How to check PSIRA registration: officers, companies, and what to do when the check fails

A certificate proves a registration was issued once. Only the register shows whether it is current, at what grade, and whether it has been suspended.

TenEight Team · 24 September 2026

Knowing how to check PSIRA registration is a basic skill on both sides of the industry. Employers must confirm that every officer they place is registered at the right grade, and that every company they contract is in good standing. Officers need to know exactly what PSIRA has recorded against their name, because a certificate in a drawer and the record in the register do not always agree. The check itself takes minutes and is free. What goes wrong is people relying on the wrong evidence (a photocopied certificate, a card, a training academy's letter) instead of the register.

Framed security registration certificate on a wall next to a laptop showing the live register record — The certificate on the wall and the record in the register do not always agree.

Why the register is the only evidence that counts

PSIRA maintains the register of security service providers under the Private Security Industry Regulation Act. Registration is a status, not a document: a certificate proves that a registration was issued on a date, not that it is still current, not that the grade on it is the grade now recorded, and not that it has not been suspended since. Certificates are also forged, and forged ones look fine. An employer who placed an officer on the strength of a certificate and is later asked by PSIRA, a client or an insurer whether the officer was registered has no answer. An employer who checked the register on a date has one.

How to check PSIRA registration for an individual officer

On the e-PSiRA portal. PSIRA's online verification search lets anyone check an officer by ID number or registration number. It returns the registration status (active, expired, suspended, withdrawn), the grades recorded, and the expiry date. Use the official portal at psira.co.za. Several unofficial sites imitate it.

By contacting PSIRA. The regional offices and the call centre will confirm a registration on request with the ID or registration number.

What to look at when the result comes back:

Status: only "active" or its equivalent means the officer may be posted.
Grade(s): the post's grade must be recorded, not just claimed. An officer who passed Grade C but whose record still shows Grade D may not be placed on a Grade C post until it is updated.
Expiry date: record it, and diary a re-check before it.
Name and ID match: the record must be for the person in front of you.
Specialist courses where the post needs them: armed response, cash-in-transit, close protection, control room.

Estate manager on the phone to a security company asking for its registration number and proof of good standing — A company that hesitates over its registration number is telling you something.

How to check a security company's registration

Contracting an unregistered company makes the client party to an offence and voids most insurance positions. Check:

The business registration on the PSIRA portal by company name or registration number: status and good standing.
The responsible person: the director registered as the accountable person must themselves be registered.
Good standing: fees and levies paid up, no suspension. PSIRA confirms this on request. Tenders usually require a letter.
That the officers on your site are registered under that company, not under another employer or none. Ask for the register extract for your posts.

A company that hesitates to give you its registration number, or gives you one that returns a different name, is telling you something.

For officers: check your own record

Do this once a year and every time something changes:

Log in to the e-PSiRA portal and read your record: status, grades, courses, employer of record, expiry.
Grades missing? Get the statement of results from your training provider and have the grade recorded. Until it is, employers cannot legally use it.
Wrong employer of record? Have your current employer update it. A stale record is the most common reason a renewal is queried.
Expiry closer than you thought? Start the renewal now.
Status not active when it should be? Contact PSIRA with your reference numbers before you go to a single interview.

Keep a screenshot of your record with the date. If an employer's check ever disagrees with what you saw, you have something to compare.

Security officer checking his own registration record on his phone during a break, screenshotting it — Check your own record once a year and screenshot it with the date.

What to do when the check fails

Officer not found or expired. Do not place them. Tell the officer what the register shows and give them the chance to fix it. A genuine officer with a lapsed renewal can be back within weeks.

Grade lower than claimed. Do not place them on the higher-grade post. They may be placed at the recorded grade while the record is updated, if you have such a post.

Suspended or withdrawn. Do not place them, and do not rely on their explanation. PSIRA's decision is the fact you have to work with.

Company not in good standing. Do not sign, or if the contract exists, write to the company requiring proof of good standing by a date, and be ready to end the contract.

Where a platform fits, and where it does not

Job platforms can make the check faster, not replace it. On TenEight, job seekers record their PSIRA number, grade and expiry on their profile, and applications arrive with those details attached, so an employer knows what to check before the first call. The platform shows what the officer recorded. It does not verify it with PSIRA, and employers should treat those details exactly as they would a certificate: as the starting point for a register check, never the end of it. Employers can post a job that states the grade and confirm each applicant's registration on the portal before the interview.

Quick answers

How do I check if a security guard is registered with PSIRA?

Use the verification search on the e-PSiRA portal with the officer's ID or registration number, or contact a PSIRA office. Check status, grade, expiry and that the name matches.

How do I check if a security company is registered with PSIRA?

Search the business on the PSIRA portal by name or registration number, confirm good standing, and check that the responsible person is registered.

Is a PSIRA certificate proof of registration?

No. It proves a registration was issued on a date. Only the register shows whether it is current, at what grade, and whether it has been suspended.

Sources

PSIRA, e-PSiRA portal verification search and regional offices. The portal's features change. If a search option described here has moved, use the current one on the official site.