If you are ready to start immediately, you can sign up for our online course right now. If you feel you would benefit from expert instruction in class, you can sign up for our classroom sessions here.

If you have a specific unique scenario about the above requirements (such as a restraining order or previous offense) and are not sure if it will impact your eligibility, you can contact Alberta Justice and Solicitor General at ssia.registrar@gov.ab.ca for more information.

If you feel that your previous experience and knowledge may make you eligible to challenge the government final exam, you can contact Alberta Justice and Solicitor General at ssia.registrar@gov.ab.ca to ask more questions.

If you've worked as a police or peace officer in the past 3 years, contact Alberta Justice and Solicitor General at ssia.registrar@gov.ab.ca to see if you are eligible for any exemptions.

If your employer needs you to work, but you haven't yet received your Security Services licence, your employer can apply for a training license for you, as long as you are currently enrolled in an approved training course. Training licences are valid for 30 days and will be converted to a standard licence after you've completed the training course and passed the final exam. Training licences are not portable, so if you change employers, your new employer must reapply for a training licence for you in order to work. Please note that you cannot start work until you at least have your training licence.

If you need to renew your licence, you are given up to a 90 day grace period to renew your licence after it has expired. Follow the steps in the article How to Renew your Security Licence. If you wait longer than 90 days after the expiry of your license, you must apply for a new licence following the article How to Apply for your Security Licence.

If you lost your licence, or it was destroyed or damaged, or if your personal information has changed (name or address), you must report it immediately. Fill out the Update to Individual Licence form and email or mail it to Alberta Justice and Solicitor General (contact information in the form).

Under the Agreement on Internal Trade (Canadian Free Trade Agreement), Alberta Justice and Solicitor General have reciprocal agreements with other provinces that have regulated security industries with mandatory training. In most cases the individual must provide proof of training and/or a licence from the other provinces and then re-apply for a licence in Alberta.

The following provinces fall under this agreement. This means that training you took in these provinces is currently accepted in Alberta, or if you live in one of these provinces and wish to take the Alberta training, it will qualify in your province:

• British Columbia

• Saskatchewan

• Manitoba

• Ontario

• Quebec

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Alberta Justice and Solicitor General updates the Security Programs Policy and Procedures Manual whenever there are changes related to these training equivalencies. For more information, please contact the Alberta Justice and Solicitor General directly at: ssia.registrar@gov.ab.ca

A complete list of costs is:

• The training is $100 to $330

• The government exam is $50

• The security service licensing fee through the government is $100

• The Police background check cost starts at $76

• Passport photo can cost $15-$30

Your licence is valid for 2 years, or to the expiration of your work/study permit. You are responsible for ensuring you renew your security guard licence before it expires, as you are not permitted to work with an expired licence.

Your individual licence is portable, which means your licence is still valid if you change employers or if you work for multiple employers.

• For more information, visit https://www.alberta.ca/security-service-worker-licence.aspx

• If your answer is not there, email us at: info@tipofspear.ca

• If we can't help you, you may contact Alberta Justice at: ssia.registrar@gov.ab.ca