A national criminal search is a routine step in Checkr’s background checks. A national criminal search checks thousands of national databases and millions of records to find records that might require additional attention. National criminal searches find information that is often incomplete, lacks identifying information, or doesn’t show the final disposition of cases. Checkr uses a national criminal search to find records that might have more detailed information and to determine where to search for criminal records.

The national criminal database contains records from various county and state agencies, covering almost one-third of the United States. Data aggregators scour these county and state agencies’ records, continuously updating the database. A national criminal search is a pointer search, so it identifies only potential criminal records. Almost every criminal background check uses a national criminal search.

Checkr’s Basic+ report package includes a national criminal search. A national criminal search is unavailable as a standalone search.

A national criminal search isn't the same as a federal criminal search.

Video overview 

Play the Checkr Academy video below to learn the advantages and limitations of a national criminal search.

Candidate experience

The candidate provides the personally identifying information (PII) below:

• Birth date
• Email address
• Full name
• Phone number
• Social Security number (SSN)

The candidate then reads and acknowledges receipt of applicable forms and authorizations:

• A Summary of Your Rights Under the Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA)
• Disclosure Regarding Background Investigation
• Other state and required disclosures as applicable
• Authorization for a background check

After the candidate signs the authorization form, Checkr starts the search.

If you applied for a job and want to know your background check’s status, log in to the Checkr Candidate Portal.

The United States (US) federal courts have jurisdiction over the United States government, the Constitution, and federal laws. Federal courts try crimes under federal criminal law.

Federal criminal records

Accessing federal criminal records requires a federal criminal record search. Federal criminal information is online, so in-court research is usually unnecessary. Most federal records redact all or most personally identifiable information (PII).

Some federal offenses include the crimes below:

• Bank robberies
• Child pornography (possession, production, trafficking)
• Crimes against federal employees
• Crimes committed on federal land
• Crimes that cross state lines
• Drug cases involving large distribution networks
• Other crimes outside state jurisdictions

County and state criminal searches don’t return federal records.

Federal criminal searches

Checkr first searches the Public Access to Court Electronic Records (PACER) database, the central repository for publicly accessible federal cases. PACER allows name-based searches but doesn’t allow searches using other identifiers, such as Social Security number or birth date. Checkr limits PACER searches to the states relevant to your candidate’s address history.

To ensure a comprehensive range of returned records, Checkr doesn't require a candidate’s exact name for the initial PACER search. What happens next depends on what PACER finds:

• At least one potential match: Checkr researchers complete the search by accessing the record at the federal courthouse.
• No match: Checkr does a complete federal criminal search, with no additional searches.

Federal criminal searches can find the information below if publicly available:

• Case number
• Charge
• Charge type (such as felony or misdemeanor)
• Court jurisdiction
• Defendant’s name
• Disposition (such as guilty or dismissed)
• Disposition date
• Sentencing information

Ordering

You can add a federal criminal search to a background check search package from the Checkr Dashboard.

Turnaround

Federal criminal searches that find no records finish almost immediately.

Federal criminal searches that find a record can take two to three days to complete.

Video overview 

Play the Checkr Academy video below to learn the advantages and limitations of a federal criminal search.

Candidate experience

The candidate provides the relevant PII below:

• Birth date
• Email address
• Full name
• Phone number
• Social Security number (SSN)

The candidate then reads and acknowledges receipt of applicable forms and authorizations:

• A Summary of Your Rights Under the Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA)
• Disclosure Regarding Background Investigation
• Other state and required disclosures as applicable
• Authorization for a background check

After the candidate consents in writing, Checkr starts the search.

If you applied for a job and want to know your background check’s status, log in to the Checkr Candidate Portal.

A state criminal search finds criminal records in a specific state. Adding a state criminal search to a background search package can help find potential records outside of a candidate's current address.

State criminal records

State criminal records can vary in quality because many counties don't submit their data for complete statewide searches. 

State criminal searches

Checkr recommends a county criminal search as the primary search. You can then supplement with a state criminal search when the state search includes most or all counties.

If a state criminal search identifies an incomplete record, Checkr automatically adds a county criminal search.

State criminal searches can find the information below if publicly available:

• Case number
• Charge type (such as felony or misdemeanor)
• Charge
• Court jurisdiction
• Defendant’s name
• Disposition (such as guilty or dismissed)
• Disposition date
• Sentencing information

Unavailable states

Checkr doesn't order state criminal searches for the states below, which don't have publicly available records:

• California
• Louisiana
• Massachusetts
• Nevada
• New Hampshire
• Ohio
• West Virginia
• Wyoming

US territories

If you add US territory search, state criminal search includes the US territories below:

• American Samoa (AS)
• Guam (GU)
• Northern Mariana Islands (MP)
• Puerto Rico (PR)
• US Virgin Islands (VI) 

To add the US territory search, contact Checkr. Additional fees apply.

Ordering

You can order the county criminal search and state criminal search together.

Turnaround

The turnaround time for a state criminal search varies based on the search scope and averages three to seven days.

Video overview 

Play the Checkr Academy video below to learn the advantages and limitations of a state criminal search.

Candidate experience

The candidate provides the relevant personally identifying information (PII) below:

• Birth date
• Email address
• Full name
• Phone number
• Social Security number (SSN)

The candidate then reads and acknowledges receipt of applicable forms and authorizations:

• A Summary of Your Rights Under the Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA)
• Disclosure Regarding Background Investigation
• Other state and required disclosures as applicable
• Authorization for a background check

After the candidate consents in writing, Checkr starts the search.

If the state search requires a US territory search, the candidate provides the additional information below:

• Government ID
• Current address
• Address in territory
• Place of birth
• Mother’s maiden name

If you applied for a job and want to know your background check’s status, log in to the Checkr Candidate Portal.

County criminal searches are one of the best ways to find criminal records. County courts can include the record types below:

• Every adjudicated trial
• Felony
• Infraction
• Misdemeanor
• Other violations

County criminal records

County courthouses across the 3,200 counties in every state in the United States (US), contain county criminal records. Because counties don’t report their records to the federal criminal database, federal criminal searches don’t find county criminal records. A national criminal search, which is a pointer to county or state criminal records, often finds evidence of a county criminal record.

County criminal searches

County searches can find the information below if publicly available:

• Case number
• Charge
• Charge type (such as felony or misdemeanor)
• Court jurisdiction
• Defendant’s name
• Disposition (such as guilty or dismissed)
• Disposition date
• Sentencing information

A Social Security number (SSN) trace identifies address history to determine which counties to search and uses a seven-year search scope.

Ordering

The Essential report package includes the county criminal search. With the Essential package, Checkr tries to gather seven years of address history.

The county criminal search is unavailable as a standalone search.

Turnaround

Because counties use various search methods, the turnaround time varies. Some counties return search results within the same day, but some can take longer.

If records are unavailable for a county criminal search, contact Checkr to enable your account to skip the search. You decide whether to reorder a full or partial search when records are available.

Many counties provide a public access terminal (PAT) for real-time records searches at the court. Some counties require that their court clerks do searches on Checkr’s behalf. These counties are usually slower to report results than others.

Video overview

Play the Checkr Academy video below to learn the advantages and limitations of a county criminal search.

Candidate experience

The candidate provides the relevant personally identifying information (PII) below:

• Birth date
• Email address
• Full name
• Phone number
• Social Security number (SSN)

The candidate then reads and acknowledges receipt of applicable forms and authorizations:

• A Summary of Your Rights Under the Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA)
• Disclosure Regarding Background Investigation
• Other state and required disclosures as applicable
• Authorization for a background check

After the candidate signs the authorization form, Checkr starts the search.

If you applied for a job and want to know your background check’s status, log in to the Checkr Candidate Portal.

An alias is a name a person uses in addition to their legal name. Aliases include the name variations below:

• Legally changed names
• Nicknames
• Shortened names

Some candidates have records under different aliases. When a background check package includes aliases, Checkr searches records using the candidate's legal name and their aliases.

Checkr searches records with aliases during the background checks below:

• County civil search
• County search
• FACIS
• Federal search
• Global watchlist search
• National search
• Sex offender registry search
• State search

Video overview 

Play the Checkr Academy video below to learn what aliases are and how to add them to your order in the Checkr Dashboard.

Ordering

You can add aliases when you order a background check, and when you create or save a package from the Checkr Dashboard. Checkr identifies and searches four aliases for each package by default.

To ensure the most comprehensive results possible, Checkr will preselect “Add aliases” when you order new background checks through your dashboard. If you don’t want to include aliases when ordering background checks, deselect this checkbox.

Sometimes states and counties charge Checkr to search records. Checkr recovers these fees from customers as passthrough fees.

As part of a state criminal search, you can add a United States (US) territory search to find potential records in the US territories below:

• American Samoa (AS)
• Guam (GU)
• Northern Mariana Islands (MP)
• Puerto Rico (PR)
• US Virgin Islands (VI)

Ordering

The US territory search is unavailable as a standalone search. To add the US territory search, contact Checkr. Additional fees apply.

Turnaround

Turnaround time varies depending on the US territory searched:

• Guam: 7-8 business days, but expect delays because of Typhoon Mawar recovery
• Puerto Rico: 4-5 business days
• US Virgin Islands: Less than 1 business day

The turnaround time starts after the candidate provides all the information.

Candidate experience

The candidate provides the personally identifying information (PII) below:

• Birth date
• Email address
• Full name
• Phone number
• Social Security number (SSN)

The candidate then reads and acknowledges receipt of applicable forms and authorizations:

• A Summary of Your Rights Under the Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA)
• Disclosure Regarding Background Investigation
• Authorization for a background check
• Other state and required disclosures as applicable

After the candidate consents in writing, Checkr starts a pointer search. The candidate's postal code determines whether the US territories search happens. The candidate provides the additional information below:

• Government ID
• Current address
• Address in territory
• Place of birth
• Mother’s maiden name

If you applied for a job and want to know your background check’s status, log in to the Checkr Candidate Portal.

Checkr offers continuous checks, which monitor real-time data sources for changes to a person’s record. If a record changes, Checkr does checks in the appropriate jurisdictions and generates a new report.

Results from continuous checks supplement your overall trust and safety program by finding recent reportable information.

Consent

A person must provide proper consent for enrollment in continuous checks. Specifically, people must authorize you to run background checks throughout their time with your organization. It is your responsibility to both obtain consent and unenroll people when they leave your organization. Consult your legal counsel to ensure that you have proper consent procedures in place for continuous checks.

You can use continuous checks with both the Checkr Dashboard and Checkr API.

Data sources

Continuous checks use the data sources below:

• Checkr real-time data: Checkr completes over 22 million county searches every year. Checkr monitors those searches for results that match everybody you enrolled in continuous checks. Because of Checkr’s commitment to fair chance hiring, reports from continuous checks include only records from the past year.
• Arrest record feeds: Checkr uses information from a real-time feed as a pointer search to identify counties to search. Checkr reports only records with recent convictions and pending cases.
• Online criminal databases: Checkr uses information from the data sources below:
  • Electronic county databases
  • Global watchlist databases
  • National criminal databases
  • Sex offender registries

Results from continuous checks appear in background check reports.

Review the differences between county criminal searches, state criminal searches, federal criminal searches, and national criminal searches.

County criminal search

State criminal search

Federal criminal search

National criminal search

A criminal search outside the US is an in-country search that searches multi-jurisdictional repositories and database sources to return all major offense conviction records. The criminal data will be retrieved from various local and national agencies, including but not limited to the ones below:

• Department of Justice
• Ministry of Internal Affairs
• Ministry of Foreign Affairs
• National or federal police
• Criminal record offices

If no records are found, an adverse media search happens.  

For a comprehensive description of how a criminal search happens in common countries, refer to background checks by country.

Ordering

The average turnaround time for a criminal search outside the US varies by country or territory. For a full list of turnaround times for international criminal searches, visit the International Pricing Guide.

When hiring outside the United States, you can choose how many years of address history (5-10 years) to gather from candidates.

Overview

The Canada BC (British Columbia) Enhanced search, created with the BC Passenger Transportation Board, improves the application process for BC taxi and rideshare drivers.

A BC Police Service provider flags candidates who have records, according to the Passenger Transportation Board (PTB) regulations below:

• Convictions, within the previous 10 years, for offenses under the Criminal Code or Controlled Drugs and Substances Act (Canada)
• An outstanding charge for offenses under the Criminal Code or Controlled Drugs and Substances Act (Canada)
• A conviction for any of the offenses below, regardless of time frame, including previous versions of these offenses:
  • Air or maritime safety offenses (sections 76 to 78)
  • Arson - disregard for human life (section 433)
  • Assault offenses (sections 267 to 269.1)
  • Assaulting peace officer (sections 270.01 and 270.02)
  • Breaking and entering offenses (sections 348 to 351)
  • Criminal negligence, murder, infanticide, bodily harm (sections 219 to 248)
  • Hate crimes (sections 318 and 319)
  • Kidnapping, trafficking in persons, hostage taking (sections 279 to 281)
  • Mischief causing actual danger to life (section 430 (2))
  • Offenses involving explosives (sections 79 to 82.6)
  • Possession of weapon for dangerous purpose (section 88)
  • Robbery and extortion (sections 343 to 346)
  • Robbery to steal firearm (section 98.1)
  • Terrorism (part II.1)
  • Use of firearm in commission of offense (section 85)
• A conviction for the offenses below regardless of time frame, including previous versions of these offenses:
  • Child pornography (section 163.1)
  • Obtaining, producing or advertising sexual services (section 286.1 to 286.4)
  • Removal of child from Canada for sexual purposes (section 273.3)
  • Sexual assault (sections 271 to 273)
  • Sexual interference, sexual touching, sexual exploitation (sections 151 to 153.1)

The turnaround time for the Canada BC Enhanced search is one business day.

Data sources

The Canada BC Enhanced search searches the national and local databases below:

CPIC Search

• If an applicant self-declares a conviction, Checkr searches the applicable Canadian Police Information Centre (CPIC) databases.
• If the CPIC search confirms the applicant’s self-declared conviction, the application changes to Confirmed if no search in the additional categories below causes the application to change to Incomplete.
• The application will be marked “Negative” if the CPIC search finds no convictions and non search in the additional categories below causes the application to be marked “Incomplete.”
• If the CPIC search finds undeclared criminal convictions, the application will be marked as “Incomplete.”
• If the CPIC search finds outstanding charges, warrants, prohibits or conditions, the application will be marked as “Incomplete”.

PIP Search

• Specific to each applicant, the department searches the Police Information Portal (PIP) database to find the information below:
  • Additional criminal offense convictions, either indictable or summary
  • Applicant-specific incident role code of charged, recommend charges, suspect, or suspect chargeable.
• If the PIP search finds convictions or role code entries, the application will be marked as “Incomplete.”

PRIME Search

• Specific to each applicant, the Department will query the Police Records Information Management Environment (PRIME) database and seek to identify adverse police contact, as indicated by the following role codes: recommend charges, suspect or suspect chargeable.
• If the PRIME search reveals any of the above specified role code entries, the application will be marked as “Incomplete”.

Court Services Online (JUSTIN) Search

• Specific to each applicant, the Department will query the Court Services Online (JUSTIN) database and seek to identify any and all additional criminal offense convictions recorded therein, either indictable or summary.
• If the JUSTIN search reveals additional convictions, the application will be marked as "Incomplete."

Results

To review the results of a Canada BC Enhanced search, select the file number.

The Canada BC Enhanced search returns the results below:

• Clear/Negative: The authorized databases have no additional information that matches the candidate's name and birth date.
• Unclear/Additional Check Recommended: Refer the candidate to their local police detachment to get a Police Information Check – Vulnerable Sector (PIC VS). The candidate can upload their PIC VS for your team’s review. Rejected candidates can contact the PTB to appeal the decision. 

To complete Canadian criminal background checks, Checkr uses digital identity verification to verify a candidate's identity. To verify identity, digital identity verification compares liveness data and biometric comparison to a candidate-provided photo ID.

Eligible documents

Candidates can provide the documents below for digital identity verification:

• Driver's license
• National identity card
• Passport

Candidates who don't have these documents, can verify their identity using Electronic ID verification.

Electronic ID verification

Electronic ID verification (eID) uses data from an authorized Canadian credit bureau, such as Equifax or TransUnion, to create questions about the candidate's credit history. If eID finds a credit report using the candidate-provided information, the candidate application asks for answers to four multiple choice questions about information on the candidate's credit report.

If the candidate answers at least three of the four questions correctly, their identity is verified. If the candidate can't answer at least three of the four questions correctly after two attempts, the candidate application directs them to complete digital identity verification. 

Candidate experience

After the candidate reads and acknowledges receipt of applicable forms and authorizations, the candidate provides the personally identifying information (PII) below:

• Front and back photos of their photo ID
• A scan of their face

Overview

Canadian criminal record search uses the candidate-provided name and birth date to search the Canadian Police Information Centre (CPIC) within the National Repository of Criminal Records for Canadian criminal convictions. Canadian criminal record search also searches the Police Information Portal (PIP database) for entries below:

• Charges
• Judicial orders
• Peace bonds
• Prohibition orders (non-convictions)
• Probation
• Warrants

Because of the Dissemination of Criminal Record Information Policy, Police Services can't disclose results from PIP databases.

When submitting results for a Canadian criminal record search, one of these results populate:

• Clear: Declaration matches results
• Consider: Declaration matches results
• Consider: Declaration doesn't match results

This document has the additional names below:

• Premium Criminal Record Check
• Level 2 Check
• Police Information Check (PIC)
• Criminal Record and Judicial Matters Check (CRJMC) (Canada)
• Certified Criminal Record Check with fingerprints (required for Quebec candidates)

The enhanced criminal record check report shows the entries below:

• Criminal convictions from CPIC and local databases
• Summary convictions for five years from the conviction date, when identified
• Findings of Guilt under the Youth Criminal Justice Act within the applicable disclosure period
• Outstanding entries, such as charges and warrants, judicial orders, Peace Bonds, Probation, and Prohibition Orders. As per CPIC policy, information obtained from the Investigative database must be confirmed and authorized for release by the contributing agency.
• Absolute discharges for one year
• Conditional discharges for three years

Canadian criminal record search doesn't show the entry types below:

• Dispositions with the adjudications below:
  • Dismissed
  • Not Criminally Responsible by Reason of Mental Disorder
  • Withdrawn
• Diversions
• Family Court restraining order
• Local police contact
• Mental health contact
• Ministry of Transportation information
• Provincial statute conviction
• Suspended conviction
• Special Interest Police record
• Suspended Vulnerable Sector Query record
• Youth Criminal Justice Act (YCJA) information outside the applicable disclosure period