A Certn criminal record check is fast by industry standards. Certn says its Canadian checks complete within four hours on average, and many finish within 15 minutes. US checks typically finish under 72 hours. UK timing depends on which disclosure service the employer orders.
Timing by country and check type
For Canada, the four-hour average covers the criminal record check. The company says many cases return in 15 minutes.
For the United States, Certn says criminal record checks typically complete in under 72 hours, with a default lookback of seven years.
For the United Kingdom, a Basic DBS check typically takes 24 to 48 hours after the candidate submits. A Basic Disclosure Scotland check typically completes within three weeks.
International checks take longer. Certn says its ability to obtain a criminal record varies by country, because of local privacy and employment laws or records that are not centralised.
What the CertnCentric statuses mean
Certn's candidate portal shows a case in one of three stages:
- Active: waiting for you to submit information
- In progress: Certn is running the check
- Complete: ready for the employer to review
If a case sits in Active, the next move is yours.
A case that reads Unable to verify means Certn could not confirm the record from the source. Certn may ask you for another document before the case can move. That request usually arrives by email.
Why a Certn check stalls
- Identity verification failed. The Canadian criminal check cannot run until ID verification passes, and a manual review takes longer.
- A mistyped date of birth or legal name.
- A disclosure issue on a Basic check that needs more information.
- An international component waiting on a foreign source.
Watch your email while the check runs. Certn may ask for more information, and the case waits until you reply.
What the result labels mean
Certn uses several result labels: Verified, No match found, Results found, Discrepancy, and Unable to verify. The label describes the record search. The employer reads the report and decides.
If you want to compare Certn with another vendor, read how long Checkr takes for a background check.
For employers
A fast check still leaves a gap between offer and start date, and candidates can accept elsewhere during it. Score and shortlist before the check begins so the wait does not decide the hire. AI Candidate Evaluation keeps that comparison documented.