Background checks: verify before it gets expensive
The most expensive decisions are rarely the result of bad faith. They are the result of something nobody checked. A managing director with an insolvency history no one looked up. A candidate whose stated previous employer evaporates after one phone call. An investor who has already exited two ventures the same way. All of it publicly available — just not on the first page.
When a check is warranted
- Before filling roles with access to money, data or clients
- Before taking a stake, forming a joint venture or incorporating together
- Before substantial contracts with unfamiliar counterparties, particularly abroad
- Before letting high-value property
- Where statements emerge in an existing relationship that do not add up
What we examine
We work with publicly accessible and lawfully obtainable sources: the commercial and associations registers, insolvency notices, Federal Gazette publications, court decisions, press, professional networks and other open sources. Education and employment history are verified directly where consent has been given.
The limit most people do not know
In Germany a background check on a private individual is not permissible without restriction. For job applicants the rule is: information relevant to the specific role advertised is lawful. Information on health, religion, political or sexual orientation, pregnancy or trade union membership is not — regardless of whether it could technically be found. An employer may not request an extract from the Federal Central Criminal Register; only the candidate can obtain a certificate of good conduct.
So we deliver not everything that can be found, but everything you may lawfully rely on. That is the actual value of a professional check.
Outcome
A structured report citing the source for every finding, with a clear separation between what is confirmed, what is contradictory and what remains unresolved. No traffic-light scoring, no character assessment — the decision stays with you.
What a background check actually verifies
Not a gut feeling about a person, but the statements that person has made about themselves. Does the qualification exist? Did the stated position exist with that employer, in that period? Does the company you are about to sign with exist, since when, with which directors, with which connections? Are there publicly documented proceedings, insolvencies, deletions from the register?
It sounds mundane until you check. What stands out is rarely the outright forgery in a CV. What stands out are the gaps nobody explains and the roles described one size larger than they were.
Where the legal line runs
In Germany not everything that is technically possible may be checked. What is permissible is what is objectively necessary for the specific role — more for a finance position than for temporary help. Health data, religious affiliation, union membership and family planning never belong to it.
We work with publicly accessible registers, insolvency notices, published court decisions and, where permissible, reference verification. What we do not do: tap databases, obtain private communication, or seek information under a false pretext. A result produced that way is one you cannot use.
When the check pays for itself
Whenever a wrong appointment becomes expensive: roles with access to cash, accounts or customer data, management and signing authority, before taking a stake or entering a substantial supply contract. The cost of a check bears no relation to the cost of a wrong appointment in such a role.
Where the matter is not a hire but an existing suspicion against a current employee, employee screening is the right procedure. Where the digital footprint of a person or company needs systematic coverage, we add OSINT research.
What usually brings clients to us
Most often before filling a position of trust: accounts, responsibility for cash, access to customer data, management. Second, before taking a stake or entering a joint venture, where the other side presents well but produces little that can be verified. Third, before a substantial supply contract with a partner known only from meetings.
A trigger of its own is the check after an incident. Once it emerges that an employee gave information that does not hold, clients generally want to know what else does not hold.
What determines the scope
Scope and duration depend on how many statements have to be verified, whether foreign registers are involved, and whether references are to be contacted. A domestic check with clear information is often complete within days; international structures take longer.
We define in advance what will be checked and what expressly will not — that protects you legally. You receive the price before the assignment begins.
Frequently asked questions
Is a background check GDPR-compliant?
Yes, where it is limited to permissible data categories and a legitimate interest exists. Our procedure is designed around that.
How long does it take?
A standard check normally three to five working days. Longer where an international element is involved.
Will the subject be informed?
Information obligations may follow from the GDPR. We flag this at the initial consultation.