Yes, you can apply for life insurance if you have a criminal record, but what you must tell the insurer depends on whether the conviction is spent or unspent. GOV.UK's guidance for people applying for insurance says "You do not have to tell the insurance company or housing provider about any spent convictions", while an unspent conviction only has to be declared if the insurer asks.

Unsure how your own record would be treated? An FCA-authorised broker can weigh up life or critical illness cover around your convictions on a free phone call, requested with the form on this page.

Do you have to tell a life insurer about a conviction?

GOV.UK's criminal records guidance (updated 8 November 2024) gives the spent-conviction rule above in its section on insurance and housing. Unspent convictions are different: "You only need to tell an organisation about an unspent conviction or caution if they ask you to." An unspent conviction is still on your basic criminal record; a spent one is "not on your basic criminal record anymore".

The law behind this is section 4 of the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974, which applies in England and Wales. Where you are asked about previous convictions outside court proceedings, section 4(2) says the question "shall be treated as not relating to spent convictions or to any circumstances ancillary to spent convictions, and the answer thereto may be framed accordingly", and that you "shall not be subjected to any liability or otherwise prejudiced in law" for leaving a spent conviction out. Section 4(3) adds that a duty to disclose under a rule of law or an agreement does not stretch to spent convictions. Unlock, a charity for people with criminal records, puts it simply: spent convictions need not be disclosed to an insurer "irrespective of what questions are asked".

The Financial Ombudsman Service also says it can be acceptable for a customer not to mention information the 1974 Act covers. The wider duty to answer an insurer accurately is set out in what you have to disclose to a life insurer.

When does a conviction become spent?

GOV.UK says most convictions become spent after a few months or years, or straight away, depending on the sentence. These adult examples are from its guidance:

Outcome (adult)When it becomes spent, per GOV.UK
Simple cautionStraight away
Conditional cautionOn the date the conditions end, or 3 months after you got it if the conditions have no end date
Fine (not for a driving offence)One year after you got it
Prison sentence of less than 12 months12 months after the sentence ends
Prison sentence of 12 months to 4 years4 years after the sentence ends
Prison sentence longer than 4 years7 years after the sentence ends, unless it was for a serious violent, sexual or terrorist offence

For a serious violent, sexual or terrorist offence, GOV.UK says "Your sentence is never spent if it was for longer than 4 years." Driving offences, sentences given to under-18s and military convictions run to their own periods. GOV.UK's checking tool covers those too, as does Unlock's disclosure calculator.

Do life insurers check your criminal record?

Not directly. Unlock, whose guide covers insurance generally, says insurers have no access to police records and cannot run a criminal record check without your consent. They can ask for proof of an unspent conviction, normally a basic DBS certificate. Insurers do collect this kind of information, though. Zurich Assurance's data protection notice (April 2026) names "criminal conviction information" among the sensitive details it may use for purposes such as assessing an insurance application.

How the question is worded varies. The same guide gives "Do you have any unspent convictions?" as an example of a clear question, and says a broader one such as "Have you ever received a criminal conviction?" should be read as asking about unspent convictions only. It adds that a conviction question normally covers everyone on the policy. The Association of British Insurers' good practice guide (July 2019), written for household and motor insurers, asks them not to pose questions that "imply an obligation to disclose convictions which should not be disclosed". If you would like to see a particular life insurer's question before answering it, the broker can show you on the free call-back.

What if an unspent conviction is not disclosed?

Unlock's guide says an insurer that learns of an unspent conviction you were asked about and did not mention may avoid the policy, refuse a claim or reduce the payment. If you were never asked, it says, an unspent conviction you had when you took out the policy "cannot be used by the insurer as a reason for not paying out". For life cover, how far an insurer can go turns on the 2012 disclosure Act, explained in when a life insurer can refuse to pay.

Nacro, another criminal-records charity, suggests asking the insurer to confirm in writing any conviction you declare, and keeping that letter or email for a future claim.

What about prison, Scotland and Northern Ireland?

GOV.UK counts the spent period from the end of the sentence, and it is the full length of the sentence that counts, not the time served or an early release. So a sentence being served now is unspent and, where asked, must be declared. Whether a policy can be taken out during a sentence is down to each insurer; the broker can find out where you stand on the free call-back.

Everything above describes the rules in England and Wales. GOV.UK says "There are different rules in Scotland and rules in Northern Ireland", and the ABI guide notes that Northern Ireland has its own Rehabilitation of Offenders (Northern Ireland) Order 1978. If you live in Scotland or Northern Ireland, check the spent periods that apply there before you answer an insurer's question.

How can a broker help if your conviction is unspent?

Unlock's guide says "many mainstream insurers operate a blanket policy of not providing insurance to people with unspent convictions", though not all insurers assess risk in the same way. Nacro's view is that "You should still be able to get insurance with a criminal record but you will need to disclose what they ask for".

Both charities run criminal-record helplines. Unlock's helpline is 01634 247350, open Monday to Friday, 8.45am to 4.45pm, for people in England and Wales, and it publishes a list of specialist insurance brokers, all regulated by the FCA. Nacro's helpline is 0300 123 1999 (Monday to Thursday 9am to 5pm, Friday 1pm to 5pm), or email helpline@nacro.org.uk.

If an application has already been turned down, being declined for life insurance explains the options. Health history and credit checks are separate questions, covered in life insurance with a medical condition and the health and medical questions guide.

Once you know where your record stands, an FCA-authorised broker can discuss your convictions with you and take your application to insurers for life or critical illness cover; ask for that free call-back with the form on this page. Whether any insurer offers terms is for the insurer to decide.

Frequently asked questions

Does a criminal record affect life insurance?

A spent conviction need not be disclosed, and the 1974 Act shields you from legal liability for leaving it out. An unspent one must be declared if the insurer asks, and insurers differ in how they respond to it.

Do I have to mention a caution?

GOV.UK says simple and youth cautions become spent straight away, so they need not be mentioned. A conditional caution stays unspent until its conditions end (or for 3 months if they have no end date), and meanwhile must be declared if asked.

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