PSiRA business registration
Registering a security business turns on ten documents, an infrastructure inspection, and a suretyship (a personal guarantee) form. PSiRA itself says that form causes most provisional rejections. We assemble the whole file, check it against the Authority's own requirements, and submit it on PSiRA's online system (ePSiRA), so it goes in complete and correct the first time.
PSiRA business registration costs R3 490 at ProperSA. That is our fixed service fee; government and authority fees are charged at cost on top. If you give us everything we ask for and we still fail to deliver what this page promises, we refund our fee; a refusal by the authority is not refundable.
What you will actually pay, all in
Most people get a fright when they see the total, so here it is up front rather than halfway through. PSiRA, not us, is the expensive part.
| Our fee | R3 490 | The work. Fixed, and the only money that comes to us. |
|---|---|---|
| PSiRA registration | R9 100 | Paid to PSiRA at cost. Only comes back through a refund application, on which PSiRA charges 10 percent. |
| Infrastructure assessment | R2 300 | Paid to PSiRA at cost, for a new business. |
| Manual of information | R300 | Paid to PSiRA at cost. Compulsory. |
| Total to get registered | R15 190 | R3 490 to us, R11 700 to PSiRA on the 2026/27 schedule. |
This is what the R3 490 is really protecting. R11 700 leaves your account before PSiRA makes a decision, and if the application fails the R9 100 registration fee only comes back through a refund application, on which PSiRA charges 10 percent of the amount. PSiRA itself says the suretyship form causes most provisional rejections. We check every blocker in writing, including whether each director can be registered at all under section 23, before a cent of PSiRA money is paid. If we tell you it will not work, you have not spent the R11 700.
Annual PSiRA fees then start at R8 500 a year for fewer than 6 officers, charged pro rata from registration to the following April, and the schedule increases on 1 April.
What is included
- Registration path confirmed: security business or in-house, with the fee difference explained before you pay
- Director check against section 23, including the Grade B requirement every director must meet
- All ten documents assembled, formatted and sized to PSiRA's upload rules
- The suretyship prepared and checked signature by signature and initial by initial
- Both copies of form PSiRA 24a completed, the uploaded one and the digital Infrastructure tab
- Uniform and insignia submission prepared, with the blue and camouflage rules applied before you order stock
- Resolutions drafted on your letterhead, including the twelve month commencement resolution
- Submitted on ePSiRA, with your APP reference tracked and provisional rejections answered
- A renewal calendar: annual fees, certificate renewal and the 1 April increase
What we will need from you
PSiRA asks for ten documents. We prepare, format and upload every one of them, but six start with something only you can give us.
- Your CIPC documentsCompany, close corporation, co-operative, partnership or trust. The enterprise status must read in business. A company in deregistration is dead on arrival.
- Your SARS tax clearance, and not the PINThis catches nearly everyone. PSiRA states it cannot use the SARS compliance PIN. They want a screen print from the SARS website showing the business is compliant. If you send us a PIN we will come back and ask again.
- Proof of your premisesA municipal or water and lights account if you own it, otherwise the lease. If you are sub-leasing, PSiRA also wants a lease from the original tenant confirming they may sub-let.
- Proof that the phone number belongs to the businessNot just a number on a form. This was the single most repeated rejection on the last file we rebuilt.
- Your uniform and insigniaA photo or sketch with the full uniform visible, logos visible and colours either clear or written on the sketch. No shade of blue and no camouflage will be accepted, so send this before you order stock.
- Your company logoAs a JPEG, separately from the uniform.
- Your business plan for the first yearRegulation 5(1)(a). If you do not have one we write it for R1 990 as a separate service.
- Every director, with PSiRA number and curriculum vitaeThey must be listed on ePSiRA when the application is made, registered with PSiRA, and hold at least a Grade B.
- Your letterhead, and two witnesses who can sign in personBoth resolutions go on your letterhead, and the suretyship needs every director plus two witnesses to initial every page.
We draft the rest: the PSiRA specimen resolution, the twelve month commencement resolution in wording that must differ from the pro forma, both copies of the PSiRA 24a, and the suretyship.
Upload rules PSiRA enforces: everything in PDF except the uniform and logo, which must be JPEG, and no file over 3 MB. Your email address has to be verified on ePSiRA before the application will move.
Two things PSiRA asks for that we cannot write for you
Most of the file is ours to build. Two items are not, and they are the two that quietly send applications back.
- A curriculum vitae for each directorPSiRA wants to see that the people running the business have the experience to run it, which is regulation 5(1)(f), management by appropriately experienced, trained or skilled persons. It must be a real CV for a real person, so it has to come from the director. We tell you what it needs to cover and check it before it goes up, and a certified copy of the identity document goes with it.
- A business plan with financial projectionsRegulation 5(1)(a) requires factually substantiated written information on the nature, scope and geographical area of your intended activities, covering at least the first year of trading. PSiRA assesses it rather than filing it, and a generic template comes back rejected. The projections have to be built on your own figures for expected contracts, officer numbers and wage costs.
If you already have both, they go into the file at no extra cost. If you do not, we write the plan for R1 990, which is a separate service and is not part of the fee above. We would rather tell you that now than have you find out from a rejection.
What the infrastructure inspection actually tests
Everyone knows an inspector visits. Almost nobody knows what the inspector is measuring you against. It is regulation 5 of the Private Security Industry Regulations, 2002, and it lists eleven things you must satisfy at the point you start trading and be likely to keep satisfying for at least a year.
- An administrative office that is an immovable structureAt least one room dedicated to the purpose. A container, a vehicle or a corner of a shared desk does not qualify. It must be reasonably accessible to PSiRA’s inspectors, to your clients and to your own security officers, and reasonable office hours must be kept there.
- A landline, and a working fax facilityThe regulation is explicit: the office must be serviced by landline telephone communication which includes a reliable facility to receive and transmit facsimiles. In 2026 this is the requirement that catches people, because a mobile number is not a landline and almost nobody thinks to arrange a fax service.
- A filing systemHard copy or electronic, for the orderly keeping of every record the regulations require you to hold.
- The equipment to actually run the businessWhatever is reasonably necessary to manage and administer the affairs of a security business of the size and scope you have described.
- Enough offices for where you operateAs many administrative offices and other premises as your geographical spread reasonably requires.
- Management who know what they are doingThe affairs of the business must be managed and controlled by appropriately experienced, trained or skilled people.
- Enough registered officersA sufficient number of registered, appropriately trained and skilled security officers for the work you have contracted or are likely to contract for.
- Proper control and supervision of those officersNot just employing them, supervising them.
- Enough administrative staffSufficient and adequately skilled, to run the administration the Act requires.
- The money to pay lawful wagesYou must have the financial means to pay every security officer and administrative staff member lawfully, and to meet your other statutory financial obligations.
- Equipment, uniforms and lawful weaponsVehicles, properly trained working animals where relevant, the uniforms and clothing issued to your officers, and lawful possession of any firearms or weapons the service requires.
On top of that, regulation 5(1)(a) requires you to give PSiRA factually substantiated information in writing on the nature, scope and geographical area of what you intend to do, covering at least the first year of trading. That is a business plan in everything but name, and a vague one is a reason to fail you.
You do not need a partner. One director is the simplest version
People hear that every director has to be registered with PSiRA and conclude they need to find somebody who already holds a Grade B. It is the wrong conclusion, and it is the single most common reason a founder talks themselves out of applying.
A private company can have one director. Section 20(2) says every director, member, partner or trustee must be registered as a security service provider, so where there is only one of you, that is only you. If you hold a Grade B or higher and you qualify under section 23, you can register the business on your own.
Bringing in a partner makes it harder, not easier. Every name you add is another Grade B to obtain, another R310 to PSiRA, and another person whose criminal record, insolvency, immigration status and employment history has to clear section 23. A co-director recruited for money rather than for the business is somebody whose history you have usually never checked, and the R9 100 only comes back through a refund application that costs 10 percent of the amount, when the application fails on their record instead of yours.
If you do have partners, that is fine and normal. Send us all of them and we screen every one in writing before a cent of PSiRA money is spent. What we will not do is let you discover on the refusal letter that one of them was never going to qualify.
Which criminal convictions disqualify a director
Section 23(1)(d) of the Act disqualifies anyone found guilty of an offence in the Schedule to the Act within the ten years before the application. The Schedule is far wider than most people assume, and it applies to every director, not just one.
It includes murder, rape and the sexual offences under the 2007 Act, robbery, kidnapping, assault with intent to cause grievous bodily harm, arson, malicious damage to property, intimidation, public violence, terrorism, sabotage, high treason, sedition, child stealing and human trafficking offences.
And then the ones that catch ordinary people:
- TheftCommon law or statutory, of any value. A shoplifting conviction from eight years ago counts.
- Fraud, forgery and receiving stolen propertyIncluding uttering a forged document knowing it to be forged.
- Any statutory offence involving an element of dishonestyA catch all, and a wide one.
- Any offence under the Domestic Violence ActWhich surprises people more than anything else on the list.
- Crimen injuria, extortion, perjury and defeating the ends of justice
- Firearms and explosives offencesAny offence under legislation controlling the possession and use of firearms and ammunition, and any offence under the Explosives Act.
- Drug offencesAny offence involving illicit dealing in dependence producing substances.
- CorruptionOffences under Chapter 2 of the Prevention and Combating of Corrupt Activities Act.
- Any statutory offence carrying more than two years imprisonment without the option of a fine
- And any conspiracy, incitement or attempt to commit any of the above
PSiRA may also refuse registration where someone is currently under investigation or being prosecuted for a Schedule offence, or was convicted of one more than ten years ago. We screen every director against this in writing before the R9 100 is spent, because a disqualified director is the one problem no amount of paperwork solves.
How ordering works
- Order online with the button below and pay securely by card or instant EFT, or wait for the EFT invoice.
- Complete the questionnaire waiting in your client portal. It asks for the company details, the directors and the premises, so nothing needs a phone call.
- We come back with a document request list and a written note of anything that will block the application, before any PSiRA fee is paid.
- We assemble and submit the application on ePSiRA, track it through all four review levels and answer any provisional rejection.
- PSiRA's own fees are paid at cost and shown to you separately: R9 100 registration, R2 300 infrastructure assessment and R300 for the manual of information on the 2026/27 schedule. The registration fee only comes back through a refund application, on which PSiRA charges 10 percent of the amount, which is why we check the blockers first.
Not sure this is the right one for you? Ask us first and you get a written answer within one business day.
Update: 2026/27 annual fees
Annual fees, 2026/27. From 1 April 2026 a security business pays an annual fee set by its size, from R8 500 a year for fewer than 6 officers up to R90 650 for more than 5 000 officers, plus R4.40 to R5.50 per officer per month depending on size. An individual security service provider pays R125 a year (Government Notice 3825 of 2026).
Frequently asked questions
Do I need a partner or a second director to register a security business?
No. A private company can have one director. Section 20(2) requires every director, member, partner or trustee to be registered as a security service provider, so where there is only one of you, that is only you. If you hold a Grade B or higher and you qualify under section 23, you can register the business on your own. Adding a partner makes it harder, not easier: another Grade B to obtain, another R310 to PSiRA, and another person whose record has to clear section 23 before the R9 100 is spent.
Do I need a business plan and a CV?
Yes, both. PSiRA asks for a curriculum vitae for each director, because regulation 5 requires the business to be managed by appropriately experienced, trained or skilled people. It also asks for a business plan with financial projections, because regulation 5(1)(a) requires factually substantiated written information on the nature, scope and geographical area of your intended activities for at least the first year. Neither is something we can invent for you. The CV must come from the director. If you do not have a plan we write one for R1 990 as a separate service, and if you already have one it goes into the file at no extra cost.
What does PSiRA registration cost in total?
Our fee is R3 490. PSiRA's own fees are separate and paid at cost: R9 100 registration, R2 300 for the infrastructure assessment of a new business and R300 for the compulsory manual of information, on the 2026/27 schedule. Annual fees then start at R8 500 a year for fewer than 6 officers, charged pro rata from registration to the following April.
Do the directors need to be registered before you can apply?
Yes, and this is the step most applicants do not expect. Section 20(2) of the Act requires every director, member or partner to be registered with PSiRA in their own name first, and PSiRA requires each of them to hold at least a Grade B qualification. If your directors are not registered yet we will tell you that at the questionnaire stage, before any fee is paid.
How long does it take?
Roughly three to five weeks when the documents are right. PSiRA allows two working days each for its level 1, level 2 and level 3 reviews and one to three weeks for the infrastructure inspection depending on your location. Errors cause a provisional rejection and effectively restart the clock, which is what this service is for.
What happens at the infrastructure inspection?
An inspector from Law Enforcement visits your premises to confirm that what is there matches your application and meets the legislative requirements. We prepare you for it: what the inspector will look for, what your PSiRA 24a committed you to, and what to have ready on the day.
What if the application is rejected?
Provisional rejections are answered as part of this service at no extra charge. You are given a written note of any blocker we can see before PSiRA's fees are paid, and if you give us everything we ask for and we still fail to deliver what this page describes, we refund our fee. A refusal by the authority, or a delay caused by missing information from you, is not refundable. Full rules in our terms.
Who does section 23 disqualify from registering?
More people than most founders expect, and it applies to every director, not just one. Section 23(1) of the Act requires each person to be a South African citizen or permanent resident, at least 18, to have completed the prescribed training, to have no conviction for a Schedule offence in the last ten years and no improper conduct finding in the last five, and to be mentally sound. Section 23(2) adds that none of them may be an unrehabilitated insolvent. Two catch people out. Under section 23(5) a person in the permanent employ of the police, the State Security Agency, the Defence Force or Correctional Services may not be registered at all while still employed there, whatever grade they hold. And a former member of any military, police, security or intelligence service, in South Africa or elsewhere, must submit a prescribed clearance certificate. We check every director against all of this in writing before any PSiRA fee is paid, because a director who does not qualify is the most common reason an application fails after the R9 100 is gone.
I work for the police or the army. Can I register a security company?
Not while you are still employed there. Section 23(5) of the Private Security Industry Regulation Act says a person in the permanent employ of the South African Police Service, the State Security Agency, the South African National Defence Force or the Department of Correctional Services may not be registered as a security service provider at all while so employed. No grade, no training and no paperwork changes that. And because section 20(2) requires every director of a security business to be registered in their own name, a serving member cannot be a director of one either. This catches a lot of people, because policing and soldiering are exactly the backgrounds that lead someone into private security. If you have already left, you can register, but as a former member of a military, police, security or intelligence service you must submit a prescribed clearance certificate with your application. If you are still serving and want the business to go ahead now, it has to be structured around directors who do qualify. Tell us your situation before anything is lodged, because the R9 100 registration fee only comes back through a refund application, on which PSiRA charges 10 percent of the amount.
Can a foreign investor own part of a South African security business?
Shares yes, a directorship no. Section 20(2) of the Act requires every director of a security business to be registered with PSiRA in their own name, and section 23(1)(a) only allows registration for South African citizens or permanent residents. So a foreign national without permanent residence cannot be a director, and cannot perform any executive or managing function, because section 20(2)(a) catches those roles too. A pure shareholder who holds equity, takes no board seat and runs nothing is not caught by any of that, so foreign investment into a security business is possible today. One thing to know before money changes hands: the Private Security Industry Regulation Amendment Act 18 of 2014 adds a section 20(2)(c) requiring at least 51 per cent of the ownership and control of a security business to be held by South African citizens. That provision has never been put into operation by proclamation, so there is no foreign ownership cap in force right now, but it is passed legislation waiting to be switched on. Note that it says citizens, so permanent residence would not satisfy it. If your structure depends on majority foreign ownership, build it knowing that clause exists rather than find out afterwards.
Does PSiRA really still require a fax facility?
Yes. Regulation 5(1)(b)(ii) of the Private Security Industry Regulations, 2002 requires the administrative office to be serviced by landline telephone communication which includes a reliable facility to receive and transmit facsimiles. It has not been amended. A mobile number is not a landline, and this is one of the most common reasons an otherwise ready business fails the infrastructure inspection. We tell you about it before the inspector arrives rather than after.
Can I use my house or a container as the office?
The regulation requires an administrative office consisting of at least one room dedicated to that purpose, which must be an immovable structure. A container or a vehicle does not qualify. A room in a house can, provided it is dedicated to the business, reasonably accessible to PSiRA's inspectors, your clients and your officers, and reasonable office hours are kept there. What will not pass is a desk in a lounge that doubles as a family room.
I have a criminal record. Can I still register?
It depends entirely on what the conviction was for and when. Section 23(1)(d) disqualifies anyone found guilty of an offence in the Schedule to the Act in the ten years before the application, and that Schedule includes theft of any value, fraud, crimen injuria, any offence under the Domestic Violence Act, firearms offences and any statutory offence involving dishonesty. PSiRA may also refuse where a Schedule conviction is older than ten years, or where someone is currently under investigation or prosecution. Tell us upfront and we will give you a written view before any PSiRA fee is paid.
Want to train officers rather than deploy them?
A training academy is a separate accreditation on top of this one, on form PSiRA 47A, with its own inspection. An instructor certificate does not open one.
Training accreditation, R3 990Buying uniforms before PSiRA has seen them?
Your uniform and insignia go in with this application, and PSiRA can say no. Have the uniform, radios, PPE and storage checked against the rules before you order stock. Written answer in one business day. R890.
Check it firstRegistered is step one. Winning the contract is step two.
The first thing an estate, a school or a procurement officer asks for after your PSiRA number is a company profile. Most small operators do not have one. Written and designed for tenders, print ready PDF plus the editable file, one round of changes included. R690.
See the profileNeed the business plan PSiRA asks for?
Regulation 5(1)(a) wants the nature, scope and geographical area of your activities for the first year, with financial projections built on your own numbers. We write it to what the Authority actually assesses it against. R1 990, and it is yours to reuse for funding applications.
See the business plan