SIA licensing explained: what security buyers should check

What the SIA does

The Security Industry Authority is the UK regulator for the private security industry, set up under the Private Security Industry Act 2001. It licenses individuals who carry out certain security activities, runs the voluntary Approved Contractor Scheme for businesses, and will also regulate Martyn’s Law once that comes into force.

A licence is required when the work is done under a contract for services and involves a licensable activity. In-house security staff employed directly by the organisation they protect generally do not need a licence. The main exception is door supervision at licensed premises, which needs a licence either way.

The SIA licence types

There are two broad kinds of licence: front line, for people who carry out the activity themselves, and non-front line, for managers, supervisors and directors who do not. The front-line licences are:

• Security guarding: guarding premises or property against unauthorised access, disorder, damage or theft
• Door supervision: guarding licensed premises. It also covers security guarding
• Public space surveillance (CCTV): using CCTV to watch or identify members of the public, or to guard against disorder or assault
• Close protection: guarding people against assault or injury. It also covers door supervision and security guarding
• Cash and valuables in transit: guarding property while transporting it in a secure vehicle
• Key holding: holding keys and responding to alarms (issued as a letter rather than a photocard)
• Vehicle immobilisation: Northern Ireland only

Matching the licence to the role matters. For example, a security guarding or door supervisor licence covers using CCTV to protect property or detect trespassers, but monitoring CCTV to watch the public or prevent disorder needs a public space surveillance (CCTV) licence.

What it takes to get a licence

Applicants for most front-line licences must first gain the relevant licence-linked qualification from an approved training provider. The SIA then checks the applicant’s identity, criminal record and right to work in the UK before issuing a licence.

Licences last three years, apart from vehicle immobiliser licences, which last one year. Most front-line licences are plastic photocards that must be worn while working, except in covert roles such as store detectives. Licences can be suspended or revoked, so a licence that was valid when someone started may not be valid today.

How to check a licence yourself

• Use the SIA’s online register of licence holders to search by licence number or name
• Check the licence type matches the role, not just that a licence exists
• Check the status is active and note the expiry date
• Compare the photo and name on the photocard with the person on site
• For regular teams, ask your provider to share a licence list and update it when people change

It can be a criminal offence to carry out licensable activity without the right licence, and to supply or use unlicensed operatives in licensable roles. Spot checks are a quick, low-cost way to protect your organisation.

The Approved Contractor Scheme

The Approved Contractor Scheme (ACS) is a voluntary quality standard for security businesses. Companies that join are independently assessed against the scheme’s standard, which looks at how the business is run and how it manages and develops its people and services, and approved contractors are listed on the SIA’s public register.

Because the scheme is voluntary, it is a useful signal but not a legal requirement. If a provider says they are an approved contractor, check the register yourself and ask which services their approval covers.

A short checklist for security buyers

• Write down which activities your site actually needs: guarding, door supervision, CCTV monitoring, close protection or key holding
• Ask the provider which licence each role will hold
• Verify a sample of licences on the SIA register before the contract starts
• Agree how licence renewals and expiries are tracked and reported
• Check insurance, subcontracting arrangements and who employs the officers
• Plan for Martyn’s Law if your premises may hold 200 or more people at once