Background check in Thailand

What are the benefits of background checks in Thailand?

For various reasons, a background check in Thailand is a customary practice among companies. Investigating an employee's recent employment, academic, and criminal history can save you from legal trouble. Here are more reasons why you should consider employment checks in Thailand:

• Hire credible individuals. Besides professionalism, you also want to hire trustworthy individuals. Many candidates lie in their resumes, making them lack credibility. Dubious hires put a company's finances, assets, and image at risk. A proper background investigation is efficient for hiring people with integrity.
• Improve your quality of employees. One of the consequences of hiring without verifying credentials is having an incompetent team. In-depth probing of employee credentials helps you to hire the best candidates. Competent and qualified hires will boost your workforce quality.
• Save total hiring costs. The total cost of hiring an employee encompasses onboarding, training, compensation, and firing. Hiring incompetent or problematic employees may lead to dismissing and rehiring quickly. You can avoid this by conducting thorough examinations, saving you extra hiring expenses.
• Compliance with local legislation. Maintaining a long-standing business in Thailand depends on how well you follow its laws. For instance, the law criminalizes working illegally. It also penalizes those involved with fines, deportation, or prison sentences. You avoid compliance issues by running background checks like authorization to work legally in Thailand.

What are the types of background checks in Thailand?

Many types of employment screening in Thailand can boost international relocation. Conducting all the available checks would be unnecessary and expensive. Thus, most companies prioritize the following:

Criminal record check in Thailand

A criminal record check in Thailand is one of the first on employers’ lists. It helps to avoid hiring a potential threat to company lives and property. An employee might need a police clearance certificate to pass this check.

A police record certificate (or Thai criminal record check) is a certificate issued by Thai law enforcement agencies to individuals with clean criminal records. Applicants in the country may visit the local Thai police department in person to apply. Those living outside of Thailand can apply online or by mail.

Employment history check

A work history check in Thailand reveals critical information concerning an employee’s career journey. This check may be the most practical way to know what to expect when you employ someone. Companies contact previous employers, managers, and colleagues to verify the individual. You may discover crucial information such as their level of punctuality, attentiveness, collaboration, and professionalism.

Medical screening

A medical screening may only be required for specific industries or positions. This exercise involves encouraging employees to take particular tests to prove their physical and mental readiness for the role. For example, pilots may be required to take eye tests or truck drivers to run urine sample drug tests.

Credit history check

A credit history check in Thailand helps an employer determine if a candidate is a good credit risk. Individuals with poor credit reports would likely not repay a loan and may become a liability. Ultimately, credit history checks enable companies to protect their assets and customers. Conducting this check reveals credit cards, loans, available credits, and payment history.

Education history

Lying about academic records is common, and employers seldom find out if they haven't done a background verification. Thus, an education history check in Thailand is essential.

This investigation may involve contacting the employee’s school to verify crucial data. Employers may discover admission and graduation dates, GPA, and class attendance records during this process.

Social media check

By 2027, nearly six billion people will be on social media, updating the internet with personal information. Employers in Thailand investigate the social media activities of their potential or new hire, scrolling through their accounts for online posts, comments, and other activities.

They may also check an employee’s virtual groups, events, and acquaintances online. With the information available, they can determine if an individual fits into the company’s culture.

Requirements for a background check in Thailand

Conducting a background check in Thailand requires vital information from the employee. You can only access their information with the following:

• Full name of the employee
• Home and mobile numbers
• Current and previous home addresses
• Name and contact information of former employers and schools
• Formal authorization from employees to carry out background checks

Steps in conducting a background check in Thailand

You must follow the correct procedure to conduct a background check in Thailand. Here are the crucial steps to take in order to vet your Thai remote team:

• Develop a background check blueprint for the present and subsequent onboarding cycles
• Accept applications for open positions and assess candidates’ documents
• Choose the types of background checks to conduct
• Seek qualified candidates’ authorization to run background checks
• Perform the background checks and assess results for accuracy
• Hire your preferred employees based on your findings
• Keep records of the process, including verification results

Are employee background checks legal in Thailand?

Thailand has no laws prohibiting, authorizing, or regulating background checks. By implication, the procedure is not illegal. Moreover, some professions may require certain mandatory checks before workers commence their duties. Companies must comply with Thai employment laws while ascertaining an employee’s integrity.

Planning to hire in Thailand? Here’s how Skuad can help

A background check should precede hiring a team in Thailand. Investigating an employee’s previous criminal, academic, and credit records can help you avoid compliance issues. Skuad does background checks when you partner with us for EOR.

With Skuad as your Employer of Record platform, we not only take care of background checks, but also manage the entire employment lifecycle for you.

Working with Skuad keeps you in the driver’s seat of your onboarding endeavors. You can hire whomever you want, and we’ll help you vet them. Our clients in over 160 countries trust us to provide employment verification solutions for their local and global teams. Contact a Skuad expert today to learn how we will build you a verified, formidable distributed team in no time.

FAQs

Does Thailand do background checks?

Thai establishments do background checks on individuals or groups wanting to access their services or partner with them. Thailand has no statutory regulations on background checks or agencies overseeing the process. This implies no restrictions to performing background checks in this country.

Government establishments also conduct background checks. For example, the Thailand immigration agency runs background checks on specific individuals relocating. Although employers can do background checks, they must proceed without violating the labor code.

How to get a background check in Thailand?

You can get a background check in Thailand by determining the checks you want to run. Further, you can ask the employee for permission to investigate their background to avoid violating their privacy rights.

With their authorization, you can conduct the investigation. Contact key individuals and involve law enforcement agencies. When you collect all the results, you may hire the employee based on the information you get.

If the process seems a bit intense for you, it’s best to hire a third-party background check. Many companies specialize in business, romantic, immigration, and employment checks in Thailand. A global HR partner like Skuad is a frequent choice. They can help you get vital information quickly and ease your result compilation and decision-making.

What will be checked in background verification?

A complete background verification contains a variety of checks for various purposes. What will be checked depends on what is most relevant to the employer’s offer. Employers want to know if a candidate’s experience, skills, identity, and legal standing are genuine. Commonly included are:

• Contact and permanent address (current and previous)
• Employment history
• Date and place of birth
• Next of kin contact
• Academic verification
• Criminal record verification
• Credit history check
• Social media investigation
• Fraud or blacklist check

What happens if you work illegally in Thailand?

Working illegally in Thailand comes with strict punishments, especially for the employee. Only Thai natives have legal rights to work without permits. The country's employment law permits a foreigner to secure a work permit. Without this document, working in this country is a criminal offense.

The government fines illegal workers as high as 100,000 baht for earning without proper authorization. Besides a fine, illegal workers can be sentenced to prison for up to five years. In many cases, the authorities order the deportation of the individual after an out-of-court settlement.