How to choose a background screening company in Singapore & Indonesia
Ten questions to ask before you sign.
A background check is only as good as the sources behind it. This guide sets out what to ask a screening provider, the warning signs to watch for, and what good looks like for employers hiring in Singapore, Indonesia and Southeast Asia.
Discuss your requirementsTwo providers can run the “same” check and reach different answers
In Southeast Asia, the records that prove a candidate’s history sit with universities, former employers, courts and registries, often in the local language and not always online. A provider that checks directly with those sources finds problems. A provider that only reviews the documents a candidate supplies can pass a forged degree as verified.
The right provider also protects you legally. Singapore’s Personal Data Protection Act (PDPA) and Indonesia’s Personal Data Protection Law (Law No. 27 of 2022) both expect a clear purpose and proper consent before personal data is collected and checked.
The questions below work for any provider, global or local. Ask them in writing and compare the answers side by side.
The short answer
Choose a provider that verifies at the source, has its own team in each country you hire in, researches in the local language, collects consent properly, and shows you a sample report before you commit.
What to ask every screening provider
- Sources: Do you confirm education and employment directly with the university and employer, or rely on documents the candidate provides?
- Presence: Do you have your own team in each country I hire in, or do you pass the work to subcontractors?
- Language: Can you research records and media in local languages, such as Bahasa Indonesia?
- Consent: How do you collect candidate consent under Singapore’s PDPA and Indonesia’s PDP Law?
- Scope: Can checks be scaled to the role, or is there one fixed package for everyone?
- Turnaround: What is your typical turnaround, and how will I follow progress?
- Overseas history: How do you verify qualifications and jobs held in other countries?
- Quality: What quality control happens before a report is released?
- Data security: Where is candidate data stored, and who can access it?
- Reporting: Can I see a sample report, and does it state clearly what could not be verified?
When to look elsewhere
Instant results for everything
Database searches can be fast, but confirming a degree or a past job with the source takes time. “Verified in minutes” usually means nobody asked the source.
No named in-country team
If the provider can’t say who does the work in Indonesia or Singapore, the work is probably subcontracted, and quality control is hard to judge.
“Verified” with no source
A good report says who confirmed each fact and when. A tick with no source is an opinion, not a verification.
Consent treated as optional
A provider that starts checks without the candidate’s signed consent puts you at legal risk.
Our answers, for comparison
We are a screening provider ourselves, so here are our answers to the same questions. Compare them with anyone else’s.
Our own teams in Singapore and Jakarta
VERIS has worked from offices in Singapore (Veris Pte Ltd) and Jakarta (PT Veris) since 2010, with coordinated cross-border checks across Southeast Asia.
Verification at the source
Degrees confirmed with the institution, employment with HR or the last direct supervisor, and licences with the issuing body, in-country and in-language, including Bahasa Indonesia.
Consent-based by design
Every check runs on the candidate’s written consent, in line with Singapore’s PDPA and Indonesia’s PDP Law.
Scoped to the role, tracked in real time
Standard, Enhanced and Executive packages or a role-based scope, with progress tracked in the VERISChecks platform.
QC before release
Every report passes internal quality control before release, with any limits stated plainly. More than 1,00,000 individuals screened since 2010.
Screening by country and service
Common questions about choosing a provider
What should a background screening company check?+
How long should background screening take?+
Is candidate consent required?+
Should I use a global provider or a local one?+
Can one provider cover both Singapore and Indonesia?+
Put your provider to the test
Send us your hiring requirements and we’ll answer the ten questions for your roles and countries, with a sample report.
Discuss your requirements