Any legal person or individual who has been convicted of a crime will not be eligible for a PSARA licence. All members of the applying agency must undergo strict police verification and scrutiny to eliminate security threats and or risk. This verification is highly necessary with respect to crime prevention, public safety and profession. In case, any of the directors or partners has a past criminal history, the application may be rejected in totality by the concerned authorities.

Foreign Applicants and Applicants with Ties to Terrorist Organizations:

Foreigners, as well as foreign controlled entities, are not allowed to apply for a PSARA licence. Hence, individuals and organisations that are associated, directly or indirectly cannot apply for a PSARA licence. This is important in order to guard against potential conflicts of interest and security threats particularly where sensitive information is processed or public safety is at relevance like working for security agencies.

Financial Standing and Stability:

Security businesses require substantial investments in training, infrastructure, and compliance. Therefore, applicants must have adequate financial resources to operate sustainably without compromising service quality. Insufficient funds or an inability to show financial stability can lead to the disqualification of an applicant.

Agencies Lacking Training Provisions:

A Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with a recognized training institute is mandatory for PSARA applicants. This agreement ensures that security personnel receive proper training per regulatory standards. Without an MoU, agencies lack the capacity to maintain standardised training for their employees, which is crucial in the security field. Therefore any applications without a valid training arrangement will be rejected.

Individuals or Entities Failing Health and Age Criteria:

Security guards employed by PSARA licensed agencies must meet certain health and age criteria. Generally, applicants must be between 18 to 65 years old and pass a health screening. Physical fitness and mental stability are essential since guards often handle high-stress environments. If these criteria are not met, an individual cannot serve as a security guard under PSARA regulations.

Document Preparation:

Basic documents to be submitted include PAN card, proof of address, identity proofs and financial and other documents including registrations under GST, Shops and Establishments Act etc. These are necessary to show that the agency has complied with all the legal requirements.

A two-way agreement with the competent authority is necessary in practice so that the institute can train any applicant to be granted protection officer status and this is with the aim of uniformity in training such that the officers are ready to execute their tasks.

Police verification will be done to all the directors, partners or associates of the agency. This verification itself is a precaution of ensuring that the p

Submission of Application and Fees:

Once the police have completed verification, the applicant is to submit an online application and the fees which differ in relation to the geographical range of the licence. The fee ranges from ₹5000 for a single district of a concerned state to ₹25000 for the whole state.

Final Approval and Issuance:

When the application process is completed and the review is done, the agency is granted PSARA licence. The overall turn-around time of the process is 60 days on average with a few rise-falls based on the specific state policies.

Business Management PSARA

Who Are Ineligible To Apply For PSARA Licence?

Shabana A

December 10, 2024

4 min read

Introduction

In India, security service providing agencies need to possess a valid licence granted under the Private Security Agencies Regulation Act (PSARA). However, the application for this licence may be submitted by qualified persons only. The PSARA Act of 2005 sets clear limits on who can apply for the licence and gives comprehensive qualification requirements so that only credible and dependable service providers exist in this business. In this blog we will discuss in detail about the eligibility and ineligibility for applying for the PSARA Licence.

Who is Ineligible to Apply?

Following are the persons who are ineligible to apply for the PSARA Licence:

Criminal History: Any legal person or individual who has been convicted of a crime will not be eligible for a PSARA licence. All members of the applying agency must undergo strict police verification and scrutiny to eliminate security threats and or risk. This verification is highly necessary with respect to crime prevention, public safety and profession. In case, any of the directors or partners has a past criminal history, the application may be rejected in totality by the concerned authorities.

Foreign Applicants and Applicants with Ties to Terrorist Organizations: Foreigners, as well as foreign controlled entities, are not allowed to apply for a PSARA licence. Hence, individuals and organisations that are associated, directly or indirectly cannot apply for a PSARA licence. This is important in order to guard against potential conflicts of interest and security threats particularly where sensitive information is processed or public safety is at relevance like working for security agencies.

Financial Standing and Stability: Security businesses require substantial investments in training, infrastructure, and compliance. Therefore, applicants must have adequate financial resources to operate sustainably without compromising service quality. Insufficient funds or an inability to show financial stability can lead to the disqualification of an applicant.

Agencies Lacking Training Provisions: A Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with a recognized training institute is mandatory for PSARA applicants. This agreement ensures that security personnel receive proper training per regulatory standards. Without an MoU, agencies lack the capacity to maintain standardised training for their employees, which is crucial in the security field. Therefore any applications without a valid training arrangement will be rejected.

Individuals or Entities Failing Health and Age Criteria: Security guards employed by PSARA licensed agencies must meet certain health and age criteria. Generally, applicants must be between 18 to 65 years old and pass a health screening. Physical fitness and mental stability are essential since guards often handle high-stress environments. If these criteria are not met, an individual cannot serve as a security guard under PSARA regulations.

Process to obtain the Licence

To those who qualify, the licensing procedure for PSARA involves the following outlined stages:

Document Preparation: Basic documents to be submitted include PAN card, proof of address, identity proofs and financial and other documents including registrations under GST, Shops and Establishments Act etc. These are necessary to show that the agency has complied with all the legal requirements.
Signing of MoU: A two-way agreement with the competent authority is necessary in practice so that the institute can train any applicant to be granted protection officer status and this is with the aim of uniformity in training such that the officers are ready to execute their tasks.

Police Verification: Police verification will be done to all the directors, partners or associates of the agency. This verification itself is a precaution of ensuring that the p

Submission of Application and Fees: Once the police have completed verification, the applicant is to submit an online application and the fees which differ in relation to the geographical range of the licence. The fee ranges from ₹5000 for a single district of a concerned state to ₹25000 for the whole state.

Final Approval and Issuance: When the application process is completed and the review is done, the agency is granted PSARA licence. The overall turn-around time of the process is 60 days on average with a few rise-falls based on the specific state policies.

Licence Validity and Renewal

A PSARA licence is issued for a period of five years. After five years, it must be renewed. To avoid any lapses, renewal requests must be filed not later than 45 days prior to expiration. Renewal of the licence follows the same procedure as initial application which entails submission of relevant documents, payment of prescribed fees and police verification.

Conclusion

Acquisition of the PSARA licence is important to ensure that the security agencies, in India, work within the limits prescribed by law and ethical standards. These stringent requirements for eligibility serve the interest of public safety by weeding out potential threats within the candidates. In a manner that includes encouraging our integrity, professionalism, and reliability, the PSARA licence framework improves the safety of both commercial and social sectors in various parts of the country.