Learn about the SIA licence conditions you must follow
Source: gov.uk (2025-12-01)

The conditions you must follow if you hold an SIA licence, and the penalties you may face for not doing so.

SIA licences are issued subject to the conditions listed below.

The penalties for breaching the conditions of your SIA licence

If you breach these conditions, we may:
- issue you with a written warning, which can be taken into account in future licensing or enforcement decisions
- revoke or suspend your licence
- prosecute you – contravening licence conditions is a criminal offence under Section 9 of the Private Security Industry Act 2001
If you hold a front line licence

The conditions of this licence are:
- you have reported it lost or stolen
- it is in our possession
- the work you are doing requires that you not be identifiable as a licensed operative (see covert activity (#covert-activity) below)
- you must tell us and the police if your licence is lost or stolen
- you must return your licence to us if you are asked to do so
- you must tell us if you receive any conviction, caution or warning, or are charged, for any relevant offence (#relevant-offences) – this applies whether you committed the offence in the UK or another country
- you must tell us if any public body is investigating you for any relevant offence (#relevant-offences)
- you must tell us of any changes to your name or address
- you must show your licence if a police officer, any member or employee of the SIA or other person authorised by us asks to inspect it
- you must not deface or change your licence in any way (if your licence is damaged you should tell us and request a replacement)
- you must not wear a licence that has been defaced or altered in any way
- you must tell us of any change to your right to remain or work in the UK
- you must tell us of any changes to the validity of that qualification or licence
- you must tell us of any disciplinary action taken or proposed to be taken against you in connection with that qualification or licence
Vehicle immobiliser licences

Vehicle immobilisers must also abide by the following additional conditions:
- a valid disabled badge is displayed on the vehicle
- it is an emergency service vehicle which is in use as such.
- the location where the vehicle was clamped, blocked or towed
- your own name and signature
- your licence number
- the date on which the vehicle was clamped, blocked or towed
Covert activity

You do not have to wear your licence where it can be seen if the work you are doing requires that you not be identifiable as a licensed operative.

Examples of when this might apply are:
- you are a store detective
- you are a close protection operative covertly guarding your principal(s)
You must still carry your licence on you and be able to produce it on request.

This cannot apply to vehicle immobilisers.

If you hold a non-front line licence

The conditions of this licence are:
- you must tell us and the police if your licence is lost or stolen
- you must return your licence to us if you are asked to do so
- you must tell us if you receive any conviction, caution or warning, or are charged, for any relevant offence (#relevant-offences) – this applies whether you committed the offence in the UK or another country
- you must tell us if any public body is investigating you for any relevant offence (#relevant-offences)
- you must tell us of any changes to your name or address
- you must show your licence if a police officer, any member or employee of the SIA or other person authorised by us asks to inspect it
- you must not deface or change your licence in any way (if your licence is damaged you should tell us and request a replacement)
- you must tell us of any change to your right to remain or work in the UK
- you must tell us of any changes to the validity of that qualification or licence
- you must tell us of any disciplinary action taken or proposed to be taken against you in connection with that qualification or licence
Telling us when something changes

When you must tell us

If you can, you must tell us within 2 days:
- of any convictions, cautions, warnings or charges for relevant offences, whether committed in the UK or another country
- of any open public or professional body investigation into relevant offences or any form of misconduct
- if your licence has been lost or stolen
- if there has been any change to your right to remain or work in the UK
- of any changes to the validity of a qualification or licence you gained outside the UK and which we have used as the basis for granting you a licence
- of any disciplinary action taken, or proposed to be taken, against you in connection with a qualification or licence you gained outside the UK and which we have used as the basis for granting you a licence
If you cannot tell us within 2 days because you are in police custody or held on remand, then you should tell us as soon as possible and explain why you were unable to do so sooner.

You must tell us of any changes to your name or address within 7 days.

How to tell us

You should tell us through your SIA online account.

What we mean by ‘relevant offence’

When we refer to relevant offences, we mean offences we have identified as relevant in our licensing criteria, Get Licensed (https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/sia-get-licensed). You can see the full list of relevant offences in Annex A of that document.