How to check an SIA licence

Anyone hiring security wants the same thing: confidence that the people on the door are who they say they are, and legally allowed to do the job. The good news is that checking an SIA licence is quick, free and public — once you know where to look and what to look for.

This guide walks through verifying a licence on the official register, the red flags that point to a fake or unlicensed operator, and how company-level ACS accreditation fits into the picture. If you just want to run a quick check now, our SIA licence checker points you straight at the right tool.

Why the badge alone is not proof

Every licensed officer carries a physical SIA licence — a credit-card-sized badge showing their photo, name, the licence type and an expiry date. It looks official, and most are genuine. But a badge on its own proves very little. Cards can be expired, altered, borrowed or outright forged, and a convincing fake is cheap to produce.

The only reliable check is the official register. Think of the badge as a claim and the register as the proof. A genuine officer will never object to you checking — it’s a normal part of doing business.

Step by step: verifying on the SIA register

The Security Industry Authority (SIA) publishes a free public database called the Register of Licence Holders, also known as the Roll of Public Licence Holders. Here’s how to use it.

1. Go to the official SIA website. Find the Register of Licence Holders search. Make sure you’re on the genuine SIA site (gov.uk-linked), not a lookalike — see the red flags below.
2. Enter the 16-digit licence number. This is the most direct check. A valid SIA licence number is exactly 16 digits long. If you don’t have the number, you can usually search by the officer’s name and date of birth instead.
3. Confirm the licence appears as valid. A genuine, in-date licence shows up with an active status. If nothing comes back, the licence is not verified — stop and ask questions.
4. Check the photo matches the person. Compare the badge photo (and the person in front of you) against the named holder.
5. Check the licence type matches the role. This is the step people skip most often, and it matters (see below).
6. Check the expiry date. Licences are time-limited. An expired licence is not a valid licence, full stop.

The whole process takes under a minute per officer.

Match the licence type to the role

SIA licences are not one-size-fits-all. The register tells you which type of licence a person holds, and it needs to match the work they’re actually doing:

• Door Supervision — for licensed premises, events and venues where managing entry, conflict and alcohol-related risk is part of the job. This is the licence you want for most door supervisor work.
• Security Guarding — for guarding premises and property, access control and patrols where door supervision duties don’t apply.
• Close Protection — for personal protection and bodyguarding of individuals.
• CCTV (Public Space Surveillance) — for operating CCTV systems to monitor public spaces.

A Security Guarding licence does not cover door supervision duties on licensed premises, for example. If you’re hiring for a bar, club or event with alcohol, you want Door Supervision. For more on what that role actually involves, see our guide to door supervision explained.

Red flags: fakes and unlicensed operators

Most providers are legitimate. But a few warning signs should make you slow down and verify carefully:

• Reluctance to share licence numbers. A genuine officer or supplier hands these over without fuss. Evasion is the single biggest red flag.
• The licence doesn’t appear on the register — or only appears as expired or with a different name.
• A number that isn’t 16 digits, or that the person “can’t find right now”.
• The licence type doesn’t match the job (a Security Guarding card offered for door work, say).
• Being sent to a lookalike “checker” website rather than the official SIA register. Always verify on the SIA’s own site.
• Suspiciously cheap quotes. Prices well below the market often mean unlicensed staff, no insurance, or both.
• No company paperwork — no insurance certificate, no written terms, cash-only.

Why unlicensed security is a serious risk

This isn’t just about quality. Carrying out licensable security activity without a valid SIA licence is a criminal offence, and supplying unlicensed staff is an offence for the business that provides them. Both the worker and the supplier can be prosecuted and fined.

For you as the client, the exposure is real too. If an incident happens and your “security” turns out to be unlicensed and uninsured, you may be left carrying the liability — exactly when you most need cover to hold up. The few pounds saved on a cheap, unchecked operator can become the most expensive decision of the event.

ACS accreditation: a company-level quality mark

Individual licences tell you about people. The Approved Contractor Scheme (ACS) tells you about the company supplying them.

ACS is a voluntary scheme run by the SIA. To earn approval, a security supplier has to meet a defined standard covering how it recruits, trains, manages and deploys its staff, and submit to ongoing assessment. It’s a recognised mark of a well-run, accountable provider.

The key distinction: ACS accreditation does not replace individual SIA licences. Every officer must still hold their own valid licence for the work they do. ACS sits on top of that — an extra layer of assurance about the organisation, not a substitute for checking the people. When you’re comparing providers, individual licences are the baseline; ACS is a bonus that says the company itself has been vetted.

We check every officer before deployment

We verify every officer on the SIA register before they set foot on site — confirming the licence is genuine, in date, and the correct type for the role. It’s not an optional extra; it’s how we work on every booking, from a single door supervisor to a full event team.

You’re welcome to ask for licence numbers and check them yourself, too. We’d rather you did — verification is exactly what separates a professional provider from a risk. You can read more about how we operate on our about us page.

Check, then book with confidence

Verifying an SIA licence takes under a minute and protects you from a great deal of risk. Use the official register, confirm the number, the type and the expiry, and watch for the red flags above.

If you’d rather hand the whole thing to a provider who checks every officer as standard, get a quote and we’ll send a clear, all-inclusive price — with fully licensed, register-verified officers on every shift.