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SIA Licensing — A Guide for Security Company Managers

Updated May 2026 — Covers SIA licensing under the Private Security Industry Act 2001

The Security Industry Authority (SIA) regulates the private security industry under the Private Security Industry Act 2001. The cornerstone of that regulation is the requirement for individuals working in certain security roles to hold a valid SIA licence. For security company managers, ensuring that every operative is licensed before deployment is not just good practice — it is a legal obligation with potentially serious consequences for failure.

Which roles require an SIA licence?

The following licensable activities require an SIA licence:

• Door supervision — anyone working on licensed premises controlling entry, searching people, or removing people from premises
• Security guarding — manned guarding of premises or property, including retail security and static guarding
• CCTV operation (public space surveillance) — operating CCTV in a public space; does not apply to CCTV in purely private areas
• Close protection — bodyguard work
• Cash and valuables in transit — escorting or transporting cash or valuables
• Key holding — responding to alarms and holding keys to premises on behalf of clients
• Vehicle immobilisation — clamping or ticketing on private land (now heavily restricted; specific rules apply)

How the SIA licence works

An SIA licence is issued to an individual, not a company. It confirms that the holder:

• Has passed an SIA-approved training course for the relevant licence type
• Has undergone an identity check
• Has had a criminal records check (enhanced DBS in England, Wales and Northern Ireland; Disclosure Scotland in Scotland)
• Is entitled to work in the UK
• Is considered fit and proper to hold a licence

Licences are valid for three years from the date of issue. They are personal to the holder and cannot be transferred. When a licence expires, the individual must re-apply and go through the renewal process — they cannot continue working in licensable roles with an expired licence.

Criminal penalties for operating without a licence

Under the Private Security Industry Act 2001:

• The operative — it may constitute a criminal offence for an individual to engage in licensable conduct without a valid licence. Conviction carries up to six months' imprisonment and/or an unlimited fine.
• The employer — it may constitute a criminal offence to employ an individual in a licensable role knowing they do not have a valid licence, or being reckless as to whether they do. The same penalties apply.

The "reckless" standard is important. A security company that deploys operatives without checking their licence status is not protected by ignorance — recklessness is sufficient for conviction. There is no minimum duration of unlicensed activity required; a single deployment of an unlicensed operative is sufficient.

Checking licence validity

The SIA maintains a public register of licence holders at services.sia.homeoffice.gov.uk. Anyone can search the register by licence number or name. Before deploying any operative, operators should:

• Check the register to confirm the licence is active (not expired, suspended or revoked)
• Confirm the licence type is appropriate for the role
• Record the check — date, licence number, status — as evidence

A licence card in someone's wallet may look valid but the underlying licence may have been revoked or suspended. Always check the register, not just the physical card.