How Do I Get an SIA Licence?

Anyone doing licensable front line security work for hire in the United Kingdom needs a licence from the Security Industry Authority before they start. That includes security guarding and door supervision. The Security Industry Authority, usually shortened to the SIA, is an executive non-departmental public body sponsored by the Home Office. It is the regulator, so its own guidance is the source to trust when anything here differs from what a training provider tells you.

Security guarding and door supervision are separate licences. You can apply for both in one application, which matters for the fee. Whether you need a licence at all can depend on how you are engaged, and our separate answer on self-employed guards explains that point.

The first requirement is age: you must be 18 or over. Next comes first aid. For guarding and door supervision the SIA asks for Emergency First Aid at Work or an equivalent qualification, and you complete it before you take the licence-linked qualification.

You must also show your right to work in the United Kingdom and pass criminal record checks. If you have lived abroad for 6 months or more in the last 10 years, overseas criminal record checks are needed as well. For identity, you prove who you are with one Group A document and two Group B documents, as listed in the application guidance.

• Be 18 or over.
• Hold Emergency First Aid at Work or an equivalent qualification.
• Show your right to work and pass criminal record checks.
• Provide overseas checks if you lived abroad for 6 months or more in the last 10 years.
• Prove identity with one Group A document and two Group B documents.

You complete a licence-linked qualification for the licence you want. The Security Guarding qualification is 30 hours over 4 days with self-study, or 38 hours over 5 days without self-study. The Door Supervision qualification is 44 hours over 6 days, or 52 hours over 7 days.

These figures come from the SIA's published training guidance. Course prices are set by the training provider, so the price varies and you should check with the provider before booking.

You apply online through the SIA. The fee is £204 for one licence, in force from 1 April 2026. Each extra licence in the same application costs £102. The fee is non-refundable, so check that you meet every requirement before you pay.

A licence lasts 3 years. Note the expiry date when you receive your licence.

The most common avoidable problem is paying before you are ready. The fee is non-refundable, so gather your identity documents first: one Group A document and two Group B documents. Check the application guidance for exactly which documents count in each group, because a document that looks suitable may not be on the list.

A second problem is training that does not match the licence you want. Security Guarding and Door Supervision are separate qualifications with different lengths, so confirm with the provider which one you are booking and whether first aid is included or needs to be done separately.

Finally, do not treat the licence as a guarantee of work. It is permission to work in a licensable role. The decision timescale indicator on the application guidance is the best guide to how long you may wait, and criminal records or right-to-work checks can add delay.

The SIA gives no fixed time. It points applicants to its decision timescale indicator on the application guidance, and criminal record or right-to-work checks can add delay. Plan around that uncertainty rather than booking work for a particular start date.

On XGuard, a professional can list only after we check the licence number with the SIA. XGuard is a marketplace, not a security company, and it does not promise work or availability. Having a licence is the starting point for listing, not a guarantee of bookings.