How to Verify a Security Company's PSIRA Registration

Before you hire a security company, check two things: that the company is registered with PSIRA, and that every guard it puts on your site is registered too. The easiest way is to ask the company for a PSIRA letter of good standing, check the date on it, and ask for the PSIRA numbers of the guards who will work at your site. This guide shows you how, in simple steps.

PSIRA is the Private Security Industry Regulatory Authority. It registers and oversees every security company and security guard in South Africa.

Why PSIRA registration matters

The Private Security Industry Regulation Act 56 of 2001 says that security companies and security guards must be registered with PSIRA. A registered company has to follow PSIRA's rules, and PSIRA can investigate it, fine it or take away its registration if it does not.

If you use a company that is not registered, you may get:

• Officers who have not been properly trained, graded or vetted.
• No regulator to complain to if things go wrong.
• Exposure for yourself, because of the offence above.

Registration is about the right to operate, not about pay. Whether a provider pays the prescribed wages and makes the required contributions is governed by the NBCPSS Main Collective Agreement and checked separately — a point PSIRA makes itself, as the next section sets out.

Step 1: Ask for the company's letter of good standing

Ask the security company for its PSIRA registration number and a letter of good standing. A good company will send both straight away.

A letter of good standing is issued by PSIRA, and is valid for 90 days because a provider's status can change. PSIRA issues it to a security business that is legally registered with a valid registration, whose account with the Authority is up to date, whose monthly returns are in order, which complies with the regulations, whose directors are registered security service providers, whose CIPC records are current, and whose physical address and infrastructure have been assessed for compliance.

Step 2: Make sure the names match

Look at the letter and compare it with the company's quote and contract:

• ✓The company name on the letter matches the company on your contract.
• ✓The PSIRA number matches the number the company gave you.
• ✓The letter is less than 90 days old.

Some companies use a brand name that is different from their registered name. That is fine, as long as the company you sign with is the registered one. If the names do not match, ask why, in writing.

Step 3: Check every guard, not just the company

A registered company can still send an unregistered guard. Every guard who works on your site must have their own PSIRA registration.

Ask the company to give you, in writing:

1. The names of the guards who will work at your site.
2. Each guard's PSIRA number and grade.
3. Whether each guard is a permanent employee, and what training they have done.

Guards should also be able to show proof of their PSIRA registration on site when you ask.

Check the grade too

PSIRA grades run from E (the entry level) to A (the highest), and the grade reflects the training an officer has completed.

Grade C for access control and site guarding, with Grade B or A for supervisors and higher-responsibility posts, is a common contracting convention rather than a statutory floor — it is what most clients specify, and what most quotations are priced on. The point for you is simpler: whatever grade your contract says you are paying for, check that the officers actually on site hold it.

Step 4: Not sure? Ask PSIRA

You do not have to take the company's word for any of it. PSIRA says a provider's details "can be verified on our website www.psira.co.za or on our app under online verification – Business Status Verification". Start there, then contact PSIRA directly if something still does not look right:

• Online: Business Status Verification at psira.co.za or in the PSIRA app
• Switchboard: 086 10 77472
• Helpdesk: 086 133 3850
• Email: info@psira.co.za

PSIRA can also investigate a company you believe is operating without registration or acting improperly. Worth knowing: the Authority describes its powers as extending to inspecting and investigating security service providers "including clients in terms of their obligations", so the consumer side of section 38(3)(g) is not merely theoretical.

Step 5: Keep checking during the contract

Checking once at the start is not enough. Officers change, registrations lapse and a provider's status can change. PSIRA puts the obligation plainly: a letter of good standing must be held "prior to awarding a security service contract", and "continuous verification of compliance must also be conducted to ensure that the registration of the security business is still valid with the Authority after the security service provider has been appointed."

Build these checks into your contract:

• ✓Ask for a new letter of good standing every few months.
• ✓Ask for PSIRA details whenever a new guard starts at your site.
• ✓Spot-check guards' proof of registration from time to time.
• ✓Add a clause that the company must stay PSIRA-registered for the whole contract.

Red flags

Beyond PSIRA: other checks worth doing

PSIRA registration is the foundation, but you may also want to check:

• Criminal record checks and ID verification for the guards placed on your site.
• That wages and benefits follow the NBCPSS Main Agreement for the guarding sector.
• Insurance and liability cover.
• References from clients with sites like yours.

For a full checklist, see our guide on how to choose a security company in South Africa.

How JBA Security approaches this

JBA Security (Pty) Ltd is registered with PSIRA under number 1685942, and we encourage every client to check it. We will gladly send you a current letter of good standing and the PSIRA details of the guards assigned to your site.

We have operated since 2008 under director Johan Brits, who served 23 years in the South African Police Service. Alongside our security guarding services, we offer online criminal record checks and ID verification, which businesses can also use for their own staff.

Sources

Reviewed on 27 October 2026 (second pass the same day, after a first review).

• PSIRA Consumer Information Notice — the 90-day validity and the criteria for a letter of good standing; the section 38(3)(g) consumer obligation; and the requirement for continuous verification after appointment.
• PSIRA Consumer Booklet — what good standing excludes, the Business Status Verification tool, the contact details, and the wider checklist (COIDA, UIF and Private Security Sector Provident Fund registration).
• Private Security Industry Regulation Act 56 of 2001 — sections 20(1) and 38(3)(g).

This page is general guidance, not legal advice.

Work with a company you can check

If you want a security partner whose registration you can check in minutes, we are ready to help. Request a quote or book a free site assessment, or call 082 765 0908.

About JBA Security

JBA Security is a locally owned, PSIRA-registered (1685942) security company protecting estates, business parks, industrial and development sites across the Western Cape and Gauteng since 2008. The business is led by director Johan Brits, who served 23 years in the South African Police Service.

Old-school discipline. Modern security technology.