PSARA Licence

• The agency must be registered in India as a company, firm, LLP or proprietorship, and its proprietor, majority shareholder, partners or directors must meet the Act’s citizenship conditions.
• None of them should have been convicted of an offence that bars them, dismissed from government service for misconduct, or linked to a banned organisation.
• The agency must arrange training for its guards and supervisors, usually through a tie-up (MoU) with a recognised training institute.
• Guards must meet the Act’s conditions on age, physical fitness and police verification.

• Application in Form I, with Form II (antecedents) for every proprietor, majority shareholder, partner or director
• Affidavit in Form III
• Certificate of incorporation, partnership deed or other registration, with MoA and AoA for companies
• PAN and GST registration
• Proof of the office address
• MoU with a recognised training institute
• ID, address proof and photographs of the proprietor, partners or directors
• EPF and ESIC registration, where the state asks for them

1. Choose the area of operation: one district, up to five districts or the whole state.
2. Arrange the training tie-up and prepare the documents.
3. Apply to the state Controlling Authority, online where the state has a portal, and pay the fee.
4. The Controlling Authority sends the antecedents for police verification and makes its own enquiries.
5. After the police no-objection, the licence is granted, or refused with reasons after a hearing.

Under the Act, the Controlling Authority should decide within 60 days of a complete application and the police no-objection. In practice, police verification of every director or partner takes the longest, so plan for two to three months in most states.

These are the fees under the PSAR Act, 2005. Under the Central Model Rules, 2020, the renewal fee is the same as the fee for a new licence. Some states add their own charges, so check your state’s rules. An agency working in more than one state needs a licence in each state.

A PSARA licence is valid for five years. Apply for renewal at least 45 days before expiry under the Central Model Rules; some states, such as Delhi, require 90 days. A late renewal is not processed, and the agency is treated as unlicensed after expiry and must apply afresh. The renewed licence runs for five years from the expiry of the previous one.