Background verification, usually shortened to BGV in India, is the process of confirming a candidate's identity, history and credentials before they join. It answers one question: is what the candidate told us true? It is not an assessment of whether they can do the job; that is what interviews and skills tests are for.
This guide covers what a BGV includes, a step-by-step process, and the consent and legal points in the main hiring countries.
This is general information, not legal advice. Background checks are regulated differently in every country, and in some by state or province. Take advice before you set a screening policy.
What does background verification include?
A typical BGV is a menu of checks. You choose the ones the role justifies.
| Check | What it confirms | Typical evidence |
|---|---|---|
| Identity | The person is who they say they are | Government-issued ID |
| Address | Current and sometimes previous addresses | Address proof, field visit or digital confirmation |
| Education | Degrees and qualifications claimed | Confirmation from the university, board or awarding body |
| Employment history | Employers, dates, job titles, reason for leaving | Confirmation from previous employers' HR |
| References | How the person worked | Calls with former managers |
| Criminal record | Relevant convictions | Police or court record checks, under the country's rules |
| Professional licence | Registration is current | The licensing body's register |
| Right to work | The person can legally work in the country | The country's official right-to-work process |
| Credit or financial | Financial history, for some finance roles | A regulated credit reference agency, where allowed |
Not every role needs every check. A criminal record check for a nursery worker and one for a graphic designer are different decisions, and some countries limit which roles can have the more detailed checks.
What is the background verification process?
The process below works in any country; the legal details in the next section change what you must do at steps 2, 3 and 6.
1. Set a written screening policy
List, for each role or job family, which checks you run and why. Applying the same checks to everyone in the same role is fairer and easier to defend. The US Equal Employment Opportunity Commission says that checking only some groups of applicants can be evidence of discrimination.
2. Tell the candidate and get written consent
Explain what you will check, who will do it and how the information will be used. Ask for written consent on a separate form, not buried in the application. Our background check consent form can be adapted for this.
3. Make a conditional offer
Most employers run BGV after a conditional offer, so they are only checking people they want to hire. Say clearly in the offer that it depends on satisfactory checks. See our conditional offer letter template.
4. Collect documents and run the checks
The candidate uploads documents and gives contact details for previous employers and institutions. Your HR team or a verification provider then contacts each source. For employment checks, verify directly with the former employer's HR team using contact details you find yourself, not ones the candidate supplies.
5. Review the report
Look at discrepancies in context. A start date that is a month out is different from an invented degree. Decide in advance which findings are serious for the role.
6. Let the candidate respond before you decide
If something negative comes back, show the candidate what was found and give them a chance to explain or correct it. In the US this is a legal requirement when you use a screening company (see below); elsewhere it is simply good practice and avoids decisions based on someone else's mistake.
7. Decide, record and store securely
Record the decision and the reason. Keep reports only as long as you need them, restrict access, and delete them on a schedule.
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Background verification in India
BGV is routine in Indian hiring, particularly in IT services, banking, BPO and other large employers, and is usually carried out by specialist verification firms. Common components are identity, address, education, previous employment and a criminal record check through court records or police verification.
Points to settle in your process:
- Consent and notice. Take the candidate's written consent and tell them what will be checked. The Digital Personal Data Protection Act, 2023 governs how personal data is processed; take advice on how its provisions and rules apply to your hiring, as they are being brought into force in phases.
- Previous employment. Former employers' HR teams are the source for dates, designation and exit details. Allow for some employers being slow to respond, and agree in advance how long you will wait.
- Education. Confirm with the university or board, not from a copy of the certificate alone.
- Joining before checks finish. Many employers let people join while checks complete. If you do, say in the offer that employment depends on satisfactory results.
Background checks in the US
When you use a background screening company, the federal Fair Credit Reporting Act applies. The Federal Trade Commission's guidance for employers sets out the main steps:
- Disclosure: tell the applicant in writing that you may use the report for employment decisions, in a document that is separate from the application.
- Authorisation: get their written permission before ordering the report.
- Certification: certify to the screening company that you have done this and will not misuse the report.
- Pre-adverse action notice: before rejecting someone because of the report, give them a copy of it and a summary of their rights.
- Adverse action notice: after the decision, tell them the report was the reason and give them the screening company's details and their right to dispute it.
The same guidance, written jointly with the EEOC, says to apply the same standards to everyone, and that policies which exclude people based on background can be unlawful if they disproportionately affect a protected group and are not job-related and consistent with business necessity. Many states and cities add their own rules on criminal history questions.
Criminal record checks in the UK
In England and Wales, employers request criminal record checks through the Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS), either directly or through an organisation acting for them. GOV.UK lists four levels:
| DBS check | What it shows |
|---|---|
| Basic | Unspent convictions and conditional cautions |
| Standard | Spent and unspent convictions and cautions |
| Enhanced | As standard, plus relevant local police information |
| Enhanced with barred lists | As enhanced, plus whether the person is barred from the role |
The more detailed checks are only for certain roles, such as in healthcare or childcare. Right-to-work checks are a separate process with their own GOV.UK guidance.
Canada and Australia
- Canada: criminal record checks are done through police services; the RCMP notes that if a name-based check cannot confirm someone's identity, fingerprints may be needed, and that vulnerable sector checks also cover record suspensions for sexual offences. Privacy law applies to how you collect and keep the results, and varies by province and sector.
- Australia: the Australian Federal Police says a national police check cannot be applied for on someone else's behalf without their consent, and each certificate is tied to the purpose stated on the application.
Background verification checklist
- [ ] Screening policy lists the checks for each role and the reason
- [ ] The same checks run for everyone in the same role
- [ ] Candidate told what will be checked, by whom, and why
- [ ] Written consent on a separate form
- [ ] Offer letter says it is conditional on checks
- [ ] Previous employers contacted through details you sourced yourself
- [ ] Education confirmed with the institution
- [ ] Criminal record check only where the role justifies it, through the official route
- [ ] Candidate shown adverse findings and allowed to respond
- [ ] Decision and reason recorded
- [ ] Reports stored securely and deleted on schedule
Where BGV fits in the hiring process
BGV confirms facts; it does not tell you whether someone can do the job. Put your effort into the assessment stages first, then use BGV to confirm the person you have chosen. Reference checks sit alongside it: BGV confirms dates and titles, references tell you how the person worked.
FAQs
What does BGV stand for?
BGV stands for background verification. The term is most common in India; in the US and UK people usually say background check or pre-employment screening.
When is background verification done?
Usually after a conditional offer and before or shortly after the start date. Running checks only on the candidate you intend to hire keeps the cost down and avoids collecting data you do not need.
Can a candidate refuse background verification?
They can refuse consent, and you cannot run checks that need it without them. You can then decide not to proceed, provided the checks were a stated condition of the offer and are justified for the role.
Can I run BGV on current employees?
Yes in many countries, with consent and a clear reason, for example on promotion into a regulated role. In the US, the FTC notes that if you want consent to cover checks during employment you must say so clearly.