International Background Check
International Background Checks
HireSafe's international employment screening are secured by experienced professionals. It consists of a global network of skilled researchers who retrieve and report public records. We provide a wide range of employment verification services and solutions in more than 270 countries. Each country has its own customs, legal codes, crime definitions and court system. The European Union's General Data Protection Regulation ("GDPR") is arguably the most comprehensive—and complex—data privacy regulation in the world.
HireSafe has the knowledge and experience to guide our clients and maintains up-to-date country specific requirements for screening and data security. If you're interested submit a consultation request below free of charge.
HireSafe EU-US and SWISS-US Privacy Shield Program
HireSafe was recently certified under the EU-US Privacy Shield program for meeting stringent data security requirements and verifying our privacy policy as a Due Diligence Investigation Service. Few companies meet the program’s rigorous privacy requirements for transferring personal data worldwide.
This certification means we’re going on the record with our commitment to comply with the most stringent privacy standards available. The requirements ensure that your companies, and your potential employees’ private information is safe in our hands.
The Privacy Shield Frameworks determine whether companies comply with data protection requirements as they transfer private data around the world and in transatlantic commerce. The Privacy Shield Program is administered by the International Trade Administration (ITA) in the U.S. Department of Commerce and the Swiss Government recognizes the Privacy Shield Framework as a valid legal mechanism to comply with Swiss Requirements when transferring data from Switzerland to the United States. In addition, multiple U.S. government agencies enforce and recognize the Privacy Shield, including the Federal Trade Commission, Department of Justice and Department of Transportation.
HireSafe has been committed to providing compliant, accurate employment suitability reports for more than 20 years. Our international employment screening now carries the EU-U.S. and Swiss-U.S. Privacy Shield ensuring that no matter where our clients hire from, they can count on their data being protected.
International Background Check Solutions Tailored to your Industry
You have specific requirements that need to be satisfied and important regulations that govern your industry. HireSafe understands what's required and can help you maintain compliance and employ best practices in your background screening efforts. International criminal background checks require an understanding of each country's court system, how criminal records are created and maintained, where searches should be conducted, the type of records that are available and what the records mean. We at HireSafe provide you with that perspective.
For most employers, an international background check involves verifications of supplied information, as opposed to an active investigation. In other words, an employer will have already obtained from the applicant the name, addresses and phone numbers of previous employers or schools. Also, the employer will have obtained locations where an applicant has lived, worked or studied, which is important to know where to conduct the criminal background searches. The employer does not need to hire an international investigator to locate that information.
A typical international background check will consist of contacting the employers and school that have been supplied, and conducting a criminal check to the extent possible in that country. An international screening may also include, if available, a driving record and credit report.
USA based compliant background check provider for over 21 years.
HireSafe has provided compliant employment background check services for over 20 years. We're a founding member of the NAPBS and all our screening services are FCRA compliant and completed within the USA.
With us, you’ll never worry about your company’s data being shipped overseas to third-world countries, unlike many other background check companies. We value and guard the applicants' personal information like it was our own.
Special Challenges with International Background Checks
When performing international background checks, there are special challenges that are to be faced. Each and every country is completely different. Techniques and information that are taken for granted in the United States are often not available abroad. Outside of the United States, there is limited access to public records and types of information needed for background screenings. Each country has its own laws, customs and procedures for background screenings. Access to criminal records can be a challenge. In many countries, it is extremely difficult to obtain criminal records. There are parts of the world where such records are not available without retaining a local private investigator that has their own resources.
Language barriers can be a special challenge when obtaining an international background check. While all foreign investigators utilized by HireSafe can communicate in English, that is not normally their first language. In addition, technical words can lead to some confusion. Therefore understanding each other can become an issue while communicating with foreign schools and employers. There can also be language issues in reviewing court documents for criminal record searches. Here at HireSafe our criminal researchers will provide translations of any court documents.
There are differences in courts and criminal systems around the world. In doing international criminal searches, each country has its own legal codes, definition of crimes and court systems. International criminal checks require an understanding of each country's court system. For example, how are criminal records created and maintained, where should searches be or conducted, the type of available records and their meaning.
International time differences can make communicating challenging with researchers, past employers and schools causing delays. This can add lag time to the reporting process. Each country might also have different means of communication. Although e-mail would be preferable, not all countries have a reliable e-mail system. Instead, communications are sometimes done by fax machine. Challenging delays can also be caused by each country's calendar holidays or another internal problem.
To conduct an international verification efficiently, it is important to have the applicant provide as much information as possible. It is not practical, for example, for an American firm to attempt to call a foreign country to locate the past employer’s' phone number. HireSafe will typically need permission to contact the applicant directly in order to obtain any additional necessary information. If HireSafe needs to help an employer arrange for the services of an investigator abroad, then in many countries, payment must be made in that countries' currency. Some investigators require that some or all be paid in advance.
HireSafe make payment arrangement through an international wire transfer ($24 to $40) or a foreign currency money order sent by Federal Express.
International background checks are normally more expensive than a comparable investigation in the United States. The pricing can be more reasonable because an employment screening will consist of verifying supplied information. However, even verifying supplied information can be expensive for the reasons indicated above. For some countries, there is also a translation fee. Exact fees charged vary by country. In many countries, criminal searches must be conducted in each relevant location where a person has lived, worked or studied. There are very few countries that have a true "national" or "official" criminal search system. The searches are usually limited to felonies or serious matters. Even though the system for international background checks are not perfect, it allows an employer to demonstrate due diligence in the hiring process and discourage applicants with something to hide. This is pursuant to a signed release under the Fair Credit Reporting Act.