General information, not legal advice. Each register named here is kept by the licensing body in that state or territory, and its own page explains what a search can and cannot tell you.
Three steps
Ask to see the licence
NSWThe conditions on a NSW Class 2 licence say the holder must display it at all times while carrying out security activities, and produce it for inspection on demand to a police officer “or any person you have dealings while carrying out any security activity”.
QLDSection 25A of the Security Providers Act 1993 applies when a licensee is not wearing the prescribed identification while working, and the person they are dealing with asks to inspect the licence. Then: “The licensee must produce the licensee’s licence for inspection.”
SAA licence may be on a phone. Consumer and Business Services says licence holders can download their licence to a smartphone or tablet with the mySAGOV app, and that hard copies are still issued.
ACTNumbers are changing. From 11 May 2026 every security employee licence holder is issued a new 11-digit number; the 8-digit number on the card stays valid until the next renewal or a new card, and the public register shows both until then.
Look it up
Write down the name and number you were shown, then search the register below for your state or territory.
Note the business behind the name
The licence tells you about the person. Two consumer pages suggest recording the business details too, below.
The registers, where the pages name one
| Place | What the page says |
|---|---|
| NSW | NSW Police’s SLED pages list a “Verify a Security Licence” service beside the Class 2 licence page. |
| Queensland | The Office of Fair Trading keeps a public register of licensed security industry employees and firms that you can search online for free, but it says the free register “is for your information only” and cannot be used as evidence in legal proceedings. Check a security licence |
| South Australia | The occupational licence register lets you check whether a person or business is licensed in South Australia, and it includes security and investigation agents. You need the licence number, or the surname or trading name. Check occupational licence holders |
| ACT | Access Canberra says you can “check the validity of a security licence” on its public registers for security employees, masters, trainers and temporary licences. Security industry licences |
| Tasmania | Consumer Affairs Tasmania offers a search to check whether a security agent licence has been issued. Its page of licence activities does not list work on locks. |
For Victoria, Western Australia and the Northern Territory, the body named in the licence guide is the one to ask.
A licence from another state
A card from one state does not travel automatically. NSW Police says “Security licences cannot be transferred between states or from New Zealand to Australia.” Access Canberra says a licensed security worker from another state or territory “may be eligible to work in the ACT under the Automatic Mutual Recognition Scheme.” If the licence you are shown was issued somewhere else, the register in the state where the work is done is the one to search.
What a Queensland record shows
If you need a record of a Queensland search, you can request an official extract for a fee, and the Office of Fair Trading says it can send one within 10 working days. The record will show:
- “the name of each person who holds the licence (including executive officers if licence is a corporation)”
- “a security firm’s registered business name (if any) and their place of business”
- the status of the licence: licensed, expired, refused, cancelled or suspended
- “their licence number and class (or classes)”
- “the expiry date of the licence”
- “details of any conditions entered against the licence (if any).”
The business behind the name
ACTAccess Canberra
When you hire a tradesperson, “you should check they are appropriately licenced and insured to do the work.” You can also check whether Access Canberra has issued a public warning or an enforceable undertaking about them, or taken disciplinary action.
It suggests asking for a certificate of currency for public liability insurance, and says it is your right to know their full name, their physical address and their registered business name and ABN before signing a contract.
VICConsumer Affairs Victoria
Its checklist for home improvements costing $10,000 or less says to ask for the tradesperson’s full name, physical address (not a post office box), registered business name, and licence or registration details “if their trade is licensed”.
It also says to “Check the registration or licensing, reputation and references” of anyone you are considering.
In South Australia, the licensing page adds that a supplier’s name and licence number should appear on their business card, written quote, website or other promotional material. That makes the written quote a second place to read the number.
If a name or number does not check out, the complaints guide sets out where each state takes a licensing concern. The home page holds all six cuts.