What does Uber look for in a background check?
Uber says every driver has to pass two screenings before the first trip: a motor vehicle record (MVR) check, and then, only after the MVR check is passed, a criminal background check. Uber says a person reviews the results before anyone is disqualified.
Here is what Uber’s own pages say it looks at.
Driving record
- A valid U.S. driver’s license
- At least one year of U.S. driving experience, or three years if you are under 25
Criminal history
On June 26, 2026, Uber announced “A New Standard for Background Checks” for the U.S. Under it:
- More convictions disqualify you permanently. Uber says murder and sexual assault, including pending charges, have always been disqualifying, and that it has broadened this to “all violent felonies and crimes that may be sexual in nature.” Stalking and strangulation offenses, whether charged as misdemeanors or felonies, now disqualify you regardless of when they occurred.
- Deeper searches. Uber says it previously “generally used a 7-year SSN trace” where state law did not say otherwise, and will now use a “99-year, or lifetime, SSN trace” for new drivers and couriers and for existing drivers at their annual rescreening. Uber explains that this means searching county-level records for any address in your residence history.
- A narrow exception for long-time drivers. Uber says longstanding drivers with no serious interpersonal safety complaints can keep driving if their felony conviction is more than 15 years old and was not sexual in nature.
- Pending charges. Uber’s help center says pending charges can disqualify you “unless and until they are resolved in your favor.”
- Local rules. Uber’s help center says some local regulations require an individual assessment, and that depending on your city’s rules, your adult history from age 18 could be reviewed.
Uber’s older background check page, which says Uber “generally applies a 7-year lookback period” for offenses such as felonies, robbery and fraud, now carries a notice that “Uber’s background check process will be updated on June 30th.” The June 2026 announcement does not restate a seven-year window for those offenses, so do not count on one.
What Uber does not check: Uber’s help center says credit checks are not part of the background check process.
What the law still limits. A deeper search by Uber does not change what a background check company may report. Under 15 U.S.C. § 1681c, arrests, dismissed charges and other non-conviction records generally cannot be reported once they are more than seven years old. That limit does not apply to convictions, or to reports for a job reasonably expected to pay $75,000 a year or more.
Which company runs the Uber background check?
Uber does not prepare the reports itself. Its help center says it partners with third-party background check providers “like Checkr, HireRight, and Samba Safety,” and another Uber help page says “the decision to partner with a driver or delivery person is made by Uber, based on the vendor’s report.”
That split matters. The screening company is responsible for what is in the report. Uber is responsible for the decision. If the report is wrong, the fix starts with the screening company.
We cover how to tell which of the three ran your check, and where to send your dispute, in which company runs Uber’s background check.
How long does the Uber background check take?
Uber does not publish a standard time frame. Its status page tells drivers whose check is with Checkr to use the Checkr portal to see the status or request a copy of the report, and tells drivers whose check is with HireRight or Samba Safety to sign in and use the chat feature to ask Uber directly. The page does not say how long a check should take.
The one timing figure Uber does give is on its dispute page: if your license or DMV record changed (a renewal, a reinstatement, a move to a new state), upload the updated license in the Driver app. Uber then requests a new MVR, which Uber says can take up to 7 business days.
A few practical points while you wait:
- The MVR comes first. Uber says the criminal check runs only after you pass the MVR check, so a driving record problem can hold up everything.
- Watch for emails from the screening company, not just Uber, including in your spam folder. A request for more information can stall the check.
- New York City is different. Uber’s help center says NYC drivers are notified after receiving a conditional engagement and before the background check is performed.
Does Uber run background checks again after you are approved?
Yes. Uber says it re-runs criminal background checks every year, and that its continuous monitoring, which it says it started in 2018, flags new criminal charges between annual checks. A new record, or a record wrongly matched to you, can end your access at any time. If that happened to you, see our guide on deactivation from Uber or Lyft because of a background check error.
What does it mean if your Uber background check failed?
A failed check means Uber decided, based on the vendor’s report, that you do not meet its criteria. It does not necessarily mean the report is correct. Common errors in background reports include:
- A record that belongs to someone with a similar name or date of birth
- A dismissed charge reported as pending or as a conviction
- An old case shown as if it were new
- A driving record entry that is outdated or was already resolved
- The same case listed more than once
- A non-conviction record more than seven years old, which § 1681c generally bars
Get a copy of the report and read every line. Uber’s new lifetime address-history searches mean more county courts get searched, which makes it more important to check that every case on the report is really yours.
What to do if your Uber background check is wrong
- Find out which company prepared the report. Look for emails from Checkr, HireRight or SambaSafety. The adverse action notice, if you received one, must name the company (15 U.S.C. § 1681m).
- Get the report. Checkr reports are in the Checkr Candidate Portal. Uber says to contact Checkr’s support team if your report is more than a year old.
- Dispute with the screening company, in writing. Uber’s dispute page says to reply to Checkr’s email or use the Checkr portal, and points to HireRight’s and SambaSafety’s own instructions. HireRight says to use its online dispute form or call 1-888-503-1238, include the case number or offense description and the state and county for criminal records, and expect corrections to take up to 30 days, or up to 45 days in special cases.
- Send proof. A certified court disposition, an expungement or sealing order, or identification showing a different date of birth.
- Fix driving record changes in the app. Uber says SambaSafety cannot request new records through a dispute; only Uber can, after you upload your updated license.
Under 15 U.S.C. § 1681i, the screening company must reinvestigate free of charge, generally within 30 days (extendable by up to 15 days if you send more information during that period), delete or correct anything inaccurate, incomplete or unverifiable, and send you written results within five business days after it finishes.
Uber says that when your information changes, the vendor may send a revised report and “Uber will then re-evaluate your eligibility based on the revised report.” It also says the decision made on the original or revised report “is final and cannot be challenged.” A corrected report helps; it does not guarantee reactivation.
If your check went through Checkr, our guide to Checkr background check statuses explains what you will see in the portal while the dispute is open.
Do Uber drivers get a pre-adverse action notice?
For background checks used for “employment purposes,” the FCRA says the company must give you a copy of the report and a written summary of your rights before it takes adverse action, so you have a chance to point out errors (15 U.S.C. § 1681b(b)(3)). It also requires a standalone written disclosure and your written authorization before the report is pulled.
Whether those rules cover a rideshare driver is not settled. The FCRA defines “employment purposes” as evaluating a consumer for employment, promotion, reassignment or retention “as an employee” (15 U.S.C. § 1681a(h)). Uber’s help pages refer to “partnering” with drivers. On the other side, an FTC staff report from 2011 says the term is interpreted liberally and can include people who are not technically employees, giving the example of a trucking company that checks owner-operator drivers. That report is staff guidance, not a binding rule or a court ruling.
So do not wait for a notice that may not come. If you see an error, dispute it right away.
When can an Uber background check error lead to an FCRA claim?
The duties that most often matter in a wrong-report case fall on the screening company, not the platform. A consumer reporting agency that prepares a consumer report must “follow reasonable procedures to assure maximum possible accuracy” (15 U.S.C. § 1681e(b)), and must reasonably reinvestigate when you dispute (§ 1681i). You may have a claim if:
- The report included a record that is not yours, or misstated a case’s outcome
- It reported a non-conviction record older than seven years
- You disputed with proof and the company verified the error anyway, or did not respond
- The error cost you access to the app and the income that came with it
For negligent violations, the FCRA allows actual damages, which can include lost earnings, plus attorney’s fees (§ 1681o). For willful violations, it allows actual or statutory damages of $100 to $1,000, punitive damages and fees (§ 1681n). Claims against Uber itself usually turn on the notice rules above.
Keep a record of your weekly earnings before the check, every email and app message, and the dates you disputed. See our background check errors page and our Checkr and HireRight company guides for more.
Get a free case review
If a wrong Uber background check kept you off the app, or the screening company would not fix your dispute, talk to an FCRA lawyer. Our case review is free, and we work on contingency: no fee unless we win.
Do not wait too long. Under 15 U.S.C. § 1681p, an FCRA lawsuit generally must be filed within two years after you discover the violation, and no later than five years after the violation occurred.
Frequently asked questions
What does Uber look for in a background check?
Uber says drivers must pass a motor vehicle record check and then a criminal background check. Under rules Uber announced on June 26, 2026, convictions for all violent felonies and crimes that may be sexual in nature, and stalking and strangulation offenses, disqualify you regardless of when they occurred. Pending charges for the most serious crimes also disqualify. Uber says credit checks are not part of the process.
Who runs the Uber background check?
Uber's help center says it partners with third-party background check providers like Checkr, HireRight and Samba Safety. The provider prepares the report, and Uber makes the decision based on it.
How long does the Uber background check take?
The Uber help pages we reviewed do not give a standard time frame. The one figure Uber's dispute page gives is that after you upload an updated license, the new motor vehicle record request can take up to 7 business days.
Does Uber check your background again after you are approved?
Yes. Uber says it re-runs criminal background checks every year and uses continuous monitoring, which it says it started in 2018, to flag new criminal charges between annual checks.
My Uber background check failed. Can I dispute it?
Yes. Uber's help center says you have the right to dispute the findings, and that disputes go to the vendor that prepared the report. If the vendor sends a revised report, Uber says it will re-evaluate your eligibility. Uber also says its decision, on the original or revised report, is final.
Sources
- Uber Newsroom: Background checks
- Uber Newsroom: A New Standard for Background Checks (June 26, 2026)
- Uber Help: What background checks look for
- Uber Help: Background check status
- Uber Help: My background check failed
- Uber Help: Disputing a background check report
- HireRight: Dispute the accuracy of your Uber background check
- FTC, 40 Years of Experience with the Fair Credit Reporting Act (staff report, July 2011)
- 15 U.S.C. § 1681a, definitions (Cornell LII)
- 15 U.S.C. § 1681b, permissible purposes and employment rules (Cornell LII)
- 15 U.S.C. § 1681c, requirements relating to information in reports (Cornell LII)
- 15 U.S.C. § 1681e, compliance procedures (Cornell LII)
- 15 U.S.C. § 1681i, procedure in case of disputed accuracy (Cornell LII)
- 15 U.S.C. § 1681m, requirements on users of consumer reports (Cornell LII)
- 15 U.S.C. § 1681n, civil liability for willful noncompliance (Cornell LII)
- 15 U.S.C. § 1681o, civil liability for negligent noncompliance (Cornell LII)
- 15 U.S.C. § 1681p, time limit to sue (Cornell LII)
Updated November 2026. This page is general information, not legal advice.
