International Background Checks: Everything You Need to Know
Dave Moore - December 21, 2024
International background checks are becoming more common, especially as people begin to work with people in other countries. While local and national background checks make up most of the process, you’ll find that international background checks are still as relevant as ever.
An international background check will help you learn more about people from other countries or even people who have spent time abroad. This will help you view someone’s complete history, which is important if you want to maintain company hiring standards. Unfortunately, these background checks aren’t always easy to run, especially if you don’t know where to start.
The good news is that we’re here to help. Read on to learn more about international background checks and what they show.
What Is an International Background Check?
An international background check is exactly what it sounds like. It’s a background check that pulls records about someone from around the world. This can include other countries, but most international background checks will also reveal information in someone’s native or home country. Ultimately, they’re the most comprehensive background checks that can be run on someone.
These background checks are useful when working with people in other countries. Plus, they can help you better understand a company’s laws and regulations.
What Shows Up on International Background Checks?
International background checks reveal a lot of information about people. That said, you can expect to find the same information on an international background check as your standard check. This means that you’ll find the usual information, including:
- Work and education history
- Social media accounts
- Financial records
- Driving records
- Criminal records
- Civil court records
- Sex offender status
- Contact information
- Address (current and past)
- Email addresses
- Full name
- Date of birth
There may be slight variations depending on the location where the information is coming from. Make sure you keep this in mind during the background check process.
How Far Back Do International Background Checks Go?
International background checks go back about as far as your average background check. Therefore, expect the background check to go back around seven to ten years.
The main difference is that international background checks may go back further in some cases, especially if the employee is working for a branch of the company that’s located outside the United States. Since China and the European Union have different hiring laws, they may limit what can be found in an international background check, as well as how far back they go.
Overall, you should expect an international background check to take a little longer than your standard check, especially if different laws come into play or you have to receive records from another country’s government. Give it around two to three weeks for an international background check to process before you start getting worried.
That said, if you’re already wondering why your background check has taken so long because it’s been a few weeks, it’s a good idea to follow up and ask about any red flags that may have surfaced.
Why International Background Checks Are Important
Background checks are an important part of the workplace, and the World Wide Web has helped companies and individuals work with people all over the world. For example, many companies have headquarters in the United States, along with locations in Britain and other countries. Therefore, when people are working for a company from another country, that’s when international background checks come into play.
That said, they can also help in other ways and may be run in situations where someone is applying for a firearm, citizenship, and more. Learn about what makes international background checks important below.
Risk Management
One of the most important reasons to run an international background check is risk management. It’s important to reduce the risk of running into trouble with laws in your home country or other countries, and working with people in different countries increases this risk.
For example, Spain might have different hiring laws than the United States, so it’s important to run an international background check on someone working there to ensure that you’re meeting country laws.
This may also apply to people working in the United States from other countries. If someone is working for your company from another country, you want to make sure they’re in the United States legally and that they meet your standards.
Consistent Hiring Standards
Running an international background check will help you maintain your company’s hiring standards around the world. While this is easy to do when you’re working with someone from the United States, it gets hard to find someone’s records when they’ve spent time abroad. For this reason, you need to run an international background check to ensure that you’re holding intentional employees to the same standards.
When you run an international background check, you can ensure that someone has the necessary education, work history, and other traits that make them a good fit. The process will also help you get in contact with references, friends, and other sources of information that will help you learn more about a candidate. When more than three billion employees are working around the world, it’s important to make the best possible hire instead of choosing just anyone to work with.
Single Source of Data
The international background check is all-encompassing, at least in most cases, so when you run these checks, your team will only have one source of data to look through. Instead of having to bounce around to different databases or looking at other sources of information, you can rest easy knowing that all the background information about someone is in one single place.
Sure, this makes the process easier for everyone involved, but it also reduces the risk of someone making errors. It will also speed up the process, so you can hire someone faster if you need to.
How to Run an International Background Check
When you want to run an international background check, you have a handful of options. You can work with a background check company, use a people search tool, or even do some digging on your own with Google and social media. Learn about how to run an international background below.
Information.com
The best way to run an international background check is with our background check tool. This is a tool that allows you to find all available information about someone based on their first and last name, state, and city. If the person lives in the United States but has been all around the globe, it’s a good idea to be thorough, and Information.com will pull anything that is publicly available.
Examples of information we’ll help you find when you run a search include:
- Full name
- Identity verification
- Work history
- Education history
- Criminal records
- Civil court records
- Contact information
- Date of birth
- Citizenship status
- Email addresses
- Phone numbers
- Relatives and family members
- Social media accounts
- Dating profiles
- Financial records
- Driving Records
Even if we can’t help you find every bit of information about someone, we can always point you in the right direction. When you run a search with Information.com, we can show you databases that will house information or give you locations where you can begin your deeper search.
It’s for these reasons that we always recommend starting with Information.com. As one of the more affordable and faster options, there’s no reason to waste your time starting elsewhere.
Background Check Companies
When you need a background check for any reason, you can always work with a background check company. These agencies run thousands of background checks daily, so they know how to source information about candidates. This also applies to international background checks, although you’ll find that the process may be more expensive and take longer.
Still, working with a background check company is a viable option if you have to run background checks on dozens of employees. This is because most background check companies offer deals and bulk pricing options. Always reach out to a few companies and see what pricing works best for your needs.
Google and Social Media
When you need to run a background check, Google and social media are your best friends. You’ll find that Google can help you find a lot of information about someone, or at least point you in the right direction. For example, Google can point you to a database in England if you need to find specific records about someone. You may have to pay to use the database, but at least you’ll be in the right place. Google can also help you find contact information, addresses, and additional information about people.
We also need to cover social media as well. Most people have social media accounts, and what people post on their socials will impact how people view your employees and businesses. Therefore, we recommend checking every applicant’s socials as part of your international background check process.
Run an International Background Check Today
International background checks are important if you’re hiring people from all around the globe. That said, running one isn’t always as straightforward as running a background check domestically, so it’s important to consider all of your options.
The good news is that we offer one of the best tools available to help you run international background checks. When you work with Information.com, we’ll help you find everything you need to know in a matter of minutes.
