Skip to content

Create applicant

Request

Create a new applicant record from identity fields. Applicants created directly via this endpoint can later be referenced by applicant_id when creating an order, instead of supplying identity fields inline again.

phone_number is optional; accepts any common US format. dob and ssn are also optional at create time — if they are not supplied here, the applicant will be prompted to provide them when they complete the consent form on their first order.

Security
bearer-token
Headers
Checkr-Tenant-Versionstring

CalVer-dated API version to pin behavior to (e.g. 2026-04-29). When omitted, the request is served by the newest supported version. Unknown values return 422.

Value:"2026-04-29"
Bodyapplication/jsonrequired

The request body for creating a new applicant.

applicantSplit applicant name (object) or Legacy full applicant name (object)required
One of:

Identity fields for the applicant. first_name and last_name are preferred; legacy clients may still send full_name instead. Do not send both name forms. email is always required. phone_number is optional. dob and ssn are also optional at create time — if not supplied here, the applicant will be prompted to provide them via the consent flow on their first order. Values must match the applicant's legal identity.

POST
/applicants
curl -i -X POST \
  https://tenant.checkr.com/api/applicants \
  -H 'Authorization: Bearer <YOUR_TOKEN_HERE>' \
  -H 'Checkr-Tenant-Version: 2026-04-29' \
  -H 'Content-Type: application/json' \
  -d '{
    "applicant": {
      "first_name": "Jane",
      "last_name": "Doe"
    }
  }'

Responses

Created

Bodyapplication/json
idstring

Unique identifier for the applicant record. Use this value in subsequent API calls; it is stable for the lifetime of the applicant. Test-mode IDs carry a _test_ infix (e.g. ap_test_F3hQ7wEsLp2xBnVcRuMyTk); live-mode IDs have no infix.

Example:"ap_F3hQ7wEsLp2xBnVcRuMyTk"
full_namestring, [ 2 .. 100 ] characters

Applicant's full legal name as it appears on government-issued ID.

Example:"Jane Public"
emailstring, (email)

Email address used to contact the applicant about their screening.

Example:"jane@example.com"
first_namestring, [ 1 .. 50 ] characters

Applicant's given name.

last_namestring, [ 1 .. 50 ] characters

Applicant's family name.

dobstring or null, (date)

Date of birth in ISO-8601 format (YYYY-MM-DD). Null if not yet collected.

Example:"1990-05-14"
phone_numberstring or null

Phone number on file for the applicant in E.164 format (US numbers only), or null if none has been collected. Accepted on input in any common format (e.g. (555) 123-4567, 555-123-4567); normalized before storage.

Example:"+15551234567"
ssnstring or null

Masked Social Security Number (last four digits only). Null in responses if no SSN is on file. The full SSN is never returned.

Example:"XXX-XX-6789"
created_atstring, (date-time)

Timestamp the applicant record was created.

Response
{
  "id": "ap_F3hQ7wEsLp2xBnVcRuMyTk",
  "full_name": "Jane Public",
  "email": "jane@example.com",
  "first_name": "string",
  "last_name": "string",
  "dob": "1990-05-14",
  "phone_number": "+15551234567",
  "ssn": "XXX-XX-6789",
  "created_at": "2019-08-24T14:15:22Z"
}