How long does a background check take?
Not every type of background check is the same. At Private Eyes Background Checks, 90% of the time we average under 48 hours for a complete comprehensive background check. That said, different types of background checks take different amounts of time to complete. The amount of time that it takes to receive results depends on the specific type and amount of information that you are trying to acquire about an individual. In order to find out how long each type of background check takes to complete, you can refer to the general information about the following types of background checks outlined below.
Criminal Record Checks
Some searches for an individual’s criminal record take hours. Others can take several days. The length of time depends on the number of results and the procedures of the court clerk.
Employment and Education Verification
Checking on the employment history and education history of an individual depends on the willingness and availability of the employer or school official to respond. As a result, this type of verification could be as simple as making one call or could turn into a task that takes several attempts over the course of several days.
License Verification
As long as you have the correct licensing number in your possession and know the source that you should contact, verifying a license should be quick and simple.
Reference Checks
Although a reference check also depends on the availability of the person listed as a reference, there is a way to speed up the process. You can ask the person who you are investigating to provide the person acting as a reference with a time that he or she should be expecting a call.
With all of the variables that come with each type of background check, there is no definitive answer as to how long a background check will take. So if you are responsible for performing background checks on individuals for your company, there is one piece of advice that you should follow: be patient.