International Background Checks
International background checks help organisations identify hidden risks, verify information and make informed decisions about the individuals and companies they engage with.
TenIntelligence provides independent international background checks and due diligence investigations for organisations hiring senior executives, appointing directors, onboarding third parties, considering investments or entering new business relationships.
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Identify the Hidden Risks
Our enquiries go beyond database screening. Combining investigative research, Open Source Intelligence (OSINT), corporate and regulatory records, litigation searches, adverse media analysis and trusted human-source enquiries, we identify undisclosed interests, integrity concerns, financial or legal issues and other potential red flags that may not be apparent from conventional screening alone.
With experience conducting due diligence enquiries across more than 100 countries and in multiple languages, we provide the intelligence, context and analysis organisations need to understand who they are dealing with, assess potential exposure and make informed decisions with greater confidence.
Who Benefits from International Background Checks?
International background checks support organisations that need greater confidence in the people, companies and third parties they engage with, particularly where relationships cross jurisdictions or involve increased financial, regulatory or reputational risk.
They are particularly valuable for:
- Employers and HR teams – screening senior executives, directors, employees and other positions of trust.
- Boards and senior leadership teams – assessing prospective directors, executives and key appointments.
- Investors and private equity firms – evaluating founders, management teams, counterparties and individuals connected to prospective investments.
- Financial institutions and regulated businesses – supporting customer, counterparty and enhanced due diligence requirements.
- Law firms and legal advisers – providing independent intelligence for transactions, disputes, litigation and client matters.
- Compliance and risk teams – identifying sanctions, PEP, adverse media, regulatory, litigation and integrity concerns.
- Corporates and procurement teams – assessing suppliers, contractors, agents, intermediaries and other third parties.
- Family offices and private clients – conducting discreet due diligence before significant investments, appointments or business relationships.
- M&A and transaction teams – understanding the backgrounds, interests and reputational profiles of individuals connected to a transaction.
The level of due diligence should be proportionate to the relationship, jurisdiction and potential exposure.
TenIntelligence tailors each background check to the specific risks and decisions involved
Why perform international background checks?
The benefits of International Background Checks.
Regulatory Compliance
In many industries, background checks are a legal or regulatory requirement. International background checks ensure compliance across borders and reduce organisational liability.
Protecting Reputation
A single high-risk hire can damage client trust and corporate reputation. Thorough screening demonstrates due diligence to clients, investors, regulators and stakeholders.
Workplace Safety & Integrity
Verifying a candidate’s history helps safeguard colleagues, clients, and sensitive information, creating a more secure and trustworthy environment.
Closing Global Gaps
Fraudsters often move between jurisdictions to escape scrutiny. International background checks validate overseas qualifications, employment histories, sanctions, and directorships, ensuring consistent global standards.
Effective Risk Management
The cost of a background check is minimal compared to the financial and reputational damage caused by hiring the wrong person, or entering into business with the wrong third-party.
Beyond New Hires
Screening is not just for recruitment. It is equally valuable for promotions, senior appointments, board members, and third-party partners. Our international background checks into senior executives, managers and new hires, entails the rigorous interrogation and analysis of information gathered from a range of open sources.
The Types of International Background Checks
Our International background check investigations include:
Pre-employment checks (also known as pre-employment screening) help organisations verify a candidate’s background before onboarding. These checks identify hidden risks, confirm professional claims, and ensure that individuals hired into sensitive roles are honest, qualified, and compliant.
Who is it valuable for?
HR & Talent Acquisition, Compliance & Risk, Legal teams, Audit & Internal Controls.
What We Cover
- Employment history & gap analysis (last 7 years)
- Education History & Qualification Verification
- Biographical profiling searches
- Professional Qualifications and Membership Verification
- CV and Application Consistency Checks
- Regulatory Membership and Financial Enforcement searches
- National & International Sanctions & PEP searches
- Address verification and property records
- Criminal litigation searches (jurisdiction dependent)
- Adverse National and International Media research (research in local language)
Management Due Diligence provides an independent, evidence-based assessment of an individual’s integrity, reputation, and professional suitability. It helps organisations evaluate senior executives, board members, and key decision-makers, ensuring they are fit to lead and aligned with regulatory expectations.
Who it’s valuable for
- Senior hires & board-level appointments
- Investors assessing opportunities involving key individuals
- Regulatory submissions requiring fitness and propriety evidence
- High-trust roles managing client assets, sensitive data, or strategy
What We Cover
Our Analysts combine open-source intelligence, discreet source enquiries, and regulatory reference verification to provide a balanced and independent view. This includes:
- Industry insight interviews with former colleagues, clients, and senior management
- independent, evidence-based assessment of an individual’s character, integrity, and professional suitability
- Verification of regulatory references and disclosures
- Cross-checking for reputation, leadership style, and professional track record.
- Reported Court Cases, Judgments, Litigation checks, Liens and CCJ filings
- Insolvency / Bankruptcy research
- Directorship / Executive filings / disclosed shareholdings and Affiliations
Fit & Proper Checks ensure compliance with regulatory standards such as the FCA’s Fit and Proper Test for Senior Personnel. They confirm that individuals in key roles are honest, competent, and financially sound, helping organisations avoid regulatory sanctions, reputational harm, and financial exposure.
Who it’s valuable for?
Financial services firms, boards, regulators, and organisations appointing senior staff to controlled or high-trust functions.
What We Cover
Our Analysts and Associates conduct multilingual, cross-jurisdictional research, interrogating CVs, application forms, regulatory filings, and corporate history. We assess for:
- Undisclosed red flags or adverse media
- Regulatory or disciplinary actions
- Sanctions or politically exposed person (PEP) status
- Conflicting findings between CV claims and verified records
- False or exaggerated education, experience, or qualifications
- Questionable directorships, bankruptcies, or financial misconduct
- Integrity or conduct concerns in litigation or enforcement records
We report our findings clearly and concisely, enabling clients to demonstrate regulatory compliance and make fully informed hiring and approval decisions. These checks provide reassurance to boards, regulators, and stakeholders that key personnel are suitably vetted and meet the FCA’s “fit and proper” requirements.
When dealing with individuals or companies established in high-risk jurisdictions, or exposed to other forms of elevated risk, organisations are required to apply Enhanced Due Diligence measures. EDD ensures risks are managed and mitigated appropriately by going beyond standard checks. Under anti-money-laundering directives, organisations must assess, as far as reasonably possible, the background and purpose of all complex or unusually large transactions, including those that show unusual patterns without lawful or economic rationale.
Who it’s valuable for
- Organisations operating in or with high-risk jurisdictions
- Financial institutions subject to AML directives
- Compliance & risk management teams assessing unusual transactions
- Multinationals managing high-value or complex partnerships
What We Cover
- engage trusted local sources and human enquiries to provide assurance that online data alone cannot.
- assess integrity, ability, reputation, and potential exposure to sanctions lists or litigation.
- examine independent sources to identify factors that may damage client reputation and confirm suitability for roles such as investor, director, or senior hire.
- determine if an individual falls into a higher-risk category, guiding the need for further industry insight or business intelligence.
- conduct industry insight interviews and regulatory references to evaluate professional character, source of wealth, and address any specific question you have.
- deliver accurate and detailed intelligence, enabling you to make confident and informed business decisions.
Insights & Case Studies
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Enhanced Due Diligence:
THE LICENCE THAT SHOULD NOT EXIST
TenIntelligence was asked to conduct a background check supported by Human Source Insights on an individual based in the South Africa.
The individual presented multiple red flags, including a negative character reference, adverse media coverage and a significant volume of undisclosed litigation involving both the individual and their company.
Multiple undisclosed litigation cases were identified in an African mining jurisdiction concerning an allegedly unlawfully obtained mining licence.
Human Source intelligence subsequently corroborated the ongoing litigation and included allegations that the individual had committed fraud, with the unlawful transfer of the mining licence enabling the individual to evade taxes.
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Insight Beyond Data:
THE VALUE OF HUMAN SOURCE INTELLIGENCE
Human Source Insights go beyond traditional due diligence by capturing information that is not publicly available or formally recorded. While standard checks focus on verifiable data, such as corporate records, litigation, and media, Human Source Insights draw on direct interviews with relevant people with first-hand knowledge of an individual or company’s behaviour, reputation, and operational practices.
Human Source Insights can reveal critical context, including patterns of misconduct, reputational concerns, or emerging risks that would otherwise remain hidden.
By supplementing due diligence with these qualitative perspectives, clients gain a more complete, nuanced, and actionable understanding of risk, enabling more confident and informed decision-making.
Frequently Asked Questions
Our investigations cover a variety of sources, including regulatory standing, PEPs and sanctions, corporate records, litigation and court records, employment and education verifications, insolvency and bankruptcy records, and reputational checks across jurisdictions.
Typically, a background check takes 5 to 15 business days depending on jurisdiction, complexity, and the availability of records. We do offer expedited background checks if the matter is urgent.
Yes. All our checks are conducted in line with data protection regulations and local privacy laws.
Yes. We conduct independent interviews with industry peers and former colleagues, ensuring discretion while providing valuable insights.
Yes. Our team speaks multiple languages and works with trusted local partners to conduct research in native languages.