Key takeaways
- 1UK employers must check that someone holds the correct SIA licence before hiring them for private security work, and paying an unlicensed person to do it can lead to a fine or imprisonment.
- 2Most SIA licences last three years, and they do not renew automatically: someone has to apply.
- 3You can apply up to four months before a licence expires, and the time left carries over to the new one.
- 4An expired licence cannot be renewed. The guard has to apply for a new one, so the real deadline is expiry, not a month later.
- 5Track licence number, type and expiry on every guard record and flag everyone inside the renewal window, so nobody finds out from a client.
An SIA licence lasts three years and does not renew automatically, so every guard on your roster has an expiry date someone must watch. Track the licence number, type and expiry on each guard record, start chasing renewals when the four-month window opens, and flag everyone inside the window on one list. An expired licence cannot be renewed, so a missed date means a new application and a gap in who can work.
Why expiry dates matter
GOV.UK says employers must check someone holds the correct security licence before hiring them for private security work, and that paying an unlicensed person to do it can lead to a fine or imprisonment. For a guarding company the risk is also commercial: a guard who cannot be rostered leaves a site short, and the client notices before you do.
Guarding firms often track this in a spreadsheet that someone updates when they remember. It works until the person is on leave.
The rules that shape the timeline
From GOV.UK's guidance on applying for and renewing an SIA licence:
- Validity: licences last three years, except the vehicle immobiliser licence, which is for Northern Ireland and lasts one year.
- Early renewal: you can apply up to four months before the current licence expires.
- Time carries over: any time left on the current licence is added to the new one.
- No second chance: you cannot renew a licence once it has expired. The guard has to apply for a new one.
- No auto-renewal: the licence does not renew by itself.
- Types: the activities include security guarding, door supervision, public space surveillance (CCTV), key holding, cash and valuables in transit, and close protection. A guard may need more than one licence.
A four-month alert timeline
Because renewal opens four months out and an expired licence cannot be renewed, the useful alerts start early:
| When | What to do |
|---|---|
| Four months before expiry | The renewal window opens. Ask the guard to apply. |
| 90 days | The guard goes on the watchlist, visible to the manager. |
| 30 days | Confirm the application is in. Check the roster for that guard. |
| Expiry day | If there is no new licence, the guard is not licensed for that work. Cover their shifts. |
What the record and the list should show
Every guard, and every subcontracted guard, needs a licence number, licence type, expiry date and status on their record. Certifications such as training courses need their own expiry dates.
The second half is the list. A manager should not have to open every record to find who is about to lapse. The dashboard should list licences expiring soon, soonest first.
In the system we built for a UK security company, the dashboard lists licences expiring within 90 days, and the workforce screen counts them, as the first screen above shows. The guard also sees their own licence and certification status in the mobile app. The full build is in our workforce ERP case study.
Questions to ask any guard software vendor
- 1Does every guard record hold the licence number, type and expiry date?
- 2Is there one list of expiring licences, soonest first, and can I change the window?
- 3Does it cover subcontracted guards the same way as employees?
- 4Does the roster warn me when I assign a guard whose licence has expired or is about to?
- 5Can a guard see their own licence status?
- 6Who owns the data, and can I export it?
For the wider checklist, read our guide to security guard management software for UK companies, and see our security guard management software page for what we build. Tell us how many guards you run and we will show you the watchlist with your own licence dates.
*Screens are from the system we built, shown with demonstration guards, clients and sites. Client branding is replaced with ours.*
Frequently asked questions
Licences last three years, except the vehicle immobiliser licence, which is for Northern Ireland and lasts one year. Because they do not renew automatically, each guard has an expiry date that someone must watch.
Up to four months before the current licence expires. The time left on the current licence is added to the new one, so applying early costs nothing.
It cannot be renewed once it has expired. The guard has to apply for a new licence, and until it is issued they are not licensed for that work.
Yes. GOV.UK says you must check that someone holds the correct security licence before hiring them for private security work, and that paying someone to work in security without the right licence can lead to a fine or imprisonment. You can check the SIA register with a licence number.
The licence number, type and expiry date on every guard record, with a list of everyone inside the renewal window, soonest first. It should also cover subcontracted guards, and ideally let each guard see their own licence status.
Yes. The workforce system we built for a UK security company holds the SIA number, type, expiry and status on each guard and lists licences expiring within 90 days on the dashboard.
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- #Security Guard Software
- #Compliance
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- #UK Security Industry
