Background Check

SmartCheck Integration

Screen candidates, vendors, and business partners across multi-jurisdiction databases directly from the SmartCheck dashboard at ai.verifik.co or automate high-volume screenings via SmartBatch.

Verifik's Background Check suite provides instant, automated screening across official criminal, judicial, disciplinary, fiscal, and international watchlist records. Designed for compliance teams, fintechs, employers, and gig-economy platforms, our APIs enable real-time risk mitigation and regulatory compliance.

Our infrastructure queries official government sources and international multilateral databases to deliver consolidated risk profiles within seconds.

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Screening Domains

Verifik consolidates background checks into four primary screening pillars:

1. Police & Criminal Records

Verify the absence of active arrest warrants, criminal convictions, or pending judicial proceedings:

• National police certificates and criminal background checks.
• Penitentiary and correctional facility records.
• Active judicial processes and court rulings from competent judicial authorities.
• Restraining orders and protective measures.

2. Disciplinary, Fiscal & Regulatory Oversight

Ensure that individuals and representatives are in good standing with regulatory and supervisory bodies:

• Fiscal comptroller certificates verifying absence of fiscal liability on public funds.
• Disciplinary oversight records assessing administrative sanctions or public office disqualifications.
• Professional board accreditations and ethics committee records.
• Public procurement disqualifications and anti-corruption registers.

3. International Sanctions & Multilateral Watchlists

Screen individuals and corporate entities against global high-risk watchlists:

• International Law Enforcement: Interpol Red and Yellow Notices, Europol Most Wanted.
• Sanctions & Financial Crime: Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC SDN), UN Security Council Sanctions, EU Financial Sanctions Files (FSF), UK Office of Financial Sanctions Implementation (OFSI).
• Multilateral Development Banks: World Bank Listing of Ineligible Firms & Individuals, Inter-American Development Bank (IADB) Sanctions.
• Security & Federal Watchlists: Consolidated Screening List (CSL), Defense Security Service (DSS), Terrorist Exclusion Lists, Secret Service Most Wanted, SEC Action Lists, and Health & Human Services Exclusions.

4. Politically Exposed Persons (PEP) & Adverse Media

Evaluate heightened regulatory risk and reputational exposure:

• Direct PEP identification (heads of state, government ministers, lawmakers, judges, high-ranking military officials).
• PEP relatives and close associates (RCA).
• Global adverse media and negative news monitoring covering financial crimes, fraud, trafficking, and corruption.

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Single vs. Batch Screening

Feature	Real-Time API (Single)	SmartBatch Screening
Latency	1–3 seconds	Asynchronous parallel workers
Typical Use Case	On-demand candidate or customer check	Pre-employment batch screening, vendor auditing
Input Format	JSON request	CSV, Excel, or API batch payload
Output Delivery	Immediate JSON response	Downloadable report & Webhook notification
Audit Artifact	Certified JSON payload	Certified PDF summary dossier

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API Integration

Authentication

Authenticate API requests using your Bearer token in the Authorization header:

Authorization: Bearer <your_jwt_token>

Request Example

cURL

curl -X POST https://api.verifik.co/v2/background-check \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer <your_jwt_token>" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{
    "documentType": "CC",
    "documentNumber": "1234567890",
    "country": "CO",
    "categories": ["criminal", "disciplinary", "sanctions", "pep"]
  }'

Node.js

const axios = require('axios');

async function runBackgroundCheck() {
  try {
    const response = await axios.post(
      'https://api.verifik.co/v2/background-check',
      {
        documentType: 'CC',
        documentNumber: '1234567890',
        country: 'CO',
        categories: ['criminal', 'disciplinary', 'sanctions', 'pep']
      },
      {
        headers: {
          'Authorization': `Bearer ${process.env.VERIFIK_API_KEY}`,
          'Content-Type': 'application/json'
        }
      }
    );

    console.log('Background Check Summary:', response.data);
  } catch (error) {
    console.error('Screening error:', error.response?.data || error.message);
  }
}

runBackgroundCheck();

Python

import os
import requests

url = "https://api.verifik.co/v2/background-check"
headers = {
    "Authorization": f"Bearer {os.environ.get('VERIFIK_API_KEY')}",
    "Content-Type": "application/json"
}
payload = {
    "documentType": "CC",
    "documentNumber": "1234567890",
    "country": "CO",
    "categories": ["criminal", "disciplinary", "sanctions", "pep"]
}

response = requests.post(url, json=payload, headers=headers)
data = response.json()
print("Background Check Results:", data)

Response Structure

{
  "status": "success",
  "data": {
    "documentType": "CC",
    "documentNumber": "1234567890",
    "fullName": "JUAN CARLOS PEREZ GOMEZ",
    "country": "CO",
    "hasRecord": false,
    "riskLevel": "LOW",
    "summary": {
      "criminal": { "hasRecord": false, "recordsFound": 0 },
      "disciplinary": { "hasRecord": false, "recordsFound": 0 },
      "fiscal": { "hasRecord": false, "recordsFound": 0 },
      "sanctions": { "hasRecord": false, "recordsFound": 0 },
      "pep": { "isPep": false }
    },
    "checkedSources": 18,
    "verifiedAt": "2026-10-30T22:25:00.000Z",
    "reportUrl": "https://api.verifik.co/v2/reports/bg-98a72b1c4e.pdf"
  },
  "signature": {
    "dateTime": "2026-10-30T22:25:00.000Z",
    "message": "Certified response"
  }
}

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Response Status Codes

HTTP Status	Description	Action Required
200 OK	Background check completed	Inspect hasRecord and summary fields
400 Bad Request	Invalid query format or missing parameter	Verify document structure and country code
401 Unauthorized	Invalid or expired credentials	Refresh your Bearer API token
404 Not Found	Target person or document not indexed	Confirm identity credentials
429 Too Many Requests	Rate limit exceeded	Back off and retry or consider SmartBatch
500 Server Error	External official service temporarily down	Automatic retry triggered via backoff

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Compliance & Legal Dossiers

Every background check response includes an optional cryptographically signed PDF audit report (reportUrl). This document provides:

• Time-stamped proof of screening for compliance audits.
• Full breakdown of each official registry queried and the result returned.
• SHA-256 integrity hash guaranteeing non-repudiation in legal proceedings.