Unified Verification API: Run Background Checks and Identity Verification Across Providers
August 25, 2025
If your product needs to run background checks, verify identity, or confirm professional credentials, you quickly run into fragmented APIs, inconsistent request formats, and provider-specific onboarding requirements.
The Unified Verification API provides a single interface to request and retrieve verification results across providers, with normalized data models and real-time status updates.
Supported Providers
Our Verification API launches with support for leading providers — with more on the roadmap:
- Certn — Canadian-based, global coverage for background checks, identity, and credit.
- Checkr — U.S. leader in automated background screening, criminal checks, and employment verification.
- Verifiable — License and credential verification for healthcare and other regulated professions.
- First Advantage — Global background and verification provider.
- Yardstik — Background checks, identity verification, and compliance tools designed for workforce platforms.
Looking for another provider? Request an integration.
Core objects in the Verification API
- Packages: predefined verification bundles (e.g. criminal check, license verification)
- Requests: verification requests tied to a candidate or subject
- Responses: structured results including status, scores, documents, and provider details
Requests include structured profile data (identity, contact details, identifiers), and results are returned with detailed status and supporting information.
Real-time verification requests and status tracking
Verification requests are executed against provider APIs in real time.
- Requests are created via a unified endpoint
- Status updates are delivered via webhooks
- Results are retrieved as soon as providers complete processing
No polling or background sync jobs are required.
What You Can Verify
Verification covers a broad set of checks across industries:
Identity & personal verification
- Driver's licenses
- Passports
- Identity verification
Background checks
- Criminal checks
- Employment history
- Education verification
Professional & regulatory
- Licenses (healthcare, finance, legal)
Financial & risk
- Credit checks
- Income verification
Assessments
- Skills and psychometric tests
Each provider offers packages — bundles of checks such as 'criminal + employment history.' With Unified, you can list available packages, request one with candidate details (name, email, license number), and receive a pass/fail result with reasons (e.g., ‘license expired in June 2024, Ontario').
Who this is for
- Recruiting platforms running background checks and candidate screening
- HR and HRIS systems managing onboarding and compliance
- Marketplaces verifying workers or service providers
- Fintech platforms validating identity, income, and credit
- Compliance platforms handling regulatory verification
Verification in Recruiting, HR, and Fintech
Verification processes align naturally with candidate and employee lifecycle stages:
- ATS integrations — Trigger background or license checks when a candidate reaches the 'Background Check' stage.
- Job boards — Pre-screen candidates before sending them to employers.
- HRIS platforms — Validate licenses and onboarding requirements after a hire.
- Assessment platforms — Combine background checks with candidate testing for a complete evaluation.
- Fintech and credit platforms — Run income or credit checks to support lending, risk profiling, or compliance processes.
For example, a recruiting platform can automatically call runBackgroundCheck when a candidate advances to 'Offer,' while a fintech app can trigger a credit verification during loan application.
Using verification data in AI systems
Verification results can be used to:
- Automate candidate screening decisions
- Flag compliance risks or missing credentials
- Generate summaries of verification outcomes
- Trigger downstream actions based on verification status
Because results are returned in real time, AI systems can act on current data rather than delayed updates.
Technical Advantages of Unified
The Verification API builds on Unified's real-time, zero-storage infrastructure:
- Standardized objects for verification requests and results.
- Read + write operations where supported by the provider.
- Real-time webhooks for status updates and results.
- Zero data storage — customer data is never cached or stored, reducing compliance risk.
- Multiple delivery models — API access and webhooks for real-time status updates, with MCP tools available for AI systems.
- SOC 2 Type II, GDPR, and CCPA compliant.
- Requests are stateless and executed directly against provider APIs, reducing data retention and compliance scope.
Unlike traditional verification integrations that rely on batch processing or stored records, Unified executes requests directly against provider APIs and returns results without storing customer data. This means you can embed verification into existing processes without handling separate APIs or adding security liability.
Unified for Recruiting & Beyond
Unified now powers every stage of the hiring and onboarding lifecycle:
- ATS APIs → Source, manage, and update candidates.
- HRIS APIs → Sync employee data and onboarding requirements.
- Verification API → Run background, license, assessment, and credit checks.
With the addition of Verification, Unified is the all-in-one integration partner for recruiting and HR platforms — built for real-time products and AI-native processes, with 415+ integrations across 25 categories.
Resources
The Verification API is available on all Unified.to plans. Start your 30-day trial or book a demo.
What is a verification API?
A verification API allows developers to request and retrieve background checks, identity verification, and credential validation from multiple providers through a single interface. It standardizes request formats, status tracking, and results, reducing the need to integrate each provider separately.