Background Check API

Implementation Guide

Introduction

Please see the Overview Page to review account setup, authentication instructions, and other common API features.

Searchbug® Background Report API allows you obtain complete background report with data from public, civil and criminal records. The report includes names, a list of current and previous addresses and phone numbers, emails, relatives, corporate filings, UCC filings, trademarks, professional associations and licenses, personal lien, judgment and bankruptcy filings, evictions, criminal and watchlist record details, concealed weapon and hunting permits, pilot licenses and more.

Additionally, verified businesses with the Restricted Access Add-On can search by SSN and retrieve additional restricted information such as SSN, driver's license information, voter registration, business associations, employment history, and more.

Are you curious about how to easily integrate this API into your existing systems? This API Documentation is here to guide you!

This guide includes:

  1. Two-Step Process
  2. Sending Request (Step 2)
  3. Example of Background Report Results

Obtaining Background Report is a two-step process:

  1. Step 1: People Search
    People Search is used to identify the correct subject person. Search by name, address, phone number, email address. You can add middle name or date of birth to narrow down your results. Verified business accounts with Restricted Access Add-on can also search by SSN.

    1. Identify reportToken (for a found person) or relativeReportToken (for relatives):

      /result/people/person/reportToken
      /result/people/person/relatives/relative/relativeReportToken

      Example: rgMiWvxn2gUF.TwQHqA==

    The API Guide for the People Search (step 1) is available here.

  2. Step 2: Background Report
    Background Report is a detailed report for the person selected in Step 1. You will pass reportToken or relativeReportToken value to obtain the report. See details below.

    Any reportToken for related people found in the Step 2 results can also be used for subsequent Step 2 requests.

Sending Request

The request should be sent to Searchbug using the following URL using the POST method:

https://data.searchbug.com/api/search.aspx

Search Parameters

You can submit your request via:

  • POST Header: Parameters sent as custom headers
  • POST Body: Parameters sent as form-data
Parameter Value Example Description
CO_CODE 1279999 Required. Your account number
PASS 23TestPass API Key or account password (not needed if using Bearer Token)
TYPE api_back Required. Use api_back for this API
reportToken rgMiWvxn2gUF.TwQHqA== You can search for relatives or people by providing value of relativeReportToken or reportToken from the previous search results. Do not include any other search criteria when searching by Report Token
FORMAT JSON Optional. The default is XML. To get results in JSON format, pass FORMAT=JSON
REF CUST001 Optional. Used for API usage tracking per application or customer (100 char max).

Example of Background Report results

XML: https://www.searchbug.com/api/searchbug-api_back.xml

JSON: https://www.searchbug.com/api/searchbug-api_back.json

Note: The nodes highlighted in red are available only for accounts with the Restricted Access Add-On.

  • names
  • SSNs (restricted)
  • DOBs
  • DODs
  • addresses
  • phones
  • driversLicenses (restricted)
  • relatives
  • IndividualsSharingSSN (restricted)
  • businessAssociations (restricted)
  • corporateFilings
  • personalLienFilings
  • personalJudgmentFilings
  • personalBankruptcyFilings
  • pilotLicenses
  • professionalAssociations
  • professionalLicenses
  • evictions
  • UCCFilings
  • voterRegistrations (restricted)
  • employers (restricted)
  • employmentHistory (restricted)
  • criminalRecords
  • tradeMarks
  • concealedWeaponPermits
  • huntingPermits
  • watchListRecords
  • emails

For further technical details and customer support, please chat with us, email us, or call us (800) 990-2939.

For sales and pricing information please contact sales@searchbug.com.