Pre-employment checks for hiring in Spain
Global teams deserve global checks. Use Zinc for fast, efficient checks in Spain and everywhere else you hire.
Checks and features
Built for Spanish hiring
Instant employment verification in seconds
Verify past employment in seconds via Zinc's direct link with Seguridad Social. For a full picture of past employment, combine it with Zinc's automated or professional references.
Criminal court search
Zinc’s criminal court search covers Spanish court records to help you detect any candidate risks, whilst staying compliant with Spain’s unique laws that restrict official criminal checks.
Global candidate experience
More countries shouldn’t mean a confusing candidate experience. Zinc sorts candidates down country-specific paths so they’re only asked for relevant information, with no confusing fields or repetitive questions.
9.2
/10
1
days
Average criminal check completion
15
days
Average education check completion
Fast results for fast-moving teams
Direct integration with Seguridad Social means that you can verify past employment in seconds. 65% of Zinc’s checks return near-instant results, so you’ll never miss a start date or be in the dark about results.
Secure and compliant checks
Zinc helps you run checks that are GDPR compliant and tailored to individual countries, including restrictions on criminal checks in Spain — helping you feel confident you and your business are always checking what you need to.
One platform, multiple countries
When you’re hiring across timezones, multiple logins is the last thing you need. Zinc is built to be a single platform that works seamlessly around the world, whether it’s AI-enabled support in 200+ languages, easy-to-understand reporting, or custom checks packages tailored to local standards.
“We are very satisfied with Zinc as our background check provider. Their great service seamlessly integrates with our HR tools, allowing us to expedite and enhance the onboarding process for our new joiners.”
Checks that work everywhere you do
Fully visibility, transparent pricing, and adaptable checks for borderless hiring.
Industry-leading global turnaround times
Adaptive checks, not extra admin
Integrated with your HR tech stacking
Truly transparent pricing
Pricing
Built for global teams
Whether you're a growing team or an enterprise hiring across borders, Zinc has a plan for you.
Under 20 hires annually
Pay As You Grow
Get started in minutes. Our Pay As You Grow plan is built for lower hiring volumes — a flat rate per check, with no hidden costs or setup fees.
Start checking in minutes, no setup needed
Flat rates per check, no hidden fees
Pay only for what you check, every month
20+ hires annually
Custom solutions
For larger volumes, our experts build a plan around your needs. Credit is flexible with your hiring and never expires, with integrations, setup, training, and support all included for free.
A custom plan built around your hiring
Credit pool that rolls over and never expires
Integrations, setup, and training included for free
What pre-employment checks are legally permitted in Spain?
Spanish employers can verify employment history via Seguridad Social, and confirm qualifications and references the candidate has provided themselves.
Broader background searches are restricted under GDPR as implemented by Spain's LOPDGDD. Criminal records count as special category GDPR data, and are only offered through a court search with roughly a three-month lookback. Our legal and compliance team are on-hand to support you and your business with understanding the unique Spanish regulations.
How does Zinc verify employment history in Spain?
Zinc verifies employment history in Spain instantly through Seguridad Social.
Candidates sign in the same way they would on the Seguridad Social site itself, using their DNI or NIE and a Cl@vePin. If a candidate doesn't have an account, Zinc can fall back to manual references so you still get candidate results.
What is a criminal court search in Spain and who needs one?
A criminal court search in Spain returns records from completed trials, sourced from the Judiciary of Spain and covering all Spanish courts and tribunals.
It's most common in financial services, multinationals, and roles involving financial responsibility. Because criminal records are special category data under LOPDGDD, employers need a lawful basis and the candidate's explicit consent before running a criminal court search.
Does Zinc comply with GDPR and Spanish data protection law?
Yes, Zinc complies with GDPR and Spain's LOPDGDD (Ley Orgánica de Protección de Datos y Garantía de los Derechos Digitales), the country's GDPR implementation.
All checks need the candidate's explicit consent. Zinc's in-house compliance team also tracks regulatory changes as they happen to ensure the platform is as up-to-date as possible. To keep your data secure, Zinc holds SOC Type II and ISO 27001 certification.
Can Zinc run checks for our Spanish employees alongside our global workforce?
Yes, that's exactly what Zinc is built for. Your Spanish hiring sits on the same platform as your UK, Indian, German, and any other global hires, so you’re using one centralised system instead of paying for localised solutions.
Zinc’s platform helps you adapt to the requirements of the country you’re hiring in, so candidates aren’t giving you unnecessary data or being frustrated with redundant fields. All your checks progress is available in a centralised dashboard, including country-by-country breakdowns. If you have multiple hiring teams globally, user groups allow you to share checks packages across Zinc without exposing candidate data to users who don’t need to see it.
What should Spanish employers know about candidate consent for background checks?
Under GDPR and LOPDGDD, Spanish employers need explicit, informed consent from the candidate before running any background check, and that consent has to be freely given and specific. Bundling it into an employment contract isn't enough.
For certain checks, like credit checks, Zinc also requires a hand-signed consent form, in addition to the initial consent collected by the employer, accepted digitally via Logalty or Assently.