To run a background check on someone in another country, you collect their identifying information and written consent, then hire a specialized international screening provider that has access to foreign records and knows the local privacy rules. You can try to request records directly from foreign agencies, but language barriers, in-person filing requirements, and rules that release records only to the individual make that path impractical for most people. If you’re a U.S. employer using a third-party screening company, the Fair Credit Reporting Act governs the process regardless of where the underlying data comes from.
What You Can Actually Find Out
The scope of an international check depends on the country. Some maintain centralized, digitized criminal databases a provider can query in days. Others have no centralized system at all, and records have to be pulled in person from individual courthouses. A handful restrict access to government agencies almost entirely.
Within those limits, most international checks pull from some combination of the following:
- Identity verification against a passport or national ID card, confirming legal name, date of birth, and nationality.
- Criminal history, where the country makes it accessible.
- Education verification, including degrees, institutions, and dates. Foreign degree structures don’t always map to U.S. equivalents, which is why credential evaluation services exist to produce equivalency reports. A three-year European bachelor’s degree, for example, may or may not be treated as equivalent to a four-year U.S. degree depending on the field.
- Employment history, though former employers in some countries are legally limited in what they can disclose.
- Professional license verification, confirmed by contacting the foreign licensing authority directly.
- Financial records such as credit history or bankruptcies. These are among the hardest to obtain internationally because many countries restrict financial data more aggressively than criminal data.
A clean report means nothing came up within what the provider could access. It does not mean nothing exists. Records that are sealed, unreported, held only at local level, or protected by privacy law simply won’t appear.
Gather Information and Consent Before You Start
Before contacting a provider or any agency, collect the person’s full legal name and any previous names, date of birth, current and past addresses, nationality, and passport details. Add the names of educational institutions with attendance dates, employment history with approximate dates, and contact details for former employers where you have them. Every gap in this information becomes a dead end later.
Then get written consent. If you’re a U.S. employer using a third-party screening company, federal law requires you to give the individual a clear written disclosure that a background report may be obtained for employment purposes, in a standalone document that isn’t buried in an application or handbook. The individual has to authorize the report in writing before it’s ordered.
Even outside employment, written consent is the safest legal footing. Most countries with modern data protection laws require the individual’s knowledge and participation, and many foreign institutions will only release records to the individual or with their documented permission. Consent turns closed doors into open ones.
Foreign Privacy Laws Set the Boundaries
Every country has its own rules on what personal data can be collected, stored, and moved across borders. Getting this wrong stalls the check and can expose you to legal liability in the foreign jurisdiction. Identify which country’s law applies before you begin, not after you’ve requested records.
The EU’s General Data Protection Regulation is the framework most people encounter first. A common misconception is that GDPR always requires the individual’s consent. In fact, GDPR provides six lawful bases for processing personal data, including compliance with a legal obligation and the legitimate interests of the organization conducting the check. For employment background screening in the EU, legitimate interest is usually the correct basis, not consent. GDPR consent must be freely given, and the power imbalance in an employment relationship can undermine that standard.
China’s Personal Information Protection Law is another example. Transferring personal data out of China requires one of several approved mechanisms, including security assessments, standard contractual clauses, or certification through a qualified institution. The framework distinguishes between “personal information” and “important data” and applies different pathways depending on data volume and whether the entity qualifies as a critical information infrastructure operator. For a single background check, a screening provider with established Chinese operations will handle this. Trying to pull records from China on your own is not realistic.
India, Brazil, Japan, and dozens of other countries have their own regimes with their own cross-border transfer rules.
Your Three Options for Running the Check
Hire a Specialized International Screening Provider
This is the practical option for almost everyone. Specialized providers maintain relationships with foreign data sources, employ staff who speak the relevant languages, and know which legal steps each country requires. They handle translation, document authentication, and local privacy compliance as part of the service.
When picking a provider, look for accreditation. The Professional Background Screening Association runs a General Background Screening Accreditation Program specifically for organizations delivering screening services outside the United States. Accredited providers undergo audits and follow a documented code of conduct.
Costs vary widely. A basic international criminal search might start around $30. A comprehensive package covering criminal history, education, employment, and financial records in a country with limited database access can run into several hundred dollars. Countries where records require in-person court searches or manual government requests cost more and take longer.
Request Records Directly
Some government agencies allow direct requests for criminal records, but language differences, unfamiliar bureaucratic systems, and requirements to file in person or through a local agent make this impractical for most people. Many countries release criminal records only to the individual themselves, not to a third party, which means the subject has to actively request and forward their own records to you.
Use the FBI Identity History Summary
If the person has lived in the United States, the FBI maintains Identity History Summary records (often called rap sheets) that include both domestic and foreign criminal history reported to the FBI. A request costs $18, and the individual submits their own fingerprints, either electronically at a participating U.S. Post Office or by mailing a completed fingerprint card. The FBI returns results by U.S. First-Class Mail and can authenticate the document for international use, after which the U.S. Department of State can apostille it if needed.
FCRA Obligations for U.S. Employers
When a U.S. employer uses a third-party screening company to obtain a background report, the Fair Credit Reporting Act applies whether the data comes from Ohio or Oslo. The FCRA defines a consumer report broadly, and that definition doesn’t stop at the border.
Before ordering the report, you give the individual a standalone written disclosure that a consumer report may be obtained for employment purposes, and they authorize it in writing.
Before taking adverse action based on the report (declining to hire, rescinding an offer, denying a promotion, or terminating employment), you provide the individual a copy of the report and a summary of their FCRA rights. This pre-adverse action step gives them a chance to review the findings and dispute errors before the decision is final.
After taking adverse action, you notify the individual and provide the name, address, and phone number of the screening agency, tell them the agency didn’t make the decision and can’t explain it, and inform them they have 60 days to request a free copy of the report and to dispute inaccuracies.
These steps apply regardless of where the underlying data originated. Skipping them because the report covers foreign activity is not a defense.
Sanctions and Watchlist Screening
International checks often include screening against sanctions lists and watchlists, a separate layer from criminal or employment records. This matters most for employers, financial institutions, and any organization that could face liability for doing business with a sanctioned individual.
The Office of Foreign Assets Control maintains the Specially Designated Nationals (SDN) list, which includes individuals and entities worldwide blocked under U.S. sanctions programs, including designated terrorists and narcotics traffickers. U.S. persons are prohibited from any transactions with anyone on the SDN list and must block property in which an SDN has an interest. OFAC also maintains the Foreign Sanctions Evaders List and the Sectoral Sanctions Identifications List, each with different restrictions. The SDN list updates frequently with no fixed schedule. Civil penalty amounts are adjusted annually, and criminal penalties may also apply. If a screening turns up a potential name match, compare the name, location, and other identifying details, and contact OFAC’s hotline to verify if the similarities are strong.
An Interpol Red Notice is a request to law enforcement worldwide to locate and provisionally arrest a person pending extradition or similar action. It is not an international arrest warrant, and member countries apply their own laws in deciding whether to act. Most Red Notices are restricted to law enforcement; extracts appear on Interpol’s public website only when the requesting country asks for public help. Data on that public site cannot be used for commercial purposes.
Politically exposed persons screening checks whether an individual holds or has held a prominent public role such as head of state, senior legislator, high-ranking military officer, or leader within a judicial or central banking institution, and extends to relatives and close associates. The point isn’t to assume wrongdoing but to flag elevated risk of bribery, corruption, or illicit enrichment. PEP screening is a core element of anti-money laundering compliance and is especially relevant for foreign business partners, investors, and senior hires.
Authenticating and Translating What Comes Back
Foreign documents in another language, or without recognized authentication, are useless for most official purposes. Two processes close that gap.
An apostille is a certificate that authenticates the origin of a public document for use in countries that belong to the Hague Apostille Convention, which currently has 129 contracting parties. The apostille confirms the authenticity of the signature, seal, or stamp on the document, not the document’s content. For U.S. federal documents, including FBI background check results, the apostille comes from the U.S. Department of State. State-issued documents are certified by the secretary of state in the issuing state. Documents must include a legible signature, printed name and title of the official, and the agency’s seal on official letterhead. Do not notarize the original before submitting for an apostille; doing so can invalidate it. For countries outside the Hague Convention, documents go through the lengthier embassy legalization process.
Any foreign-language document submitted to a U.S. government agency must include a certified English translation. That means the translator attaches a signed statement affirming the translation is complete and accurate and that they are competent to translate from the foreign language into English, along with the translator’s name, signature, date, and contact information. Each translated document needs its own certification. Submitting untranslated foreign-language documents to agencies like USCIS can result in delays or denials.
Timelines and How to Use the Report
Most international screenings return results within 8 to 16 business days, a meaningful improvement from the 45 to 90 days common a few years ago. Checks in countries with manual processes or bureaucratic delays can run well past that. If you’re hiring on a schedule, start the international portion early.
How you use the report matters as much as getting it. Federal law requires employers to apply background check results the same way for all applicants regardless of race, national origin, color, sex, religion, disability, genetic information, or age. Running more extensive checks or applying stricter criteria to candidates from certain countries creates obvious legal exposure. Even a uniform policy can be illegal if it disproportionately screens out people of a particular national origin and doesn’t accurately predict job performance, what the EEOC calls disparate impact. EEOC guidance recommends that employers using criminal history consider the nature of the crime, time elapsed since the conviction, and the nature of the job, and provide an opportunity for individualized assessment so the person can explain circumstances, present rehabilitation evidence, or show that the record is inaccurate.
Discrepancies deserve investigation and context. Name transliteration between languages, varied date formats, and institutional name changes can create apparent mismatches that aren’t red flags. A provider with experience in the relevant country will usually flag these known quirks rather than leave you guessing.