FAA Background Check Requirements

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) mandates that any person wishing to become a licensed member of the transportation industry, as well as certain applicants for employment, must undergo a range of pre-employment screenings, one of which is a background check. Although the verification process varies according to the position for which an applicant is applying, the continued threat of terrorist activity and recent security breaches have resulted in the FAA tightening their approach to personnel recruitment. Detailed below is a summary of the FAA's background check requirements.

Certain applicants, including pilots, vessel masters and commercial drivers, may be asked to produce a 10-year employment history detailing the name of each and every employer for whom the applicant worked during the decade prior to their application. Requested information must include contact information for supervisors, job titles, range of responsibilities and reason for leaving.

Applicants might also be asked to consent to a criminal background check designed to uncover any criminal activity in which she has been involved. Culled information would also include evidence of illegal drug and or alcohol use and possible security-related issues, such as connections to suspected terrorists or terrorist organizations.

The FAA mandates federal and private employers obtain educational and professional certification verification for applicants applying for certain positions and licenses.

All applicants are mandated to provide citizenship and worker status verification.

Information culled from a background check or screening is checked against terrorist, criminal and immigration watch lists, as well as the National Driver Registry and Federal Bureau of Investigation Criminal Justice Information Center databases.