2026)
- Police Scotland: Offences that mean you'll be rejected : listed offences, prison sentence, sex offender orders, more than 6 points, drink or drug driving, trust deed, sequestration, defaults (accessed 22 October 2026)
- Police Scotland: Our recruitment process (police officer) : declarations considered case by case; tattoos reviewed (accessed 22 October 2026)
- Police Scotland candidate portal: Police officer application example : eligibility screening questions, including tattoos and previous service (accessed 22 October 2026)
- Police Scotland: Annex 1, eyesight standards for police recruitment (PDF) : acuity, colour vision and eye surgery rules (accessed 22 October 2026)
- Police Service of Scotland Regulations 2013, regulation 6 (qualifications for appointment) : age 18; indefinite leave for non-UK, non-EEA nationals (accessed 22 October 2026)
- Police Scotland: Transferees : transferee eligibility; MOD Police, CNC, Royal Parks and port police treated as new candidates (accessed 22 October 2026)
- Police Scotland: Rejoiners : rejoiner route for former Police Scotland officers who completed probation (accessed 22 October 2026)
- Police Scotland candidate portal: vacancies : Police Officer vacancy closing 31 March 2027 (accessed 22 October 2026)
On this topic elsewhere
More in this guide series
More for applicants and Scottish officers
Disclaimer
PolicePay.co.uk is an independent guide. It is not affiliated with Police Scotland, the Scottish Police Authority or the College of Policing. It does not recruit, test or assess applicants. Our practice questions are original PolicePay material, not official Police Scotland questions. Police Scotland sets and changes its own selection process, so check its recruitment pages and your candidate account before relying on anything here. Details are as checked on 22 October 2026.