Background Check API for Developers
Integrate powerful background screening directly into your platform. RESTful API, real-time webhooks, mobile SDKs, and comprehensive documentation. Go live in hours, not weeks.
Why Build with Our API?
Everything you need to add background checks to your platform.
Fast Integration
Clear documentation, code samples in multiple languages, and a sandbox environment. Go from signup to production in hours.
Built for Scale
Handle 1 check or 100,000 checks per day. Auto-scaling infrastructure with 99.99% uptime SLA.
Compliance Included
FCRA-compliant workflows, consent management, adverse action support, and SOC 2 Type II certified.
🚀 Trusted by Leading Platforms
Gig economy platforms, HR tech companies, staffing software, and marketplaces use our API to power their background screening. From Series A startups to Fortune 500 enterprises.
Powerful Features, Simple Integration
Everything developers need to build great screening experiences.
RESTful API
Modern REST architecture with predictable resource-oriented URLs and JSON request/response.
- ✓JSON in, JSON out
- ✓Versioned endpoints
- ✓Predictable error codes
- ✓Rate limiting with headers
- ✓Pagination support
Webhooks
Get notified instantly when checks complete. No polling required.
- ✓Real-time notifications
- ✓Configurable events
- ✓Retry with exponential backoff
- ✓Signature verification
- ✓Event logs for debugging
Mobile SDKs
Native SDKs for iOS and Android to capture consent and documents in your mobile apps.
- ✓iOS SDK (Swift)
- ✓Android SDK (Kotlin)
- ✓React Native
- ✓Document capture
- ✓Selfie capture
Sandbox Environment
Test your integration without real data or charges. Simulate any scenario.
- ✓Full API access
- ✓Test credit card
- ✓Scenario simulation
- ✓Clear vs. flagged results
- ✓Webhook testing
Hosted Flows
Don’t want to build UI? Use our hosted pages for consent, data collection, and results.
- ✓White-label branding
- ✓Mobile-responsive
- ✓FCRA-compliant forms
- ✓E-signature capture
- ✓Redirect on complete
Security & Compliance
Enterprise-grade security built into every layer.
- ✓SOC 2 Type II
- ✓TLS 1.3 encryption
- ✓API key + secret auth
- ✓IP allowlisting
- ✓FCRA compliance tools
Simple to Integrate
Create a background check with a single API call.
# Create a background check
curl -X POST https://api.backgroundchecker.com/v1/checks \
-H "Authorization: Bearer YOUR_API_KEY" \
-H "Content-Type: application/json" \
-d '{
"candidate": {
"first_name": "John",
"last_name": "Doe",
"email": "john@example.com",
"dob": "1990-01-15",
"ssn": "123-45-6789"
},
"package": "standard",
"webhook_url": "https://your-app.com/webhooks"
}'
# Response
{
"id": "chk_abc123xyz",
"status": "pending",
"package": "standard",
"candidate": {
"first_name": "John",
"last_name": "Doe",
"email": "john@example.com"
},
"checks": [
{"type": "ssn_trace", "status": "pending"},
{"type": "national_criminal", "status": "pending"},
{"type": "sex_offender", "status": "pending"}
],
"created_at": "2024-01-15T10:30:00Z"
}
Available API Endpoints
Full control over the screening lifecycle.
📋 Checks
Create, retrieve, and manage background checks.
- POST /v1/checks — Create a check
- GET /v1/checks/{id} — Retrieve a check
- GET /v1/checks — List all checks
- POST /v1/checks/{id}/cancel — Cancel a check
👤 Candidates
Manage candidate records and invitations.
- POST /v1/candidates — Create candidate
- GET /v1/candidates/{id} — Retrieve candidate
- POST /v1/candidates/{id}/invite — Send invite
- GET /v1/candidates — List candidates
📦 Packages
Configure and manage screening packages.
- GET /v1/packages — List packages
- GET /v1/packages/{id} — Get package details
- POST /v1/packages — Create custom package
- PUT /v1/packages/{id} — Update package
📄 Reports
Retrieve and manage background reports.
- GET /v1/reports/{id} — Get report
- GET /v1/reports/{id}/pdf — Download PDF
- POST /v1/reports/{id}/dispute — File dispute
- GET /v1/reports — List reports
🔔 Webhooks
Configure webhook endpoints and events.
- POST /v1/webhooks — Create endpoint
- GET /v1/webhooks — List endpoints
- DELETE /v1/webhooks/{id} — Delete endpoint
- GET /v1/webhooks/{id}/logs — View logs
⚠️ Adverse Action
Manage FCRA-compliant adverse action workflows.
- POST /v1/adverse-actions/pre — Pre-adverse
- POST /v1/adverse-actions/final — Final notice
- GET /v1/adverse-actions/{id} — Get status
- GET /v1/adverse-actions — List actions
Screening Services Available via API
Access our full suite of background checks programmatically.
Criminal
National, county, federal, state criminal records.
Identity
SSN trace, ID verification, address history.
Employment
Employment history verification.
Education
Degree and credential verification.
Credit
Credit reports for permissible purposes.
MVR
Driving records and license verification.
Drug Testing
Order drug tests and get results.
International
Global screening in 200+ countries.
Built for Your Use Case
Our API powers screening for many types of platforms.
📱 Gig Platforms
Rideshare, delivery, and marketplace platforms use our API for seamless driver and worker onboarding with continuous monitoring.
- ✓Fast identity verification
- ✓MVR for drivers
- ✓Continuous monitoring
💼 HR Software
ATS, HRIS, and onboarding platforms embed background checks directly into their hiring workflows.
- ✓Trigger on stage change
- ✓Results in candidate profile
- ✓FCRA-compliant flows
🏠 Property Tech
Property management and rental platforms integrate tenant screening into their application flows.
- ✓Credit + eviction + criminal
- ✓Income verification
- ✓Applicant-initiated
🏥 Healthcare Tech
Healthcare staffing and credentialing platforms use our API for compliance-ready screening.
- ✓OIG/GSA exclusions
- ✓License verification
- ✓Drug testing
🏦 Fintech
Financial services platforms use our API for KYC, identity verification, and compliance screening.
- ✓Identity verification
- ✓Sanctions screening
- ✓Credit checks
👥 Staffing Software
Staffing and recruiting platforms embed high-volume screening with batch processing.
- ✓Bulk candidate uploads
- ✓Client-specific packages
- ✓Volume pricing
Developer Experience
Everything you need to build, test, and deploy.
📚 Comprehensive Documentation
Full API reference, getting started guides, and best practices.
- ✓Interactive API explorer
- ✓Code samples in 6 languages
- ✓Use case tutorials
- ✓Postman collection
🛠️ Developer Tools
SDKs, testing tools, and debugging utilities.
- ✓Official SDKs (Node, Python, Ruby, Go, PHP, Java)
- ✓Webhook testing tools
- ✓Request/response logs
- ✓CLI for testing
🧪 Sandbox Environment
Test everything without real data or charges.
- ✓Instant sandbox access
- ✓Simulate all scenarios
- ✓Clear vs. flagged results
- ✓Webhook event simulation
🤝 Developer Support
Technical help when you need it.
- ✓Dedicated integration support
- ✓Slack channel for enterprise
- ✓Architecture review
- ✓99.99% uptime SLA
API Pricing
Pay only for what you use. Volume discounts available.
Startup
$0/month
Pay-per-check
- ✓Full API access
- ✓Sandbox environment
- ✓Standard pricing per check
- ✓Email support
Growth
$99/month
+ discounted checks
- ✓Everything in Startup
- ✓20% off per-check pricing
- ✓Priority support
- ✓Webhook event logs
Enterprise
Custom
High volume
- ✓Everything in Growth
- ✓Volume discounts
- ✓Custom SLA
- ✓Dedicated support + Slack
Per-check pricing depends on the services selected. Volume discounts start at 100 checks/month.
View Full Pricing →Security & Compliance
Enterprise-grade security with regulatory compliance built in.
SOC 2 Type II
Audited security controls for data protection.
FCRA
Built-in compliance tools for US employment screening.
GDPR
Data protection compliance for EU operations.
Encryption
TLS 1.3 in transit, AES-256 at rest.
API FAQs
Common questions from developers.
How long does integration take?
Most developers are live in production within 1-2 weeks. If you use our hosted flows (no custom UI), you can go live in hours. Complex integrations with custom workflows may take longer.
Do you have SDKs for my language?
We have official SDKs for Node.js, Python, Ruby, Go, PHP, and Java. If you use another language, our REST API works with any HTTP client.
What’s your uptime SLA?
We guarantee 99.99% uptime for Growth and Enterprise plans. Our status page at status.backgroundchecker.com shows real-time availability.
How do webhooks work?
When a check completes or status changes, we send a POST request to your webhook URL with the event data. You configure which events to receive. We retry failed deliveries with exponential backoff.
Can I test without real data?
Yes. Our sandbox environment lets you test the full API without real candidate data or charges. You can simulate clear, flagged, and various error scenarios.
How do I handle FCRA compliance?
We provide FCRA-compliant consent forms, adverse action workflows, and audit trails via the API. Our documentation includes a compliance guide with best practices.
Start Building Today
Add background screening to your platform in hours. Get instant sandbox access, comprehensive documentation, and developer support.
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