International Background Checks

Today’s global economy is witnessing a tremendous increase in skilled individuals moving across boundaries in search of jobs. This trend is set to continue in the future as more countries provide easy access to their job market, in an attempt to attract brain power. Businesses around the globe are hiring candidates who are looking for jobs online. This scenario places a new requirement on prospective employers willing to hire these highly skilled individuals. Conducting criminal record screening on individuals from foreign countries, is thus gaining in significance.

There are numerous challenges in performing international background checks. First, each country has a different court and criminal legal system. Information that is taken for granted in the United States might not be available abroad. Information like public records, which are required to conduct international background checks, may not be accessible in certain countries. Each country has its own system of maintaining and indexing criminal records. Laws, customs and procedures of a particular country usually govern its criminal screening procedure and a thorough understanding of the same is required to fulfill the task effectively. Thus an individual or an employer, limited by resources, would find it hard to accomplish the task of international background screening effectively.

International background check services vary from one provider to another. It can range from a basic search of public records to a more comprehensive search which would involve actual investigations, which are carried out by professionals. International criminal record searches generally include crimes which are comparable to felony charges in the United States. Misdemeanors or less serious offenses are reported but vary from one country to another. A typical international background check should include police records, court files, records maintained by law enforcement agencies, and national criminal databases, etc. The information that is required to initiate an international background check is:

Full name (including the middle name if any).
Date of birth.
City.
Country.
Mother's maiden name (Spanish speaking countries only).

International screenings are usually expensive as compared to similar investigations carried out in the United States. On an average, a background check would cost anything in between $200 to $800. The final cost would depend on the amount of information required and the country where the search is to be performed.

International background checks are not perfect due to the wide ranging discrepancies in the public records. However, it plays a significant role in demonstrating due diligence in the hiring process.