Background verification companies in India - IDfy

What is Background Verification?

Background verification is a process that many organizations carry out in order to verify the information provided by the candidate during hiring. It involves various checks in which the employer goes through the candidate’s education records, past employer details, identity checks, resume checks, and address checks.

When you’re in the process of hiring and sorting through a group of potential candidates, you clearly want to be as thorough and careful as possible. But if your organization is like most, you may not have the resources to dive deeply into each candidate’s background.Fortunately, you’re not in this alone. You can use background verification services to handle the screening, allowing you to focus your attention on the other attributes of your job candidates.

Factors to consider before choosing a background verification agency:

Choosing a BGV company can be quite overwhelming as you may need to learn the differentiators you should look out for. E.g. Some background verification companies in India may claim that they have the fastest TAT but their amber rates might be high. In another case, the accuracy of the report of a BGV company might be good but at with high TAT. But what is BGV TAT and what is Amber rate?

In this section, we will take you through all the BGV lingo you should know and what factors you should consider when evaluating background verification services.

1. Range of Services: Some background verification companies in India may provide basic checks like employment, qualification, criminal, ID, and Address while others may offer a full suite of services i.e. new age checks like social media, drug testing, and instant, digital checks like moonlighting. Regardless, you should know all the services a BGV company provides and select the one that fits your requirements.

2. Compliance and Data Security: You must check whether the BGV company you decide to onboard complies with all local and international regulations. Check whether they follow guidelines such as GDPR or equivalent to protect the personal data of your candidates. Some data security equivalents in India include ISO 270001, NASCOOM Certification, and SOC 2 compliance.

3. TAT (Turnaround Time): TAT is the time taken by the Background verification companies to complete the BGV process, right from the BGV initiation to generating the final report. But why is TAT so important? Firstly, it’s because it directly affects your hiring process. Secondly, high TAT means you have to wait longer to find out whether the candidate you’ve chosen is fit for the job or not.

   The average turnaround time varies, depending on the types of checks, whether the process is traditional or digital, and many other factors. The medium TAT of all standard checks can range from 14 days to even a month depending on various factors. However, as per a report by People Matters, with the help of technology and GenAI, some background verification companies can bring these numbers down to a week or even less.

4. Amber Rate: A major indicator of the accuracy and reliability of background verification companies in India is the Amber rate.

   The term ‘’Amber Rate’’ refers to cases where the verification results could not be concluded due to discrepancies or missing information provided by the candidate. Some background verification companies try following up with the respective candidate or HR to fill in the missing information. Similarly, some even opt for alternatives to close amber cases but the closure of these cases is not guaranteed. Hence, amber cases are something that no HR would want and you must choose a vendor that has the lowest amber rate in the industry.

   A good amber rate range is between 1% to 4% and companies exceeding this threshold might not prove to be reliable in the long run.

5. Technology and Integrations: Modern background verification solutions use advanced technology to improve the speed and accuracy of their BGV processes. The biggest example of this is the shift towards Instant digital checks like EPFO to verify employment and Digital Address Verification platforms. It is also important to ensure that your BGV partner can support integrations with your current HR tools like your HRMS and ATS platform to ensure a seamless flow of data.

6. Customer Support: Reliable customer support is very important to address any urgent queries and issues that need immediate attention. Check whether your provider has dedicated support channels and look at some online reviews to get an idea of the quality of the service offered.

It is also important for you to look at client testimonials, case studies, and online reviews to gauge the reliability of the background verification services that a company offers.

Is this your first time exploring BGV? Things might look complex, but they don’t have to be. Check out our blog which acts as an ultimate guide to getting started with background verification.

Now that we have that out of the way, let’s look at the best background verification companies in India.

Company Name	HQ	Description	Services Offered
IDfy	Mumbai	IDfy is a leading Integrated Identity Platform with its sole mission to prevent fraud and establish trust among businesses. They boast the fastest TAT and the lowest amber rate in the industry. They are also the only BGV agency that has a dedicated fraud investigation team and has caught over 1000+ fraud companies in India that produce fake employment certificates. Check out more about IDfy here.	AI-enabled digital background checks such as: Address verification Employment verification Education verification Court record & eFIR verification Passport verification Drug test, and social media check Passport verification Passport verification (Available for professionals as well as gig workers) Other services: Onboarding solutions Risk & Fraud solutions DPDP solutions
Authbridge	Gurgaon	Authbridge is a widely used background verification solution in India with a full suite of services including employee screening, risk and compliance, and Instant API verifications. Some of their products include iBridge which is a user-friendly platform for candidates and HRs and they offer customized solutions based on industry-specific requirements.	Background verification for businesses. Other services: KYC and onboarding, and Due diligence.
Ongrid	Gurgaon	Ongrid is a digital trust platform that helps HRs do BGV to meet their compliance requirements. They have one of the fastest TATs in the industry and have proven to be reliable over the years in this space. However, ongrid’s services are limited to employee background verification and vendor due diligence and do not offer full-suite solutions like KYC and customer onboarding.	Background verification and Vendor due diligence.
Sterling	Cleveland	Sterling offers comprehensive background verification solutions for enterprises globally. They are known to use advanced technology and tailor BGV for specific industries. Similar to ongrid, Sterling’s solutions are also limited to employee background verification and may not suit best for someone looking for an end-to-end customer/vendor onboarding platform.	Employee Background Verification Compliance and due diligence medical license monitoring
FADV	Atlanta	First Advantage, also known as FADV is one of the older players in the Background verification space. Founded in 2003, it is recognized as one of the top background verification providers in the world. They have proved to be fairly reliable in the long run. However, companies looking for a digital-first background verification solution may not be inclined towards FADV as most of their BGV checks are conducted by traditional methods	Background verification Tax Compliance Income verification
HelloVerify	Noida	HelloVerify provides an automated employee background screening solution and also an individual risk evaluation platform aimed to uncover lies in a candidate’s profile.	Professional Background screening for businesses. Personal services aimed at homeowners. Tenant services to assist landlords.
Factsuite	Bangalore	FactSuite offers employee screening and background verification services, They call it a ‘one-stop solution for all verification & authentication needs’	Employment verification services Tenant verification Support staff verification
Quinfy	Gurgaon	Quinfy is known to provide tailored background verification, ensuring reliable hires for every role across industries. They prioritize speed and a seamless user experience.	Background verification for professionals Gig worker verification Domestic Healthcare verification
Vfact services Pvt Ltd	Maharashtra	VFact provides employment screening services to companies to mitigate the risk with transparency. At present VFact is associated with more than 50 clients for multiple services for all the states and union territories in India.	VFact helps in reducing the risk of wrong hiring through Pre and post employment Screening & currently covering the given services.
Sirius Info Services	Telangana	Sirius Info Services Pvt. Ltd. is a verification services provider that provides employee background verification services at affordable prices. Sirius aims to assist in this endeavor. They support their clients in recruiting the right personnel.	They provide services such as address verification, education and employment verification, identity and reference checks.

Company	Median TAT (Across all checks)
IDfy	5-days
AuthBridge	10-Days
FADV	8-Days
Ongrid	7-Days
Ongrid	Sterling

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) about the top BGV companies in India:

Q1. What checks should I opt for when choosing a background verification company?

Companies typically opt for checks like employment history, reference checks, education qualifications, criminal history, credit history, and address verification.

These are standard across most firms, from small companies to large enterprises.

Q2. What is median TAT?

TAT, or Turnaround Time, refers to the duration needed to complete a background check for an employee, starting from initiation until the final report is delivered. Similarly, the median TAT represents the time taken to complete 50% of all initiated cases.

Q3. How do I know which background verification company is right for me?

Here are some key questions to help you evaluate and decide:

Is a quick BGV TAT my top priority?

What is my budget?

Does the solution offer all the verification checks I require?

Can the BGV solution seamlessly integrate with my existing HRMS or ATS?

Q4. Can I handle background verification on my own if my hiring volume is low?

While there's no definitive right or wrong answer, it's highly recommended to entrust your BGV to experts. These BGV companies leverage cutting-edge technology to deliver unmatched speed and accuracy, ensuring a smooth and reliable hiring experience.

Q5. Is it necessary to choose a BGV company located in my city?

Not at all! Most background verification companies in India operate on a PAN-India scale, allowing you to seamlessly verify new hires across the country, regardless of their location or yours.