How do you check an SIA licence?

Go to the SIA’s Register of Licence Holders on gov.uk, choose “Search by licence number” and enter the officer’s 16-digit number with no spaces. The full record shows the holder’s name, licence number, status, role, licence sector and expiry date. For anyone protecting a person, four things must line up: the sector reads Close Protection, the role reads Front Line, the status reads Active, and the expiry date falls after the work ends. Without a number, the register can be searched by surname with a first name and date of birth, or with a first name, sector and role. The register is public and it is the authority; the plastic card is only evidence of it, and a card can be out of date, replaced or someone else’s. The SIA licenses individuals, never companies, so each officer on a detail is checked separately. A suspension takes effect immediately, so check again in the days before the work begins, not only at the first meeting.

Checking the register, step by step

Open the register. The SIA’s Register of Licence Holders is a public gov.uk service, kept under section 12 of the Private Security Industry Act 2001.

Choose how to search. Pick “Search by licence number” or “Search by name”. The number is 16 digits, entered without spaces, and the register recommends it as the most efficient route.

Search by name only if you have to. Surname is the one required field. If the details match more than one person, the register shows “Too many search results” instead of a list and asks you to narrow the search: surname with first name (or initial) and date of birth, or surname, first name, sector and role.

Open the full record. If the search returns more than one licence, they appear as a table of name, licence number and status, without the sector, so open each one with “View more details”.

Every officer we deploy holds a current SIA Close Protection licence. Ask us for the numbers and check them yourself; the credentials page lists what else can be verified independently.

Reading the record: role, expiry, status

The full record also shows a role, a short status explanation and any conditions the SIA has made public. The role should read Front Line — the licence for someone who does the work in person. The expiry date must fall after your last day of cover; an SIA licence for close protection lasts three years and does not renew automatically. Then read the status.

Active. The licence is in force for that sector until the expiry date shown.

Suspended. The SIA has stopped the licence while it looks into something, typically a charge or an investigation for a serious offence. A suspension takes effect immediately, and the holder cannot legally do licensable work while it stands, even during an appeal.

Revoked. The SIA has taken the licence away because the holder no longer meets its criteria. A conviction for a relevant offence is one example; letting someone else work on the licence is another.

Expired. The licence has passed its expiry date. An expired licence cannot be renewed; the holder has to apply for a new one.

Why the sector matters more than the word “licensed”

The register lists seven sectors: Close Protection, Door Supervision, Security Guarding, Public Space Surveillance (CCTV), Cash and Valuables in Transit, Key Holding, and Vehicle Immobilisation, which applies in Northern Ireland only.

A Close Protection licence covers guarding people against assault or injury, and the SIA states that it also covers door supervision, security guarding and CCTV used to guard premises or property. None of the other six sectors licenses close protection.

If someone’s job includes guarding you against assault or injury — a security driver as much as an officer on foot — the record must read Close Protection, whatever other licence or experience they hold. Whether a licence is needed at all is covered in do bodyguards need a licence in the UK.

What the licence card shows

A front line licence card carries the holder’s photograph and name, the 16-digit licence number, the sector and the expiry date. The SIA lists the security features to look for: on the front, a name raised to the touch, a hologram that shows when the card is tilted, and SIA logos that appear under UV light; on the back, the postcode E14 1UG in the address, and a barcode, top left, that reads as the same number printed on the front.

None of that tells you the licence is still in force. The card does not change when the licence does. Match the face to the photograph, then check the number on the register.

If the name is not there, or the details disagree

Ask for the current number. Replacement cards are issued with new licence numbers, so a number copied from an old card or an old email may not be the one on the register. Use the number on the card the officer carries now.

Treat a mismatch as a no. If the name, photograph, sector or expiry date do not match what you were told, the work does not start until they do.

Report what looks wrong. The SIA’s reporting form on gov.uk covers anyone using a fake, out-of-date or stolen licence, or employing someone for security work without a valid one. Crimestoppers takes reports anonymously on 0800 555 111 and passes them to the police and the SIA.

Checking the firm as well as the officer

There is no SIA licence for a company. The SIA licenses people: the officers who do the work and, where a business supplies security staff under contract, its directors and managers, who need licences of their own.

Separately, the SIA runs the Approved Contractor Scheme, a voluntary scheme under which it assesses a company against 78 areas of its business. If a firm says it is an approved contractor, the Register of Approved Contractors will confirm it: search by company name, or by licensable activity and region.

Neither register shows how an officer works. For that, see how to hire a bodyguard and the questions to ask any close protection company; the FAQ answers how soon cover can start and how confidentiality is handled.

Common questions

Does an officer have to wear or show their SIA licence?

A front line licence must be worn where it can be seen during licensable work. The main exception is covert work — the SIA names a close protection officer covertly guarding a principal — but the licence must still be carried and produced on request. On a discreet detail you may not see it worn; asking to see it and note the number is an ordinary request.

Does the SIA register show an officer’s address or date of birth?

No. Addresses are not published, and although a date of birth can be used to narrow a name search, the register never displays it; a result returned from a date of birth confirms only that the date entered was correct. Otherwise the record carries the licence details and any conditions the SIA has made public.

What if a newly licensed officer has no card yet?

Someone whose licence has just been granted can start work straight away. Until the card arrives, which should be within 14 days, they must carry the SIA’s “licence granted” letter and photo ID such as a passport or driving licence. Their details go on the register once the licence is issued.

Does an SIA licence cover Scotland and Northern Ireland?

Yes. The SIA is the regulator of the UK’s private security industry, and a single register holds its licences for England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland. A Close Protection licence is checked the same way wherever in the UK the work takes place. Only SIA licences appear on the register, so a licence or permit issued in another country will not.

Written by the founder, First Class Executive Security

30+ years in the security industry, 20+ in close protection