Guidance

You're trained, so how do you get a licence? (web version)

Published 9 May 2023

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What you should know before applying

You’ll need to pay the licence application fee before we process your application. Search for “SIA licence fee” on GOV.UK to check the current fee.

Some businesses will pay the fee for you. Others will apply for a licence on your behalf. Before you apply, speak to your employer or training provider to find out what they will do.

During the application process, we will check your:

  • age (you must be 18 or older to hold an SIA licence)
  • identity
  • qualifications
  • criminal record (if you have one)

We will also check if you:

  • have the right to work in the UK
  • have been compulsorily detained, or subject to any other compulsory measures, under the Mental Health Act, in the past 5 years

We may also consider other information we hold about you.

We will refuse your application if you do not meet our licensing criteria. If we refuse your application, we will not refund your application fee.

If you have a criminal record, you can use our criminal record indicator to find out whether this might prevent you from getting a licence. Search for “SIA criminal record indicator” on GOV.UK.

Applying for your licence

Step 1: Register for your SIA online account

Registering for an SIA online account is free and only takes a few minutes.

  1. Go to gov.uk/sia.
  2. Click ‘Log in to your SIA online account’.
  3. Click ‘Register for a Personal Account’.
  4. Fill in the form. Enter your name as it appears on your identity documents. Include any middle names that appear on those documents.
  5. Click the ‘Register’ button.

We will send you an email containing an activation link. This is to confirm the email address is valid and is one you can access. You must click the activation link to complete the account registration process.

Already registered?

If you already have an SIA online account but have forgotten your password, do not create a new account. Follow steps 1 and 2 above, then:

  1. Click the ‘Forgot password?’ link at the bottom left-hand side of the page (below the ‘Log in’ button).
  2. Follow the on-screen instructions.

Step 2: Fill in the application form

You should only apply for the sector that you are trained in.

Do not apply for a front line licence until your qualification appears on the ‘My qualifications’ page of your SIA online account.

  1. Click on ‘Start a New Application’.
  2. Select if you will be paying for your application, or if a business will be paying the application fee on your behalf. It is important that you pick the correct option so that your application can progress without problems.
  3. Fill in the application form. You do not have to do this all in one go. If you need to, you can log out and then log back in again later to continue with your application.

Step 3: Submit the application

After you submit your application, we will give you instructions on what to do next. You should follow these instructions carefully. If you do not do something we ask, we will withdraw your application and not refund your application fee.

The instructions given will vary from person to person, so do not worry if we ask you to do something and you know other people who were asked to do something else.

Step 4: Keep an eye on your account

You can track the progress of your application in your SIA online account.

We may contact you at any time to ask for further documents or information, so make sure you regularly check the ‘My Messages’ page of your account.

Step 5: We will tell you our decision

We will tell you about our decision in writing. We will send this message in 3 different ways:

  • as an email, to the email address registered to your account
  • in the post, to the address we have on file for you
  • as a message to your online account

If we have granted you a licence, we will send the licence card to you in the post.

If we intend to refuse your application, our letter will tell you why. It will also explain what you can do to appeal.

Further help

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