Ontario Security Guard Licence: Requirements, Costs and the Police Check You Need

The short answer

To work as a security guard in Ontario you need an individual licence from the Ministry of the Solicitor General under the Private Security and Investigative Services Act. You must:

1. Be 18 or older, legally entitled to work in Canada, and have a clean criminal record.
2. Complete the basic training for security guards: at least 40 hours, including emergency first aid and CPR.
3. Pass the ministry test.
4. Apply online or by mail with a Criminal Record and Judicial Matters Check issued within the last six months, and pay the $80 fee.

Online applications take up to 15 calendar days to process; mail applications up to 30.

Step 1: Basic training

Ontario requires at least 40 hours of basic training for security guards, including certification in emergency first aid and CPR. If you already hold a valid first aid/CPR certificate from a St. John Ambulance or WSIB-certified instructor, you can give it to your training provider and skip that part.

Training is offered by community colleges, career colleges, public universities, licensed security or private investigator agencies, and registered employers (who can train only their own staff). Each provider sets its own fee. When you finish, the provider gives you an Ontario training completion number, which you need to book the test.

Step 2: The ministry test

• Format: 60 multiple-choice questions, 75 minutes. Security guards and private investigators take separate tests; a dual licence needs both.
• Where: online, or at select DriveTest centres across Ontario.
• Booking: register online at ontariosecuritytesting.com using your training completion number. The test fee is shown when you book.
• Accessibility requests: SGT@drivetest.ca or 1-866-248-2555.

Step 3: Get a Criminal Record and Judicial Matters Check

This is the step people most often get wrong. Ontario doesn't accept just any criminal record check. The licensing rules say:

• It must be a Criminal Record and Judicial Matters Check, the middle of Ontario's three police check levels. Besides convictions, it includes outstanding charges and warrants, judicial orders, probation and prohibition orders, and absolute and conditional discharges.
• In Ontario, you get it from a municipal police service, an Ontario First Nations police service, the Ontario Provincial Police, or a private business authorized to provide police record checks.
• A check from another province may be accepted only if you live outside Ontario, and only if it was issued in Canada and is equivalent to the Ontario check.
• It must be issued within six months of the date you submit your application.
• It must be in the original, unaltered format from the provider. Online applications need the original digital PDF; mail applications need the original paper copy. Scans, altered copies and photocopies aren't accepted.

If you live in Ontario, apply to the police service where you live. For example, Hamilton Police Service charges $55 for a Criminal Record and Judicial Matters Check for employment, plus a $9.95 processing fee and tax online. See our criminal record check cost index for other cities.

SafeHire can't provide this check. SafeHire's check is a standard name-based criminal record check conducted by a Nova Scotia police service. It isn't a Criminal Record and Judicial Matters Check, so it won't meet the licensing requirement.

What "clean criminal record" means

You must not have a conviction for any offence listed in Ontario's Clean Criminal Record regulation, unless you have received a pardon or record suspension for it. If you're unsure whether a past conviction counts, read the regulation (linked from the licensing page in Sources) before paying for training.

Step 4: Apply for the licence

• Online: with an Ontario.ca Login, paying by credit or debit card. Upload the original PDF of your police check.
• By mail: send the application form, your documents, and a bank draft, money order or certified cheque payable to the Minister of Finance to: ServiceOntario Private Security Licensing Services Office, P.O. Box 4500, Kingston, Ontario K7L 0E1. Credit cards, cash and personal cheques aren't accepted by mail.

Processing: up to 15 calendar days online, up to 30 calendar days by mail.

What it costs

Licence fees are non-refundable.

How long the licence lasts and renewing it

An Ontario security guard licence expires two birthdays after the day it's issued. You can renew up to 90 calendar days before it expires, for the same $80 fee. The ministry lists the same documents for renewals as for new applications, and says every applicant must include a Criminal Record and Judicial Matters Check. Plan to get a new check within six months of renewing.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I use an online criminal record check for my Ontario security licence?

Only if it's a Criminal Record and Judicial Matters Check from an Ontario police service or a private business authorized to provide police record checks. A standard criminal record check, including SafeHire's, doesn't meet the requirement. If you live outside Ontario, an equivalent check issued in Canada may be accepted.

How long does it take to get an Ontario security guard licence?

Ontario processes online applications in up to 15 calendar days and mail applications in up to 30. Before that you need to finish at least 40 hours of training, pass the test and get your police check, and the time those take depends on your training provider, test booking and police service.

How much does an Ontario security guard licence cost?

The licence fee is $80, or $160 for a dual security guard and private investigator licence. You also pay your training provider, the test fee and your police service for the Criminal Record and Judicial Matters Check.

Can I get a licence with a criminal record?

Ontario requires a clean criminal record, meaning no convictions for the offences listed in its Clean Criminal Record regulation unless you've received a pardon or record suspension.

Is an Ontario licence valid in other provinces?

No. Each province licenses its own security workers. For Alberta, see how to get an Alberta security guard licence.

Sources

• Government of Ontario, "Security guard or private investigator licence (individuals)": ontario.ca/page/security-guard-or-private-investigator-licence-individuals (checked 2026-10-31)
• Government of Ontario, "Security guard and private investigator basic training": ontario.ca/page/security-guard-and-private-investigator-basic-training (checked 2026-10-31)
• Government of Ontario, "Security guard and private investigator testing": ontario.ca/page/security-guard-and-private-investigator-testing (checked 2026-10-31)
• Hamilton Police Service online portal, fees: policesolutions.ca/checks/services/hamilton (via our Hamilton guide)