How long does it take for uber driver background check

How long does the Uber Eats background check take? It’s a question you might be wondering if you want to start delivering for Uber Eats. And no matter what, if you want to start delivering, you will have to go through the Uber Eats background check process. 

Uber Eats does a background check to make sure that drivers delivering on the platform don’t have any major criminal history or motor vehicle history. It’s a step designed to protect customers and ensure a safe experience for everyone. 

In this post, we’ll answer the question – how long does the Uber Eats background check take? We’ll also go into more detail about the Uber Eats background check and answer any questions you might have about it.  

Uber Eats utilizes Checkr to run background checks on potential drivers. Checkr is a background check company that also does background checks for most gig economy apps, including DoorDash, Grubhub, and others. 

The good thing about using Checkr is that it makes the background check simple. When you apply to be a driver for Uber Eats, you’ll enter in your personal information and Checkr will then use that information to run your background check. It’s free and doesn’t require you to do anything besides filling out the background check form. 

According to Uber, most background checks take 3-5 business days to complete, although it can often take longer than that. Once Uber can review your background check results, you’ll get an email from Uber letting you know if you passed the background check. 

If you passed, you should be able to log in and start delivering for Uber Eats immediately. If not, you maybe be able to appeal or provide additional, but your chances of getting approved at that point are slim to none. 

Uber Eats Background Check Requirements 

The Uber Eats background check look at two major things: (1) your criminal history, and (2) your motor vehicle history. Note that if you’re signing up to do Uber Eats bike delivery, the background check does not appear to look at your motor vehicle history. From a practical matter, if you have some potentially troublesome motor vehicle history, you may want to consider signing up for Uber Eats bike delivery instead. 

In terms of motor vehicle history, Uber Eats is making sure you don’t have any major vehicle infractions. DUIs, for example, will likely disqualify you. The vehicle history will also look at what type of vehicle you’re using. Fortunately, unlike driving for Uber, you can still deliver with Uber Eats with an older car since you’re not transporting passengers. 

In terms of criminal history, Uber Eats checks national and local criminal records to see if you have any major criminal history background. Any major criminal history, such as violent crime, will get you disqualified, regardless of when it occurred. Less severe crimes will only count against you if they happened within the last seven years, although even then, you can still get disqualified depending on the nature of the crime. 

As I noted above, if you get rejected due to your background check, it can be difficult to get your account approved. 

How To Check Your Uber Eats Background Check Status 

You can check the status of your Uber Eats background check via the Checkr candidate portal, which you can find here. 

On that page, you’ll enter the requested information and Checkr will show you the status of your background check. If it’s complete, you’ll see the results. If your background check says “Clear,” then you’re in good shape. 

Uber Eats Background Check Pending Issue 

One major issue that can happen is when your Uber Eats background check is stuck in pending status. This happened to me a few years ago. When your background check is stuck in pending status, it’ll never update and you can’t start doing deliveries until your background check gets pushed through. 

I got caught in this situation a few years ago during my yearly background check. Each year, Uber Eats will automatically run a background check to confirm that you haven’t had any infractions in the past year. When Uber Eats ran the automatic background check on me, my background check got stuck on pending and never processed. Since it was stuck on pending, I couldn’t log in to do deliveries. 

It took me 6 weeks before I finally got someone to help me push the background check through. That’s 6 weeks where I couldn’t earn anything from Uber Eats. Thankfully, I multi-app with DoorDash and Grubhub also, so I was able to keep earning money during that stretch, but my earnings were reduced since I couldn’t do Uber Eats. 

After weeks of calling customer support and visiting an Uber Eats greenlight hub, I finally got someone to help me push my background check through.

Unfortunately, this is a known issue with Uber Eats and it appears to be random whether your background check might glitch out like this. If you get caught in this situation, my only advice is to be persistent, keep calling and explaining what’s going on, and push to get someone to help you. 

Final Thoughts 

The Uber Eats background check happens in the background, so it’s not something you have to actively do anything about. When you apply, simply provide your information and Uber Eats will run a background check on you. Once you pass the background check, you’ll be able to start doing deliveries. 

From then on, once per year, Uber Eats will automatically run a background check on you. This happens behind the scenes, so you’ll never notice it. As long as you have a clean record, you shouldn’t have any issues.

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