What Does Uber Look For in a Background Check?

Signing up to drive or deliver with Uber means waiting for a background check before you can start working and, thus, earning. Uber uses third-party screening providers, including Checkr, HireRight, and Samba Safety, with Samba often involved in motor vehicle records. This guide explains what the Uber background check covers, how long it usually takes, which records may disqualify you, how Uber Eats checks differ, and where to look when your status seems stuck.

How Long Does an Uber Background Check Take?

Most Uber background checks take about three to five business days. Uber also tells applicants to allow up to seven business days, and some checks take even longer.

The Uber background check time depends partly on how quickly the screening company can verify your information. A delay doesn’t necessarily mean that something disqualifying has come up. Sometimes the process simply cannot move forward until a court, motor vehicle agency, or applicant provides what is missing.

Common reasons for a delay include:

• The screening provider needs more information to verify your identity or Social Security number.
• Your driver’s license doesn’t establish enough U.S. driving history.
• The provider asks you to upload a clearer or more current document.
• A county court must locate or verify a criminal record manually.
• A state or local agency is taking longer than usual to return records.
• Your city or state requires an additional screening step.

Check your email regularly, including your spam folder. Checkr, HireRight, or another provider may contact you directly if it needs additional information. Until you respond, the report may remain pending.

Uber cannot speed up a background check after the screening provider has begun processing it. Even after the provider completes the report, Uber may need additional time to review the results before deciding whether you are eligible to drive or deliver.

Uber Eats vs. Driving for Uber

The basic screening process is similar for rideshare drivers and Uber Eats delivery people, but the requirements are not identical.

Someone applying to drive passengers generally undergoes a criminal history check, identity verification, and a review of their motor vehicle record. The applicant must hold a valid U.S. driver’s license and usually needs at least one year of licensed driving experience in the United States. Applicants under 25 generally need three years of U.S. driving experience. Minimum age requirements vary by state.

The scope of an Uber Eats background check depends partly on how the person plans to make deliveries.

For delivery by car, the applicant generally must be at least 19 years old, hold a valid driver’s license, and have valid vehicle insurance. The screening can include both criminal history and motor vehicle records.

For delivery by bicycle or, where available, on foot, the applicant generally must be at least 18 and provide a valid government-issued photo ID. A criminal background check is still required, but a motor vehicle record is not needed when the person is not delivering with a car, motorcycle, or scooter.

How long does Uber Eats background check take? Uber says it typically takes three to five business days. As with rideshare applicants, missing information, court delays, or Uber’s final review can extend the Uber Eats background check time.

What Does Uber Check?

An Uber background check is not the same as a credit check. It focuses on whether the applicant’s identity, criminal history, and driving record meet Uber’s standards and any additional rules imposed by the city or state.

Identity Information

Applicants are asked to provide identifying information that may include their:

• Full legal name
• Date of birth
• Social Security number
• Government-issued identification
• Driver’s license information
• Current profile photograph

Uber also uses document and photo verification to confirm that the person opening and using the account is the person who completed the screening.

A Social Security number trace may help the screening provider identify addresses and counties connected with the applicant. Those locations can then be used to determine which county court records should be searched. This is not a review of the applicant’s credit history.

Motor Vehicle Record

The motor vehicle record, commonly called an MVR, is an important part of the Uber driver background check requirements. It may show:

• Whether the driver’s license is valid, suspended, revoked, or restricted
• How long the applicant has been licensed in the United States
• Driving under the influence or drug-related driving offenses
• Reckless driving and serious speeding violations
• Moving violations
• Crashes recorded by the state
• Driving without required insurance

The information available in an MVR varies by state. Uber may ask for additional proof of driving history when the applicant’s current license does not show the required number of years.

Criminal History

The Uber criminal background check may involve county, state, national, and federal record searches. Uber says its screening providers search sources that can include federal court records, national criminal databases, the National Sex Offender Public Website, international sanctions lists, and databases used to identify suspected terrorists.

A database match is not necessarily treated as a confirmed record. Because most criminal records are maintained at the county level, a potential match may need to be checked against the original courthouse record. These manual searches are one reason some background checks take longer than others.

Annual Re-Screening and Ongoing Monitoring

Passing the first check doesn’t end the screening process. Uber reruns background checks at least once a year and may conduct them more frequently in some cities. Criminal and motor vehicle record checks are generally repeated for rideshare drivers and for delivery people who use cars. Uber also uses ongoing monitoring to identify certain new criminal records between annual screenings.

A driver who passed the original check can therefore lose access to the app after a later re-screening or after Uber receives information about a new record.

What Disqualifies You From Driving for Uber?

Uber background check disqualifiers depend on the type of record, how recently it occurred, whether a charge is still pending, and the laws in the city or state where the person wants to drive.

Uber announced its updated U.S. background check standards on June 26, 2026. Under the revised standards, some convictions may be disqualifying regardless of how old they are. Other records are generally evaluated over seven-year or three-year periods.

Convictions That May Be Disqualifying Regardless of Age

Uber identifies the following categories as potentially disqualifying no matter when the conviction occurred:

• Sexual assault
• Sex crimes involving minors
• Other sexual offenses
• Murder or homicide
• Kidnapping
• Terrorism-related offenses
• Violent felonies, such as armed robbery, aggravated assault, or arson
• Child abuse or endangerment
• Strangulation-related offenses
• Stalking

Pending criminal charges may also affect eligibility unless and until they are resolved in the applicant’s favor.

Convictions Generally Considered Within Seven Years

Under Uber’s published national standards, the following convictions may be disqualifying when they occurred within the previous seven years:

• Other felony convictions
• Driving under the influence or drug-related driving offenses
• Reckless driving or driving at 100 miles per hour or more
• Theft or fraud
• Property damage offenses
• Prostitution-related offenses
• Weapons offenses
• Resisting arrest
• Evading law enforcement
• Harassment
• Violating a protective order

Driving Issues Generally Considered Within Three Years

The following motor vehicle issues may affect eligibility when they occurred during the previous three years:

• Driving with a suspended, revoked, or invalid license
• Driving without required insurance
• More than three combined nonfatal crashes and minor moving violations

Minor moving violations can include speeding, improper lane changes, failing to yield, and traffic-light violations.

These lists aren’t exhaustive. State and local regulations may use different offense names, impose additional restrictions, or require Uber to conduct an individualized assessment.

A Narrow Exception for Some Long-Standing Drivers

Uber also describes a limited exception for certain existing drivers with a long history on the platform.

A long-standing driver may be allowed to continue earning when a felony conviction is more than 15 years old, was not sexual in nature, and the driver has no serious interpersonal safety-related complaints.

This exception applies narrowly to established drivers whose conduct on the platform can be considered. It should not be interpreted as a general exception for new applicants with older felony convictions. State or local rules may also affect whether the exception can apply.

How Far Back Does an Uber Background Check Go?

People asking this are usually asking two different questions at once:

1. How far back the screening company searches, and
2. How long a particular record can affect eligibility.

Uber announced in June 2026 that its providers would begin using what it calls a 99-year, or lifetime, Social Security number trace. This applies to new drivers and delivery people, as well as existing drivers during annual re-screening.

The trace is designed to identify counties associated with addresses throughout a person’s residence history. Screening providers can then search county-level records from those locations, as far back as the law permits.

That doesn’t mean every record has the same effect forever. Uber’s published standards generally use:

• No time limit for certain serious offenses
• A seven-year period for various other convictions
• A three-year period for certain driving issues

State and local laws may limit what a screening company can report or how Uber may use particular records, and as a result, the same type of record may not be treated identically in every location.

How to Find Your Uber Background Check Status

Your Uber background check status may appear in more than one place, depending on which provider is handling the report and whether the screening company or Uber is currently reviewing it.

Start by checking the Driver app. If you cannot go online, tap the message or blocker shown on the home screen. Also check the Inbox section of the app and the email address connected with your account.

For a Checkr report, use the Checkr Candidate Portal with the same email address and phone number you provided when you applied. The portal allows you to check the report’s progress and request a copy. You can read more about it in our Checkr background check guide.

When HireRight or Samba Safety is handling the screening, Uber directs applicants to log in to their Uber account and use the support chat for an update.

The wording also depends on whether you are looking at the Uber app or the screening provider’s portal. Common messages and statuses include:

• Pending: The provider is still waiting for search results or information needed to complete the report.
• Suspended: Checkr has stopped processing because information is missing or a search couldn’t be completed. The applicant should check for an email requesting additional details.
• Complete: Checkr has finished assembling the report. This doesn’t necessarily mean Uber has finished reviewing it.
• Clear: The completed Checkr report didn’t produce any information that triggered the company’s review criteria.
• Consider: The report contains information that may require review. “Consider” doesn’t automatically mean that Uber has rejected the applicant.
• Under Review: The provider may have completed the report, but Uber is still evaluating the results.
• Needs Attention: The process requires something from you – missing information, an updated document, or a reply to an email you may not have seen. Check the Inbox in the Driver app and the email on your account first; if you have already sent everything and the status hasn't moved, see what to do when a background report gets you denied for a rideshare job.
• Unable to Go Online: The account may be waiting for a background check, an updated document, or Uber’s review of new information.

One thing you shouldn’t do is create another Uber account just because a check appears delayed. Duplicate accounts can make it more difficult to determine which application or report is active.