How to Get, Renew and Check a Security COA in NZ: PSPLA Certificate of Approval, Step by Step
Key takeaways
- A COA costs $232 online or $273 by mail, or $256 online with a temporary certificate that lets you work while you finish your training.
- Choose the class that matches the work: property guard, crowd controller or personal guard.
- A COA lasts five years. Renew online before it expires and it stays active until the renewal is decided.
- Anyone can check a COA or company licence on the PSPLA public register on the Ministry of Justice website.
To work as a security guard in New Zealand, you need a Certificate of Approval — a COA — issued by the Private Security Personnel Licensing Authority (PSPLA), which sits under the Ministry of Justice. The official pages make it harder than it is. Here's the whole process in four steps.
How to get your COA: four steps
1. Choose your COA classes. Property guard, personal guard, crowd controller. Most people start with property guard and add classes later.
2. Apply to the PSPLA — $232 online. Apply through the PSPLA's online service and pay by Visa or Mastercard, or fill in the Certificate of Approval form and send it by email or mail for $273. Online is quicker and cheaper. You'll need ID and a clean enough record.
3. Or pay a little more and start earning now. Apply with a temporary certificate instead ($256 online, $301 by mail) and you can legally work in security while your training is underway. Already applied for your COA? A temporary certificate on its own is $24 online or $28 by mail. That small fee is the difference between waiting and earning.
4. Complete your minimum training and upload your NZQA record of achievement. Your temporary certificate becomes a full COA. You train once — no repeating it at renewal.
That's it. Once your COA is on the PSPLA register, you've got a choice: work for a security company on their rate, or come to Guard Select and set your own. You keep 97% of every booking, your reputation belongs to you, and the Guard Select Academy trains you in the same frameworks used by professionals who make split-second decisions for a living.
Which COA class do you need?
Your COA lists the classes of security work you're approved for, and you need the class that matches the job. The three most guards hold:
- Property guard — guarding property that belongs to someone else, or monitoring and responding to alarms and cameras on other people's premises. Static, site, retail and patrol work.
- Crowd controller — screening who gets into a place, keeping order there, or removing people from it. Events, bars, venues and festivals.
- Personal guard — guarding a specific person. Close protection and escorts.
The other classes cover private investigators, security consultants, security technicians, repossession agents and confidential document destruction. The definitions are in sections 5 to 11 of the Private Security Personnel and Private Investigators Act 2010. For property guard, crowd controller and personal guard you need the approved minimum training (step 4), and the temporary certificate in step 3 is only available for those three classes.
How long a COA lasts, and how to renew it
A COA expires five years from the date it was issued (section 56(1) of the Act). Renew it before that date: if your renewal application is in before your COA expires, the COA stays in force until the PSPLA makes its decision (section 56(3)). Leave it until after the expiry date and you can't work in security until a new COA is granted.
Renew online. The PSPLA's renewal page says renewing online is faster and cheaper than by mail (the mail-in renewal form for a COA is listed at $267). Your COA has to be active to renew it. If it has already expired, you apply for a new COA instead.
To renew, have these ready:
- your COA number, which is on your badge
- a passport-style photo
- details of your ID
- proof of your training
You don't need a temporary certificate to renew. While the PSPLA processes your renewal, your COA stays active even past the expiry date on your badge, and the public register shows it as active. Put your expiry date in your calendar with a reminder a few months out, so the renewal never becomes the reason you miss a shift.
How to check a COA or security licence on the PSPLA register
Anyone can check whether a guard holds a current COA, or whether a security company is licensed, on the Ministry of Justice's public register. Clients should do it before anyone works on their site; guards should check their own entry is right.
- Go to the PSPLA public register page on the Ministry of Justice website.
- Open the public register of private security operators and search for the person or the company.
- Check the entry: the classes of work it covers, the expiry date, any conditions, and whether it has ever been suspended or cancelled. Company entries also show the company address and licence number.
- Match the classes to the job: crowd controller for events and doors, property guard for sites and shops, personal guard for close protection.
Applications still being decided are listed separately on the notices of intention register for one month, and members of the public can object during that month. You can check Guard Select's own company licence, 26-141664, the same way. Hiring security? Our guide to hiring a security guard in New Zealand shows how to match licence classes to the job.
Quick answers
What is the PSPLA?
The Private Security Personnel Licensing Authority (PSPLA) licenses security businesses and issues Certificates of Approval to the people who work for them, under the Private Security Personnel and Private Investigators Act 2010. Its forms, fees and public register are on the Ministry of Justice website.
Do I need a COA to work as a security guard in New Zealand?
Yes. Anyone doing security work for a licensed security business needs a COA in the class that matches the work. A person running their own security business needs an individual licence instead.
How much does a security COA cost in NZ?
$232 if you apply online, or $273 on the paper form. With a temporary certificate, which lets you work while you finish your training, it is $256 online or $301 on paper. If you have already applied, a temporary certificate on its own is $24 online or $28 on paper.
How much does it cost to renew a COA?
The PSPLA lists the mail-in renewal form for a COA at $267 and says renewing online is cheaper. The online renewal service shows the exact fee before you pay.
Can I apply for or renew a COA online?
Yes. New applications, temporary certificates and renewals can all be done online and paid by Visa or Mastercard. You must apply by mail for a second temporary certificate or a trans-Tasman mutual recognition application.
How long does a COA last?
Five years from the date it is issued. Apply to renew before it expires and it stays in force until the renewal is decided.
Can I work while I'm still doing my training?
Yes, with a temporary certificate, if you are applying for the property guard, crowd controller or personal guard class and haven't finished the training yet.
What's the difference between a COA and a security licence?
A licence is held by the business that sells security services, whether a company or a sole trader. A COA is held by each person who does the work for a licence holder.
How do I check someone's COA?
Search the PSPLA public register on the Ministry of Justice website, as set out above. It shows the classes, the expiry date and any conditions.
Updated 19 October 2026 with online fees and renewal details. Fees checked against the PSPLA forms and fees and renewal pages on 19 October 2026. This article is general information, not legal advice. For your own application, contact the PSPLA on 0800 4 PSPLA (0800 477 752). Guard Select isn't affiliated with or endorsed by the PSPLA or the Ministry of Justice.
Be the change. Join the movement.
Yours faithfully,
Tarquyn Read
Founder, Guard Select
Guard Select Limited, PSPLA company licence 26-141664
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