The US National Criminal Database (with alias) (NCRIM) check searches public criminal justice databases across the United States to identify potential criminal records linked to a candidate’s name, date of birth, or any alias names found through a Social Security Number (SSN) Trace.

This check helps uncover more potential records than a name-only search and includes a county-level verification step to ensure accurate and reportable records appear in the final report.

Details about NCRIM checks

This check searches multiple national, state, and local databases to identify potential criminal records tied to a candidate's identity - even across known aliases. It’s designed to surface more relevant records while maintaining accuracy and compliance through county-level verification.

Key features:

• Comprehensive multi-source search: Searches national, state, and local criminal justice databases, including state courts, sex offender registries, and corrections departments.
• Alias-based expansion: Uses information from the SSN Trace to search for records tied to all known names and aliases.
• County-level verification: Any potential match is verified at the county level before being included in the final report.

How it can help you:

• Finds more relevant criminal records: Alias-based searching and broad public record coverage increase the likelihood of identifying reportable criminal activity that may exist outside of the candidate's address history.
• Supports compliant hiring: Delivers results that meet FCRA and EEOC standards, helping you stay aligned with regulatory and legal requirements.

Order this check

You can order the US National Criminal Database (NCRIM) check:

• As a standalone check
• As part of bundled packages (Tier 1, 2, or 3)

CertnCentric also ensures that county or federal checks are not duplicated if NCRIM already covers that jurisdiction. For more on placing orders, see our Order checks article.

Turnaround time

On average, Certn’s NCRIM checks are complete within 60 seconds of a candidate submitting their information. Some applications may require a manual review which takes an average of 24 hours to complete.

US County Criminal checks can be initiated from the results of the NCRIM check. To better understand Certn's US County Criminal checks, please read this article.

Stages of this check

US National Criminal Database (with alias) checks ordered through CertnCentric go through the following stages:  

Candidate experience

Your candidate must consent to this check. When you order a NCRIM check a SSN Trace will automatically be added to your order, and your candidate will receive an email inviting them to complete an online form for the included checks. Through this process, a candidate will supply Certn with their:  

• consent and authorization to run the check,
• full name (including previous names and aliases),
• date of birth,
• address details and when they started living there, as well as
• address details of the position for which they are applying (includes options for no specific address and remote work). 

Additional details: 

• Candidates are not asked to provide alias names; these are found automatically using the SSN Trace.

If a discrepancy is found in the SSN Trace (for example, if the SSN cannot be matched), the NCRIM check is automatically cancelled, and no further action is required from the candidate.

Next steps

Once your order is placed and Certn has received the required details from your candidate: 

• The check is processed by Certn
• Results are securely shared with you and your candidate
• You can track progress and review results anytime in your Certn account 

For more guidance on managing results and cases, visit our Manage your cases Help article.