Fast Background Check for Philippine Employees: The Complete Speed Guide

The longer it takes for a company to fill a job vacancy, the costlier recruitment becomes. That’s why it’s important to look for ways to speed up the hiring process.

One part of the recruitment process that can slow it down is the background check. It can be even slower when dealing with offshore or international employees. However, there are a few things you can do to speed up the process.
If you’re an employer planning on hiring offshore employees in the Philippines, this guide is for you. We’ll cover key information to run faster background checks.

Key Takeaways

• Consent is the Mandatory First Step: Under the Philippines’ Data Privacy Act of 2012, it is legally required for employers to obtain formal, documented consent from a job candidate before conducting any background checks. The consent form must be transparent about what data is being collected and why.
• A Typical Check Takes 5-7 Business Days: While a background check can be completed in as little as 2-3 days, a more realistic timeline for a comprehensive check is 5-7 business days. The speed heavily depends on the candidate having up-to-date documents, especially their NBI clearance.
• You Must Balance Speed with Thoroughness: While a fast background check shortens the hiring process and reduces costs, rushing can lead to a lack of thoroughness. It is crucial to balance the need for speed with the need to conduct a comprehensive review that includes criminal history, identity, references, and professional licenses.
• Local Partners Expedite the Process for International Employers: For foreign companies, the most efficient way to conduct fast and compliant background checks is to work with a reputable offshore staffing partner. Their local expertise allows them to navigate Philippine regulations and verification processes much more quickly than an international team could.

Importance of a Philippine Employee Background Check

A background check is the process of looking into a job candidate’s qualifications and details. Employers verify the validity of a candidate’s experience for the role. It also checks that the candidate’s personal information is accurate.

Employers of offshore employees also need to do background checks on potential candidates. This ensures that the candidate meets the standards based on their qualifications. It can also determine a candidate’s cultural fit.

How Long Does a Background Check Take in the Philippines?

Individual document timing:

NBI clearance is your biggest variable. If the candidate already has a recent NBI clearance (valid for one year), you get results immediately. If they need to apply fresh, expect 3-5 business days for online applications, or up to 10 days during peak hiring seasons when NBI offices get backlogged.

Professional license verification through PRC takes 24-48 hours online. Educational verification depends on the institution—major universities respond within 2-3 days, smaller colleges might take a week.

Reference checks are entirely within your control. Most previous employers respond within 24-48 hours if you call directly rather than email.

Realistic timeline for comprehensive fast background check:

If everything goes smoothly: 2-3 business days. This assumes the candidate has current NBI clearance and responsive references.

More typical scenario: 5-7 business days. This accounts for one document needing renewal and normal response times.

Worst-case scenario: 2-3 weeks. This happens when candidates need new professional licenses, educational institutions are slow to respond, or there are discrepancies requiring follow-up.

The speed-accuracy tradeoff:

Companies that need truly fast background check processes often run basic checks (NBI, ID verification, reference calls) immediately, then complete comprehensive checks (education, professional licenses) during the employee’s first week. This gets people started quickly while maintaining thoroughness.

The key insight: speed depends more on preparation than process. Candidates with organized documentation enable fast background check completion. Those who need to gather documents create delays you can’t control.

Key Tips For Quick Philippine Employee Background Checks

Before checking the Philippine candidate’s background, there are a few important things to consider.

In the Philippines, there is the Data Privacy Act of 2012 which has strong implications for background checks on Filipino employees. This act requires employers to conduct lawful, fair, and transparent processing of a candidate’s private data.

So, what does that mean for employers or hiring managers? That means that employers must get the formal and documented consent of their candidates.

Aside from that, employers must also have appropriate security measures to protect candidates’ data. This assures that the information is protected against unauthorized access, disclosure, and usage.

Related: Keep your remote team secure against virtual safety concerns with these cybersecurity tips.

Informing candidates of background checks reduces resume inconsistencies, resulting in fewer discrepancies needing clarification.

Pros and Cons of a Quick Background Check

Let’s discuss the pros and cons of speeding up your candidate’s background checks. Know the common pitfalls and the advantages so that you can use them strategically to boost your hiring process.

Advantages of a Quick Background Check

Speed is the most crucial factor in a background screening program for many companies. One of the biggest benefits of a quicker background check by the employer is that it shortens the time-to-hire process.

John Rampton, CEO of Calendar.com, mentions that a shorter time-to-hire can make your company stay competitive in the market. Simultaneously, you retain the quality of your hires. More notably, you reduce recruitment expenses.

Filling the talent gap faster reduces the burden on your current staff, thus improving their work output quality.

Disadvantages of a Sped-Up Background Check

While trying to get a quicker screening process is beneficial, there are also common pitfalls with it.

Favoring speed when it comes to background checks makes it harder to do thorough checks. For example, criminal records and poor working history could easily slip through the cracks.

Aside from that, certain candidate information is best removed from consideration. When you prioritize speeding up background checks, you can overlook this information.

For example, you could include outdated banking data to influence a candidate’s eligibility for the job. This can introduce flaws in your screening process and unfairly discredit your candidate.

How You Can Avoid This: Document your background check process. Automate parts that are not critical.

6 Examples of Background Checks for Philippine Employees

There are different kinds of checks that employers can do to thoroughly verify the viability of a candidate. Here are six examples of some of the main background checks you can refer to. These approaches ensure you have information about your candidate most relevant to the role and your company.

1. Criminal History Check

What Is It: Checking a candidate’s criminal history is a standard procedure for most candidate background searches. It validates that you are creating a safe working environment.

How to Check: Most Philippine job candidates submit a National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) clearance to a potential employer. This clearance shows whether a candidate doesn’t have a criminal record at a national level.

2. Identity Verification

What Is It: Identity verification is when you confirm that their personal information (e.g. Full Name, Date of Birth, Age, and Permanent Address) is authentic based on official documents.

How to Check: Ask for a certified true copy of their birth certificate and two government-issued IDs. These can serve as official proof of their identity.

3. Reference Checks

What Is It: An essential part of the best employment background check involves reference checks. This is the process of verifying their work history with previous employers through their listed references.

How to Check: This check is an opportunity to check the work behavior of your candidate outside of their resume. Verify that their work timeline and job role are accurate through this check, too.

See Also: Find qualified offshore employees with these actionable candidate search tips.

4. Professional Licenses Checks

What Is It: For jobs that require special licenses, checking a candidate’s professional license is important. For example, accountants, doctors, and engineers need professional licenses to work.

How to Check: The Professional Regulation Commission (PRC) is responsible for the management of highly skilled professionals in the Philippines. Therefore, most professional licenses can be run through their verification.

5. Educational Background Check

What Is It: This is the process of verifying that a candidate has the educational qualifications for the role. It’s most applicable to those in the academic field or highly-technical industries.

How to Check: Job candidates may provide their diploma or their transcript of records (TOR). You can verify the validity by contacting their university or school.

6. Social Media Checks

What Is It: This optional check is the process of looking at a candidate’s social media footprint. That way, you can find out if they have unwanted online behavior that can affect your company.

According to Robert Stewart, CEO of Triton Canada, social media checks can help recruiters gain insight into a candidate’s sense of social responsibility.

Given this benefit, recruiters can use social media checks to get an idea of a candidate’s cultural fit.

How to Check: Checking major social media platforms is one of the go-to moves for getting the fastest background check. However, you should be 100% sure that the account is theirs. Otherwise, it isn’t reliable information.

These types of background checks are crucial to your candidate screening process.  Conducting a diverse set of background checks not only ensures accuracy but also mitigates company risks. It also establishes consistent criteria for a fair and thorough candidate evaluation.

4 Key Steps for a Quick Background Check

A rapid background check involves optimizing the process to include only the most essential parts. Here are four main steps to conducting a background check. Use this as a reference for what the core steps of your candidate background search should be.

Step 1: Have the Consent Form Ready

The background check consent form ensures that you comply with the Data Privacy Act of 2012. After a candidate successfully passes the interview, you should then have them sign the consent form.

Having a signed consent form is more meaningful if you explain it to the candidate. Your  HR team must explain the following:

• Background check process
• What you’re verifying
• How long it will take
• When they can expect a response

By explaining the background check process, you reduce the possibility of disputes or objections. It also establishes a relationship of trust between the recruiter and the candidate. Thus, it makes the company a more inviting workplace in the eyes of top talent.

Step 2: Verify The Candidate’s Details

Once you’ve gotten the consent form, you can start going through the employee background check. Take note of how long it takes you to complete each check. Use that information for the next step.

Step 3: Record Your Verification Process

If you want to have a quick background check for future candidates, too, then record your verification process. You should record:

• The types of background checks based on job role
• Average turnaround time for each check
• Tools, references, and resources used for each check

With a documented process, you have your personalized reference material for future background checks.

Step 4: Discuss the Results with the Candidate

Once all background checks are complete, review the report with the candidate. This step typically becomes necessary only if there are contentious findings after the check. It provides the candidate an opportunity to offer additional context and clarification on said results.

After discussing the results, your hiring team can then decide if the candidate is right for your team. If the candidate passes, you now have a full-fledged member of your offshore Filipino team.

4 Tips for Quicker Background Checks

There are other tips you can apply when conducting fast background checks. Take note of these tips to boost your background search approach.

Step 1: Provide Essential Details in the Consent Form

The consent form shouldn’t just include what that they consent to background checks. It should also include these essential details:

• What personal data you will collect
• Who will be collecting the data
• Why you are collecting said data
• What the methods used to collect the data
• How long said data will be stored

Do note that they have the right to refuse the data processing. In this case, this can result in a candidate’s disqualification from the application process.

You also must inform a candidate should you plan to share their data with a different country.

Step 2: Work With The Right Background Check Provider

Some businesses specialize in providing an employment background check service for employers. They can be available locally, while others can help with international candidates. However, that can lead to extra recruitment costs.

If you’re currently building an offshore team, you can avoid that additional expense. Your offshore service provider can provide you with candidate options. At the same time, they can do background checks for you.

Step 3: Use an Applicant Tracking System (ATS)

One way to make background checks faster is through tools like an applicant tracking system. An ATS will help track the candidate’s journey throughout their application.

It will also help you track which candidates have signed consent forms, so you can start the check faster. You can use the ATS to track which background checks are done.

Step 4: Avoid Relying Solely on Online Information

Social media checks can reveal a candidate’s online behavior and its potential impact on your brand. However, relying solely on social media for background screening leads to incomplete evaluations. You can also misidentify candidates.

It can undermine your recruitment process’s reliability, accuracy, and fairness. Thus, it’s best to use it as a supplement to other primary candidate screening methods.

You can instead focus on professional platforms such as LinkedIn when judging a candidate’s social media behavior. That way, your recruitment process retains validity, impartiality, and legal compliance.

How Much Does an International Background Check Cost?

The cost factor directly impacts how fast your background check process can be, because budget constraints often force companies to choose between speed and comprehensiveness.

Direct costs for Philippine employee background checks:

NBI clearance costs ₱155 ($2.80) for the candidate, but expedited processing can add ₱100-200 ($2-4) extra. Most companies reimburse this cost.

Professional license verification through PRC is free if you do it yourself online, but third-party verification services charge $15-25 per license check.

Reference checks cost nothing if your HR team handles calls directly, but outsourced reference checking services charge $25-50 per reference.

Third-party background check services:

International background check companies charge $50-200 per comprehensive check for Philippine candidates. The higher cost reflects their local partnerships and faster processing capabilities.

US-based services often take longer for Philippine checks because they rely on local partners, potentially defeating the purpose of paying for speed.

Hidden cost considerations:

Staff time represents the biggest expense. An HR person spending two days coordinating a fast background check costs more in salary than outsourcing the entire process.

Delays create multiplying costs. Each additional week of vacancy costs more than paying premium rates for faster verification.

Cost-speed optimization strategies:

Handle high-volume, straightforward checks (NBI, references) internally. Outsource complex verifications (education, professional licenses) that require local expertise.

For companies hiring multiple Philippine employees monthly, establishing direct relationships with verification sources often proves cheaper than per-check third-party services.

The strategic calculation:

Fast background check services typically cost 2-3x basic verification rates but can reduce time-to-hire by 50%. For roles where vacancy costs exceed $1,000 weekly, premium background check services pay for themselves through faster placement.

Most companies optimize for predictability rather than the lowest cost. Knowing exactly when background checks will complete enables better hiring planning and candidate communication.

Boost Hiring With Faster Checks From a Trusted Offshore Firm

Skills shortages and poor quality candidates have made recruitment take too long. The prolonged recruitment period escalates costs, necessitating strategies to expedite hiring.

One way employers have accelerated recruitment is by running a quicker employee background check. However, reaching an optimal compromise between quick background screening and quality candidates is difficult.

It takes even longer for global companies with international applicants.

If that’s the case for you, consider working with offshore companies in the Philippines. Their local expertise can expedite background checks for Philippine applicants. Not only that, but they can also save you 79% in labor costs.

By working with an offshore company, you quicken your applicant screening process and retain the quality of applicants. You can achieve that all while staying cost-efficient.

Frequently Asked Questions