Zinc is a background and reference check provider for hiring in the UK, the US, and internationally. Its checks include criminal record, right to work, references, employment history, qualifications, and financial checks. Connect Zinc to Drata so personnel can start a Zinc background check from My Drata during onboarding. Drata keeps each person's background check requirement up to date as checks are completed in Zinc.
Note: The screenings in a Drata-started check, and the countries they cover, come from the Zinc package you select during setup. Drata doesn't limit Zinc checks to a particular country.
Key capabilities
Start checks from Drata. Personnel start a Zinc background check from My Drata during onboarding. Drata orders it using the Zinc package you choose.
Automatic status updates. For checks started from Drata, Zinc sends status changes to Drata as they happen. Drata also runs a daily sync of every check in your Zinc account, including checks you start directly in Zinc, and links each one to the right person.
Audit-ready records. A completed check marks the person's background check requirement as compliant, and Drata keeps a link to the full report in Zinc.
Prerequisites & data access
Zinc access requirements
An active Zinc account.
An API key generated by a Zinc company administrator. Drata uses the key to read every check in your company's account. A key created by a user without admin rights can't list all checks, so syncing will be incomplete or fail.
At least one screening package set up in your Zinc account. You'll choose one during setup.
Note: Treat your API key like a password. Share it only with the person setting up the connection in Drata.
Drata role requirements
Admin, Workspace Manager, or DevOps Engineer roles can create and edit connections, including choosing the Zinc package.
Other roles, such as Access Reviewers, can view the connection page but can't change it.
Permissions & data
What Drata uses | Why |
Zinc API key | Authenticates Drata with your Zinc account so it can list packages, order checks, and read check results. |
Your Zinc packages (name and ID) | Lets you choose which package Drata orders when personnel start a check. |
Candidate email, first name, last name | Sent to Zinc when ordering a check, and used to match imported checks to people in Drata. |
Check status, screening outcome, and completion dates | Determines whether the background check requirement is met, and the completion date recorded. |
Report link | Links from Drata to the full report in Zinc. Drata doesn't store the report contents. |
Step-by-step setup
Setup takes two steps: create an API key in Zinc, then connect Zinc in Drata and choose a package. You don't need to configure a webhook in Zinc. Drata tells Zinc where to send status updates each time it orders a check.
Step 1: Create a Zinc API key
Sign in to Zinc as a company administrator. If you don't have a Zinc account yet, register at zincwork.com.
Generate an API key from your Zinc dashboard. If you can't find the option, contact Zinc support.
Copy the key and store it securely.
Expected outcome: You have an API key from a Zinc company administrator account.
Step 2: Connect Zinc in Drata
In Drata, go to Connections.
Find Zinc in the background check category and select Connect.
On the Connect step, review the Connection Instructions. Then paste your key into the API Key field under Setup Details and continue.
Drata validates the key with Zinc. If Zinc rejects it, the connection isn't created. Check that you copied the full key and that it belongs to a company administrator.
On the Configure step, under Package selection, select the Zinc package that Drata should order when personnel start a background check. The list shows the packages set up in your Zinc account.
Finish the wizard.
Expected outcome: The Zinc connection shows as connected, and Drata starts importing existing checks from your Zinc account.
Change the package later
Go to Connections and open the Zinc connection.
On the Packages card, select edit, choose a different package, and save.
Note: If no package is selected, Drata uses the first package in your Zinc account. If the selected package is later renamed or removed in Zinc, personnel won't be able to start new checks until you choose a package again.
Update the API key
To rotate your key, open the Zinc connection, edit Setup Details, and paste the new API Key.
Enable Zinc for background checks
Go to Settings > Personnel Compliance and open the Background Checks setting.
Select Use Drata's partner Zinc to allow personnel to conduct new background checks.
Save your changes.
Expected outcome: New personnel see the Zinc background check option in My Drata.
How personnel complete background checks
During onboarding, the person signs in to My Drata and opens the Background Check step.
They start the Zinc background check. Drata orders the check in Zinc using your selected package, with the person's name and work email.
Zinc emails the person any next steps, such as consent forms or document uploads.
As the check progresses, Zinc sends updates to Drata automatically, usually within minutes. When the check is complete, the person's background check requirement is marked compliant.
How Drata stays in sync with Zinc
Check started… | How Drata gets updates |
From Drata (My Drata) | Zinc sends each status change to Drata as it happens. The daily sync also confirms the latest status. |
Directly in Zinc | Picked up on Drata's daily background check sync, then matched to personnel automatically. It can take up to a day to appear in Drata. |
Drata also syncs right after you connect Zinc and whenever you update the connection, such as changing the package or API key.
How Drata matches checks to personnel
For each imported Zinc check, Drata looks for the matching person in this order:
The candidate's email against each person's work email.
The candidate's email against each person's personal email, when your HR system provides one.
The candidate's first and last name.
If Drata can't find a match, the check still appears in your background checks list without a linked person, and you can link it by hand. See Background Check Management.
How Zinc statuses appear in Drata
Status in Zinc | Status in Drata | Counts toward the requirement? |
Pending, Partially completed, Not started (including Requested, Paused, In progress, Awaiting candidate) | Pending | No |
Action required (including Attention needed and Ready for review) | Pending | No, until it's resolved or reviewed in Zinc |
Completed (All clear) | OK | Yes |
Reviewed | OK | Yes |
Cancelled | Canceled | No |
When a check reaches OK, Drata marks the person's background check requirement as compliant. The completion date is the date Zinc reports for the person's most recently completed screening in that check.
A result flagged for review in Zinc stays Pending in Drata until someone on your team reviews it in Zinc. After the review, Zinc reports it as Reviewed and Drata marks it OK.
Verify the integration
Open the Zinc connection to confirm it's connected and that a package appears on the Packages card.
On the Personnel page, filter by Not Compliant > Background Check to see who's still missing a completed check.
The Employee Background Checks and Contractor Background Checks tests pass once every in-scope person has a completed check.
Troubleshooting
A person shows Not Compliant, but their check is clear in Zinc.
Check that the candidate's email in Zinc matches the person's work or personal email in Drata, or link the check by hand.
If the check was flagged for review, it stays Pending until it's reviewed in Zinc.
The connection fails or checks stop syncing. The API key may have been revoked, or it may not belong to a company administrator. Generate a new admin key in Zinc and update it under Setup Details on the Zinc connection.
Personnel can't start a check, or see a package error. Make sure at least one package exists in your Zinc account. Then open the Zinc connection and select a package again on the Packages card, especially if you renamed or removed the previous one in Zinc.
No packages appear on the Configure step. Make sure your Zinc account has at least one package.
A check started in Zinc isn't in Drata yet. Checks started directly in Zinc arrive on the daily sync, so allow up to a day.
You deleted a check in Drata and it came back. Deleting a check in Drata doesn't delete it in Zinc, so the next sync imports it again. To stop a check from counting, unlink it or mark it out of scope instead.
Disconnect Zinc
Go to Connections and open the Zinc connection.
Select Disconnect and confirm.
After you disconnect:
Drata stops syncing Zinc checks and stops receiving status updates from Zinc.
Zinc checks already imported stay in Drata, along with the compliance status they earned. People with a completed check stay compliant.
Checks still in progress may stay at their last status in Drata. Upload proof manually once they finish in Zinc, or reconnect Zinc.
If Zinc was your last connected background check or version control connection, Drata clears personnel personal email addresses it had stored for matching.
To stop offering Zinc checks in My Drata, change the Background Checks setting under Settings > Personnel Compliance.
Important notes
You don't need to set up a webhook in Zinc. Drata handles status updates automatically.
Reconnecting Zinc doesn't create duplicate checks. Drata recognizes checks it has already imported.
Drata stores summary information only: status, screening outcome, dates, candidate name and email, and a report link. Full reports stay in Zinc.
Zinc has no "expired" status, so Drata never marks Zinc checks as expired.
For problems on the Zinc side, such as a check stuck in progress, contact Zinc support.