Background checks
in Europe

GDPR applies to all background screening involving candidates in EU and EEA member states. Non-EU European countries such as Switzerland have their own equivalent frameworks (Switzerland's FADP). The UK operates under UK GDPR and the Data Protection Act 2018, which closely mirrors the EU regulation. In practice, GDPR-level compliance is the effective baseline for screening across nearly all of Europe.

While GDPR establishes the baseline, each EU member state implements its own national Data Protection Authority (DPA) rules. Germany's BDSG imposes particularly strict restrictions on employee data processing. France's CNIL enforces specific consent requirements and limits on what criminal record information employers can access. The Netherlands, Spain, and Italy each layer additional rules on top of GDPR. Turn's workflows are configured per country to account for these variations automatically.

Turnaround times vary significantly by country and check type. Identity verification is typically instant. Global watchlist and sanctions screening completes in under 15 minutes. Criminal record checks range from same-day to 15 business days depending on the country's database accessibility. Employment and education verifications typically take 1–9 business days. Financial checks in select countries take 2–10 business days.

Standard Contractual Clauses are required for any transfer of personal data outside the EEA to countries without an EU adequacy decision. Turn maintains SCCs as part of all European data processing agreements, ensuring that candidate data transferred for screening purposes meets GDPR requirements for cross-border data flows.

Turn supports configurable data residency across four regions: United States, Canada, United Kingdom, and Australia. For organizations with data localization requirements under GDPR or local DPA rules, candidate data can be stored in the jurisdiction that meets your compliance needs. All transfers are governed by Standard Contractual Clauses where required.

Yes. Turn's European coverage extends beyond EU and EEA member states to include Switzerland, the Balkans, Turkey, and other non-EU European countries. Each country has its own data protection framework. Switzerland's FADP, Turkey's KVKK, Serbia's LPDP, for example, and Turn's workflows are configured to comply with each. Note that the United Kingdom has its own dedicated page covering DBS-specific content and UK GDPR requirements.

Yes. Turn offers pre-built integrations with leading ATS and HRIS platforms including Fountain, Lever, Greenhouse, Rippling, iCIMS, and 100+ others. European background checks are initiated, tracked, and reviewed through the same integration your team uses for domestic screening.

Turn holds SOC 2 Type II (independently audited) and SOC 3 (publicly available) certifications. Our screening workflows are aligned with ISO 27001 information security management standards. Turn maintains full compliance with GDPR (EU and UK), FCRA, PIPEDA, CCPA, and other applicable data protection frameworks. All data is encrypted at rest and in transit.