International Criminal Record Searches

Now, criminal record reports are available from 172 countries. As more and more people immigrate into the USA, the need for accurate background information is increased.

You need to know before you hire!

In addition, now we can offer the complete Canadian
Basic Profile report which includes:

• Driving Reports from any Province
• Criminal Reports from any Province
• Civil Reports from any Province

Call or E-mail us for more information about HireSafe Worldwide Criminal Records.

 

Many firms are finding that they have a need to conduct criminal record screening on individuals from other countries. This can occur in two situations:

• An American company is considering a job applicant who was born abroad, and has not been in the United States long enough to rely solely upon checking American references and records;
• An American company is hiring an individual in another country to work in that country, such as outside sales or marketing representative.

Types of International screenings

There are two types of international services an employer may utilize. The first type is an international employment screening. The second type is an in-depth investigation.

For most employers, an international employment screening 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 searches. The employer does not need to hire an international investigator to locate that information.

A typical international screening will consist of contacting the employers and school that have been supplied, and conducting a criminal check to the extent possible in that country. A screening may also include, if available, a driving record and credit report.

If an employer is filling a highly sensitive position, or is conducting a due diligence investigation of as potential business partner, then the services of a qualified investigation firm is needed. HireSafe only conducts employment screening based upon public domain records. If an investigation is required, HireSafe will assist the employer in obtaining qualified professional assistance.

Special challenges when performing international background screenings

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 a generally very limited access to public records and the types of information needed for background screening. 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.

Very real practical difficulties are the language barriers. 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 language can become an issue in communication with foreign schools and employers. There can also be language issues in reviewing court documents for criminal record searches, although HireSafe criminal researchers will provide translations of any court documents.

There are differences in courts and criminal systems. In doing international criminal searches, each country has its own legal codes, definition of crimes and court system. International criminal checks requires an understanding of each countries court system, how criminal records are created and maintained, where searches should be or can be conducted, the type of records that are available and what the records mean.

When communicating with researchers, past employers or schools around the world, there can be delays due to time differences. This can add lag time to the reporting process. Each country will have different means of communication. Although e-mail would be preferable, not all countries have a reliable e-mail system. Communications are normally done by fax machine. Since each country has its own holidays, sometimes communications are delayed because of a countries calendar, or some other 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 can arrange payment through an international wire transfer, which costs from $12.00 to $40.00 depending upon the bank, or a foreign currency money order send by DHL or Federal Express.

International screenings are normally much more expensive than a comparable investigation in the United States. Because an employment screening will normally consist of verifying supplied information the pricing can be kept more reasonable. 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. However, even though the system for international criminal checks is not perfect, this still allows an employer to both demonstrate due diligence in the hiring process, and to also discourage applicants with something to hide, since all checks are conducted pursuant to a signed release under the Fair Credit Reporting Act.

Please contact HireSafe for the fee schedule for each country where a criminal record check is needed. HireSafe charges a minimum fee of $50.00 for each international employment and/or educational verification, plus long distance phone charges and interpreter services where necessary. This service requires that an applicant provide the correct phone number of the employer and school to be contacted.

List of Countries Covered:

Admiralty Is. Afghanistan Albania Algeria American Samoa Andorra Angola Anguilla Antigua Argentina Armenia Aruba Australia Austria Azerbaijan Azores Bahamas Bahrain Balearic Is. Bangladesh Barbados Barbuda Belarus (Rep. of Belarus) Belgium Belize Benin Bermuda Bhutan Bolivia Bosnia Herzegovina Botswana Brazil British Indian Ocean Brunei Bulgaria Burkina Faso Burundi Cambodia Cameroon Canada Canary Is. Cape Verde Caroline Is. Cayman Is. C. African Rep. Ceuta Chad Channel Is., Guernsey Channel Is., Jersey Chesterfield Is. Chile China China, Hong Kong Christmas Is., Aus. Cocos (Keeling) Is. Colombia Comoros Congo, Dem. Rep. of the Cook Is. Costa Rica Cote D'ivoire Croatia

Cuba Cyprus Czech Rep. Denmark Djibouti Dominica Dominican Rep. East Timor Ecuador Egypt Eire (Rep. of Ireland) El Salvador Equatorial Guinea Eritrea Estonia Ethiopia Falkland Is. Faroe Is. Fiji Finland France French Guiana French Polynesia Gabon Gambia Georgia Germany Ghana Gibraltar Greece Greenland Grenada Guadeloupe Guam Guatemala Guinea, Rep. of Guinea-Bissau Guyana Haiti Honduras Hong Kong Hungary Iceland India Indonesia Iran Iraq Ireland Ireland, Northern Isle of Man Israel Italy Jamaica Japan Jordan Kazakhstan Kenya Kiribati Korea, North Korea, South Kosovo (Yug.) Kuwait

Kyrgyzstan Laos Latvia Lebanon Lesotho Liberia Libya Liechtenstein Lithuania Luxembourg Macau Macedonia Madagascar Madeira Malawi Malaysia Maldives Mali Malta Mariana Is., N. Marshall Is. Martinique Mauritania Mauritius Mayotte Mexico Micronesia Midway Is. Moldova Monaco Mongolia Monte Negro Montserrat Morocco Mozambique Myanmar (Burma) Namibia Nauru Nepal Netherlands Netherlands Antilles New Caledonia New Zealand Nicaragua Niger Nigeria Niue Norfolk Is. Norway Oman Pakistan Palau, Rep. of Palestine Panama Papua New Guinea Paraguay Peru Philippines Pitcairn Is. Poland Portugal Puerto Rico

Qatar Reunion Is. Romania Russia Rwanda Sahara Samoa (W. Samoa) San Marino Sao T. & Principe Saudi Arabia Senegal Serbia (Yug.) Seychelles Sierra Leone Singapore Slovakia Slovenia Solomon Is. Somalia South Africa Spain Sri Lanka St. Barthelemy (Gua) St. Helena St. Kitts-Nevis St. Lucia St. Martin (French) St. Pierre & Miquelon St. Vincent & the Grenadies Sudan Suriname Swaziland Sweden Switzerland Syria Tahiti, Fr. Polynesia Taiwan Tajikistan Tanzania Thailand Togo Tokelau Is. Tonga Trinidad and Tobago Tunisia Turkey Turkmenistan Turks & Caicos Is. Tuvalu Uganda Ukraine United Arab Emirates United Kingdom Uruguay Uzbekistan Vanuatu Venezuela Vietnam Virgin Is., UK Virgin Is., US Wallis & Futuna Is. Yemen, Rep. of Zambia (RepZambia) Zimbabwe

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