PSIRA pre-registration on e-PSiRA: the step you must do before Grade E training

Since 19 January 2026 no accredited provider may enrol you without it. What it is, how to do it and what it costs.

TenEight Team · 18 September 2026

Since 19 January 2026, PSIRA pre-registration is the first thing anyone entering the security industry has to do, before a single day of Grade E training. Training providers can no longer enrol a learner who has not completed it on the e-PSiRA portal, and providers who do are breaking their own accreditation conditions. The change caught many people out in the first months, because most guides to becoming a security guard still start with "enrol for Grade E".

Grade E trainees in a security training classroom, the course you can only start after PSIRA pre-registration — Providers now enrol against your PSIRA record from day one.

What PSIRA pre-registration is

PSIRA (the Private Security Industry Regulatory Authority) registers every security officer in South Africa. Registration used to happen after training: you did Grade E with a provider, then applied to PSIRA with your certificate. Pre-registration moves the first step earlier. Before you train, you create a profile on the e-PSiRA portal, PSIRA confirms your identity and checks that nothing disqualifies you, and you receive a pre-registration confirmation that the training provider must see before enrolling you.

Put another way, pre-registration is PSIRA saying "this person may be trained", and full registration after Grade E is PSIRA saying "this person may work".

Why it was introduced

Two problems drove the change. First, people were paying for training, passing Grade E, and only then discovering that a criminal record or an immigration status meant PSIRA would never register them. Money and weeks lost. Second, unaccredited or careless providers were producing certificates for people PSIRA had no record of, which made it hard to tell a genuine Grade E from a bought one. Pre-registration fixes both: disqualification is found before you pay a provider, and every trainee exists in PSIRA's system from the first day.

Who needs to pre-register

Anyone starting Grade E for the first time
Anyone whose earlier registration lapsed long enough that PSIRA treats them as a new applicant. Check your status on the portal if you have been out of the industry for years
Non-citizens starting training, with a valid work permit

Officers who already hold a current registration do not pre-register. Their next step is grade training and a renewal when it falls due.

Applicant having fingerprints taken on a digital scanner at a regulator's office counter — Some applicants are called in for fingerprints, which feed the criminal record check.

How to complete PSIRA pre-registration, step by step

Go to the e-PSiRA portal at psira.co.za and select the option for new individual applicants.
Create a profile with your ID number, full names exactly as on your ID, cellphone number and email. Use an email you will still have access to in two years. It is how PSIRA contacts you.
Upload a clear copy of your ID (or passport and work permit). Photograph it in daylight against a plain background, all four corners visible.
Upload a passport-style photo of yourself, plain background, no hat or sunglasses.
Complete the declaration about criminal records and previous registrations. Answer truthfully. PSIRA runs its own checks and a false declaration is itself a ground for refusal.
Pay the pre-registration fee using the reference the portal gives you. Keep the proof.
Submit and note the application reference.
Wait for confirmation. The portal status changes when PSIRA has processed the application. You will also be notified by email or SMS. Download or screenshot the confirmation.
Give the confirmation to your training provider. They will enrol you against your PSIRA record.

Some applicants are asked to visit a PSIRA office for fingerprints, which feed the criminal record check. If you are asked, go promptly. The application waits until you do.

What it costs and how long it takes

PSIRA publishes the fee in its annual schedule. The individual registration fee is R310 in the 2026/27 schedule at the time of writing, and pre-registration is charged in the same range. Check the PSIRA fee schedule for the current amount before paying, and pay only against a reference generated by the portal, never to a "helper" who offers to do it for cash.

Processing normally takes days to a few weeks. Fingerprinting and a criminal record check add time, so start pre-registration well before the training date you want.

Trainee showing a pre-registration confirmation on his phone to a training provider's receptionist — Screenshot the confirmation. The provider enrols you against it.

When the portal will not cooperate

The e-PSiRA portal is busy in the first week of each month and after any change to the process. If it fails:

"ID already registered" usually means you or someone else created a profile with your ID number before. Use the recovery option. If that fails, contact PSIRA with your ID and ask them to link the profile.
Upload errors are almost always file size. Photograph documents at a lower resolution or use a compression app.
No confirmation after weeks: call or visit a PSIRA regional office with your reference number. Do not submit a second application. Duplicates slow both down.
A provider offering to "skip" pre-registration is offering to break the rules. A certificate from that course may not be accepted for registration.

After pre-registration: what comes next

With confirmation in hand, enrol for Grade E with a PSIRA-accredited provider, then Grade D and C. Most providers run the three as a package over about three weeks. Pass, apply for full registration with the certificates, and you can be posted. Our PSIRA grades guide explains what each grade lets you do and what it pays.

While you train, set up the profile employers will see. On TenEight you can create a free profile now, record your grades as you pass them, and start to browse security jobs so you know which posts near you want Grade E and D officers.

Quick answers

Is PSIRA pre-registration compulsory?

Yes, for anyone starting Grade E training from 19 January 2026. Accredited providers may not enrol a learner without it.

How much does PSIRA pre-registration cost?

In the region of the individual registration fee, R310 in the 2026/27 schedule. Confirm the current amount on the PSIRA fee schedule.

Can I do PSIRA pre-registration without a South African ID?

Non-citizens can pre-register with a passport and a valid work permit that covers the training and registration period.

How long does PSIRA pre-registration take?

Days to a few weeks. Fingerprinting and the criminal record check add time, so start early.

Sources

PSIRA, e-PSiRA portal, pre-registration requirement in force since 19 January 2026, fee schedule. Processes and fees change. Confirm on the portal before relying on them.