security licensing Registration for Security Tenders: How to Register
How to register your security business and officers with security licensing, the documents and fees required, renewals, and why every security tender asks for your security licensing certificate.
If you bid on guarding, armed response, monitoring or any private security work for government, you must be registered with the Private Security Industry Regulatory Authority (security licensing). The business needs a security licensing registration and every officer you deploy needs their own. An unregistered bidder is disqualified.
Register the business
- Register your company with ASIC first (you need the ACN and certificate of registration)
- Apply for your state security licence on the regulator's portal (e.g. NSW SLED, VIC Licensing and Registration)
- Submit company documents, directors' IDs and proof of identity and address, plus the prescribed fee
- The regulator checks every director and officer before issuing the licence
Register your security officers
Each officer must complete accredited training (grades E to A), then register individually with security licensing with their ID, fingerprints and training certificates. Only registered officers may be deployed on a contract, and tenders often ask for proof per officer.
Keep it valid
- Pay the annual security licensing renewal fees for the business and each officer
- Keep proof of sectoral minimum-wage compliance (tenders check this)
- Have your security licensing certificate ready as a returnable document at bid time
Frequently asked questions
Do both my business and my guards need security licensing registration?+
Yes. The security business registers as an entity, and every security officer you deploy must be individually registered with security licensing. Bids frequently ask for both.
How long does security licensing business registration take?+
Allow several weeks. security licensing vets directors for a clean criminal record and verifies your documents before issuing the certificate, so apply well before you need it for a tender.
Is security licensing registration a once-off?+
No. Registration must be renewed annually for the business and for each officer, with the prescribed fees paid, to stay valid and tender-eligible.
Search every live Australian government tender free. No signup, no card.
Search live tenders