The first step to obtaining a background check is to make sure your know exactly who you are looking for. A full name and area of residence is all that is required in some cases. For more common names, a date of birth may come in handy to make sure you do not get confused with someone who has the same name. The first step is to check if the information you seek can be obtained for free. First off, a simple internet search may reveal some information such as news articles mentioning your subject and some public records. A search is very broad though, so make sure you do not confuse your subject with a person with a similar name. If you are searching for sex offender records, these are available for free and are actively distributed to the public.

The public records are another option free of charge. Many localities offer a searchable online database which can reveal a great deal of information, such as criminal convictions and traffic violations. Some counties have not yet modernized their records in this way, but you can still go to the county courthouse in person and request the records. These records will be avaible free of charge. Keep in mind that it is possible for a person to go to court and argue that a specific event should be removed from the record. This process is known as expungement. While most serious crimes are ineligible for expungement, misdemeanors can often be expunged if the person has the legal resources to go through this process. This is where commercial background checks may have an advantage over government background checks: the records may not be expunged from a commercial background check as easily as they will from a government version.

If your subject has lived in various states at different points in time and you require a nationwide background check, make sure your information service provider is "national" and not "multi-state". This is a clever trick that some of them use to provide a lesser quality service while tricking people into believing that their background check is nationwide. "Multi-state", while having the ring of reaching across state lines, typically only includes a few states in one specific region of the country. It may be adequate if the activity in question is highly localized, but for nationwide background checks, accept no substitutes. INTERPOL notices are also a free alternative. However, these will only reveal the most serious crimes and arrest warrants. They are by no means an international background check.

All in all, background checks can be an indespensible utility for people in all professions, or even for people using them for personal reasons. Just about everyone may find utility for a background check at some point, and they can rest easy because the resources are easily available. A tight budget is not a concern; many free methods can reveal substantial information about a person, as we have previously mentioned. Whether your budget permits a top of the line search or a simple cheap background check, there is an option for you.