Best Practices for Background Screening in Latin America

Marlus Coutinho, Senior VP, Sales and Customer Success Operations, Latin America

In today’s globalized world, businesses are increasingly expanding their operations across borders, including into Latin America. This region, rich in diversity and economic potential, presents unique challenges and opportunities for companies looking to hire talent. One critical aspect of this expansion is ensuring that your background screening processes are robust and support compliance goals.

We recently hosted a webinar, Screening in Latin America? Top Tips to Mitigate Risk, where we discussed the unique challenges of background screening in Latin America. In this blog, we’ll dive into the nuances of background checks in Latin America and why companies need a global partner to build and drive their background screening program.

Unique Screening Challenges in Latin America

Latin America and the Caribbean are home to over 660 million people, with a significant portion living in urban areas. The region’s languages include Spanish, Portuguese, English, French, and Dutch, with Spanish and Portuguese being the most prevalent. The top five countries by population—Brazil, Mexico, Colombia, Argentina, Peru, and Chile—each have distinct economic sectors and cultural nuances that impact the hiring process.

Implementing background checks in Latin America comes with its own set of challenges:

• Decentralized Data Sources: The region’s decentralized data sources and varying legal frameworks require a tailored approach, local knowledge, and proven experience. For instance, criminal background checks must be conducted at the country or even state/department level as there is no unified regional database.
• Employment Verifications: Employment verifications can be complex due to high job mobility, with individuals often having multiple employers over a short period. With up to 44% of workers in Latin America leaving their jobs annually, the high turnover rate complicates the verification process as candidates may have numerous short-term positions.
• Diverse Educational Systems: Each country has its own education system with varying degree structures, accreditation processes, and grading systems. For instance, a bachelor’s degree might take three years in one country and four years in another, making it difficult to equate these credentials in Latin America.
• Language Barriers and Cultural Norms: International companies face significant challenges in background screening and hiring due to language barriers and cultural differences. Miscommunication can arise from language discrepancies, leading to misunderstandings or incomplete information during the screening process. Additionally, varying cultural norms and practices can impact the interpretation of background check results and the overall hiring process, requiring companies to adapt their strategies to ensure consistency and fairness.

The Risks of Inadequate Screening

The consistency of information on candidates is a global issue, but is particularly pronounced in Latin America. Studies show that a significant percentage of workers in the region lie on their resumes. For example, in Brazil, a group of 150 diplomas was found to be fraudulent. Issues like this highlight the importance of thorough background checks to mitigate risks such as hiring individuals with criminal convictions or fake qualifications.

In our recent 2025 Global Trends Report, 45% of survey respondents in LATAM report managing hiring risk as the most important factor for background screenings, whereas in 2024 the most important factor was speed (48%).

Inadequate background checks can lead to several risks, including:

1. Reputational Damage: Hiring individuals with falsified credentials or criminal backgrounds can harm a company’s reputation and erode trust with stakeholders.
2. Legal and Compliance Issues: Non-compliance with local laws and regulations can result in legal penalties and fines.
3. Financial Losses: The costs associated with employee turnover, legal claims, and workplace incidents can be significant.
4. Workplace Safety: Ensuring a safe work environment is crucial, and hiring individuals with undisclosed criminal backgrounds can pose a threat to other employees.

Blending Global Policies with Regional Best Practices

A robust and thorough background screening program serves as a vital risk mitigation tool. It can help to prevent legal, physical, reputational, and economic risks by ensuring that candidates are thoroughly vetted. This process builds trust with stakeholders, including government entities, financial institutions, and partners. Moreover, a robust background screening program can also enhance brand reputation and a company’s dedication to both their employees and customers, which fosters confidence and loyalty.

To navigate the complexities of background screening in Latin America, companies need a program that blends their global policies with local best practices and experience. This approach ensures that the screening process is both thorough and mitigates risk with local regulations.

Consider these 4 best practices:

1. Centralized Framework with Regional Flexibility: A successful global background screening program starts with a centralized strategy that ensures consistency in hiring standards across the organization. However, it must also be adaptable to regional laws, norms, and expectations. This balance allows companies to maintain high standards while respecting local practices.
2. Efficiency and Integration: Partnering with a provider that offers a single technology platform across all countries and supports multiple languages is crucial. Integration with applicant tracking systems (ATS) ensures a seamless and efficient process, providing real-time status updates and a cohesive applicant experience. Streamlining reduces redundancies and can even speed up the hiring process.
3. Compliance and Risk Management: A one-stop-shop partner simplifies compliance and change management by consolidating background screening under one vendor. This approach means your screening programs address global hiring regulations, helping you to manage legal risks.
4. Regional Expertise and Presence: Having a partner with a strong presence in Latin America and extensive experience in the region is invaluable. They can navigate the complexities of local laws, cultural sensitivities, and data access challenges. This kind of partnership with regional expertise supports a screening process that is thorough, consistent, and helps to manage local compliance requirements.

Start Screening with Confidence

Expanding your screening program regionally or globally requires careful planning and execution. By partnering with a knowledgeable and experienced background check provider, companies can feel more confident that their screening processes are efficient, support compliance goals, and are configured to the unique challenges of Latin America. This approach not only helps to mitigate risks but also enhances the overall hiring experience, fostering trust in the workforce.

Watch the full webinar: Screening in Latin America? Top Tips to Mitigate Risk.

To learn more about our background screening solutions for Latin America, click here.