Apply for Security Agency Licence

Content Overview

A Notice of Renewal of the Security Agency licence will be mailed to the company’s Director, approximately two months before the expiry of the existing licence.

The Renewal Notice will provide detailed information on the requirements to submit a renewal application.

A Security Agency's licence is required if your company is involved in any of the following:

Engage in the business of supplying, for reward, the services of Security Officers to other persons;
Advertise, or in any way hold out, that the person supplies for reward, or is willing to supply for reward, the services of Security Officers.

SA Licensees will no longer receive hardcopy mailers by post from PLRD. Upon approval and successful fee payment, licensees will receive an email containing softcopy licence and corresponding licensing conditions. Licensees can check for their licence status via GoBusiness Dashboard.

1.1 Type of Application

Types of Applications	Validity	Fees (Non-refundable)
New Security Agency Licence	1 Year	$400
Renewal of Security Agency Licence	1 Year	$400
Amendment of existing Security Agency Licence	N/A	N/A
Cancel of existing Security Agency Licence	N/A	N/A
Withdrawal of Security Agency Licence Application	N/A	N/A

New

This is for persons who wish to apply for a Security Agency Licence.

You may submit a new Security Agency Licence via GoBusiness portal

Renew

This is for persons who wish to apply to renew an existing Security Agency Licence.

You may submit your renewal of Security Agency Licence via GoBusiness portal

Amend Licence Details

You can amend the following information of your existing Security Agency licence:

Name of Company/Business/LLP/Organisation
Business operating address or details of branch office
Name of licensee (for transfer of licence to new partners in partnership)
Details of Director/Partner/LP General Partner or Limited Partner/LLP Manager or Partner/ Officer Bearer
Contact details
Employment or termination of licensed Security Officer
Security Officer's employment grade
Deployment site

Cancel Licence

You are permitted to terminate your existing Security Agency licence any time before its expiration.
Please be informed that there will be no refund of licence fees upon cancelling the existing Security Agency licence.

Withdrawal

You can withdraw your application for a Security Agency Licence any time before licence approval.
If licence has been approved and issued, you will have to submit a request to cancel the licence.

1.2 Licensing Criteria for Security Agency

Licensing Criteria for Security Agency

To be eligible for a new Security Agency’s licence or a renewal of an existing licence, the business entity must meet the following criteria:

Accounting and Corporate Regulatory Authority (ACRA) Registration

A registered business entity with ACRA

Company Directors/Partners

There must be at least 2 directors/partners
All directors/partners must be fit and proper persons¹
The directors/partners of the business entity must fulfill the following requirements:

First Director/Partner	Second Director/Partner	Other Director/ Partner (if any)
A Singapore Citizen or a Permanent Resident of Singapore; Possess a minimum of 2 years' experience in security-related work or business holding a management position; Unless exempted by the Licensing Officer, be certified competent in all of the following WSQ modules: Manage Security Agency within Legal Framework; Manage Security Operations; and Manage Security Emergencies.	A Singapore Citizen, or a Permanent Resident of Singapore, or a foreigner²with a valid S-Pass or Employment Pass issued by the Ministry of Manpower; Possess a minimum of 2 years' experience in security-related work or business holding a management position; and Unless exempted by the Licensing Officer, be certified competent in WSQ module ‘Manage Security Agency within Legal Framework’	Possess minimum 2 years’ experience in security-related work or business holding management position; Unless exempted by the Licensing Officer, be certified competent in WSQ module ‘Manage Security Agency within Legal Framework’³

Security Agencies Competency Evaluation (SACE)

Unless exempted by the Licensing Officer, applicants must pass the Security Agencies Competency Evaluation (SACE) conducted by the Police Licensing & Regulatory Department and the Ministry of Manpower, to be eligible for an SA licence.

Applicants who pass all the prescribed core competencies are eligible for a 1-year licence;
Applicants who pass all the prescribed core competencies,and the stipulated number of elective competencies (as specified by the Licensing Officer) are eligible for a 2-year licence; and
First time applicants (“FTAs”) must pass 3 core competencies to be eligible for a 1-year licence. FTAs are not eligible to opt for elective competency assessment.

Other Requirements

An initial paid-up capital4of SGD$500,000
A physical office
Certified with bizSAFE Level 2⁵, and bizSAFE Level 3 for annual licence renewal.

¹Section 21(8) and 21(9) of the Private Security Industry Act 2007 states:

In deciding whether a person or an officer^ of a business entity is a fit and proper person, the licensing officer may consider any of the following matters as indicating that the person or officer may not be a fit and proper person:

that the person or officer associates with a criminal in a way that indicates involvement in an unlawful activity;
that in dealings in which the person or officer has been involved, the person or officer —
- has shown dishonesty or lack of integrity; or
- used harassing tactics;
- that the person or officer is or was suffering from a mental disorder; or
- that the person or officer is an undischarged bankrupt or has entered into a composition with his debtors.

The above mentioned shall not limit the circumstances in which a person or an officer of a business entity may be considered by the licensing officer not to be a fit and proper person.

^“officer”, in relation to a business entity, means —

a director, partner, member of the board of management, chief executive, manager, secretary or other similar officer of a business entity that is a body corporate;
a partner of a business entity that is a partnership; or
a president, secretary, or any member of the committee of management of a business entity that is an unincorporated association (other than a partnership), or any person holding a position analogous to that of president, secretary or member of a committee, and includes a person who can control or substantially influence the conduct of the affairs of the business entity.

²A director/partner who is not a Singapore Citizen or a Permanent Resident of Singapore shall submit a Certificate of Non-Criminal Conviction (CNCC) from their country of origin.

³Foreign directors who do not hold a work pass issued by MOM and are not based in Singapore may seek approval from the Licensing Officer for exemption from the requisite WSQ certification requirement. The business entity is required to submit the necessary documents, including a letter of undertaking to affirm that their foreign directors are not issued with Singapore work passes (work visas) and not involved in the daily management of the security agency.

⁴The requirement of initial paid-up capital is only applicable to First Time Applicants (FTAs). The requirement is not applicable to existing licensed SAs when they apply to renew their licences.

⁵Existing security agencies must attain a minimum of bizSAFE Level 3 for licence renewal.

1.3 Documents Required

Amend Licence Details

You are required to obtain the following documents before amending your existing Security Agency licence.

For amendment of:	Documents required:	Fees
Name of Company/Business/LLP/Organisation	Email/letter of approval from Licensing Officer	$20 to change business name
Business operating address or details of branch office	No documents required	No fees required
Name of licensee (for transfer of licence to new partners in partnership)	Email/letter of approval from Licensing Officer; and Documents showing proof of transfer	$40 to transfer licence to new partners in partnership
Details of Director/Partner/LP General Partner or Limited Partner/LLP Manager or Partner/ Officer Bearer	No documents required	No fees required
Contact details	No documents required	No fees required
Employment ortermination of Security Officer
Security Officer's employment grade
Deployment site

Cancel Licence

No document is required.

Withdrawal

No document is required.

1.4 Processing Time

Type of Application	Processing Time
New	About 4-6 weeks from the receipt of the application and the necessary supporting documents. Any incomplete or incorrect submission will be rejected. You may also be required to attend an interview with the Licensing Officer. You will be notified of the outcome via post. Alternatively, you can login to GoBusiness Licensing to view your application status.
Renew	About 4-6 weeks from the receipt of the application and the necessary supporting documents. Any incomplete or incorrect submission will be rejected. You will be notified of the outcome via post.
Amend Licence Details	About 4-6 weeks from the receipt of the submission and the necessary documents, if required. Any incomplete or incorrect submission will be rejected. You will be notified of the outcome via post. Alternatively, you can login to GoBusiness Licensing to view your application status.
Cancel Licence	Immediate upon receipt of your Cancellation Request.
Withdrawal	Immediate upon receipt of your Cancellation Request.

1.5 Estimated Time to Complete

15 min

Resources

Resources	Descriptions
Licensing Conditions	General Licensing Conditions For Security Agencies Additional Licensing Condition for Security Agencies Providing Security Transportation Services (If applicable)
GoBusiness	If you are familiar with the application requirements and wish to apply now, please proceed to GoBusiness Licensing. CorpPass is required for login to GoBusiness Licensing.
Relevant Legislation	Private Security Industry Act 2007 Private Security Industry (Conduct) Regulations 2009 Private Security Industry (Private Investigation and Security Agencies) Regulations 2009 Private Security Industry (Security Service Providers) Regulations 2009
Publications	Recommended Uniform for Security Officers Employment Guide for Security Industry – Information for Security Agencies & Officers by MOM Tripartite Advisory on Responsible Outsourcing Practices by MOM Recommended List of Equipment in a Security Guardroom
Forms for Download	Deployment declaration Sec_9_and_Sec_17_Returns Notification to Employ Manual Notification to Cease Manual Update deployment sites Update staff employment grade

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New

Renew

Cancel Licence

Withdrawal

Licensing Criteria for Security Agency

Amend Licence Details

Cancel Licence

Withdrawal