How to obtain a Criminal Record Check in Russia

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How to obtain a Criminal Record Check in Russia

Author:

Krioni A.E.

How to obtain a Criminal Record Check in Russia

25 August 2017 |

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More often than not, employers are required to check for criminal offenses when hiring workers. On the one hand, the law states in a number of cases that the company’s management must refuse key positions to people who have a criminal record. But on the other hand, what is to be done if the applicant attempts to hide their criminal past, and the company is not able to independently verify this vitally important information?

Information on citizens who have been convicted and are serving sentences – including suspended sentences – is held in a database at the Russian Ministry of Internal Affairs’ Main Informational and Analytical Center. Consequently, only personnel from law enforcement bodies are permitted access. However, the invisible hand of the market dictates terms. Today, demand for such information is so high that many are constantly faced with the question: how can one check whether a person has a criminal record when they haven’t provided their consent to do so, and knowing only their name?

It is immediately worth mentioning that it is not simple for a regular member of the public to do this. Requests for information of this kind may only be filed by the person in question, or by an authorized agency.

That said, in practice there are exceptions. Large commercial holdings have no problem in dealing with this difficult task, given that they have their own security departments which use dubious connections in law enforcement agencies (this practice is sometimes called a “background check”). As a result, they encounter no restrictions in obtaining unofficial information from the relevant Ministry of Internal Affairs information centers on whether an applicant has a criminal record or has incurred administrative liability. Information can even be garnered from the address bureau.

There is no use turning to a detective with such requests, because private investigators are forbidden from obtaining information from official databases. That means a detective with special permission to carry out private investigative work has very little ability to help their client, even for ostensibly straightforward matters, such as verifying an applicant’s resume.

We have tried to rectify this absurd situation and have prepared methodological recommendations which we believe will enable detectives to carry out criminal record checks, and most importantly, to do so completely legally.