Province of Manitoba | justice

How To Apply

Licence applications are submitted by email to pisg@gov.mb.ca.

New Licence:

To apply for a new licence, please submit a complete application form, all required documents, and a photograph in one email to pisg@gov.mb.ca. Application processing times can be found on the program website.

A new licence application requires all of the following to be processed:

A complete application form

Licence application forms can be found on the program website
Make all declarations as required on the application form
Sign and date the application form. *Electronic signatures are not accepted.

Results of a criminal record check dated within the 6 months prior to the date on your application form.
Results of a Manitoba child abuse registry check dated within the 6 months prior to the date on your application form.
Digital photograph
Proof of training or proof of competency

Security Guard Licence: Certificate showing completion of the Manitoba Security Guard Training Program from an approved trainer.
Private Investigator Licence: Proof of competency (see Proof of Competency for information)
If you are enrolled in security guard training, you may be eligible for a temporary licence (see Temporary Security Guard Licence)

Two pieces of government issued identification. See Establishing Your Identity for acceptable identification documents.
Uniform Exemption Form, if applicable. (Loss Prevention Officer only)

Note: Please do not submit your application for a licence without including the results of your criminal record check or child abuse registry check. A receipt showing that you have applied for a criminal record check or a child abuse registry check will not be accepted. The results must be included with your application.

Renewal Applications:

Renewal of your licence is required every year before expiry.

Updated criminal record check results; child abuse registry check results; and new photograph are required every three years. The expiry date of these documents is 3 years from the date of the record check results.

To renew your licence, please submit a complete renewal application form by email to pisg@gov.mb.ca.

As a courtesy, reminder notices are sent 60 days prior to the expiry date of the licence or the expiry date of any of the required documents. The reminder notice will list the expiry dates of the licence and all required documents. It is the responsibility of the licence holder to ensure that all required record checks are submitted when required.

Renewal applications must be submitted before the expiry date of the licence. A renewal application form will only be accepted for up to 30 days past the expiry date of the licence. If your licence has been expired for more than 30 days, a new licence application is required, including the results of a new criminal record check, new child abuse registry check, and photograph.

Temporary Security Guard Licence:

If you are currently enrolled in the Manitoba Security Guard Training Program you may be eligible for a 6-month temporary security guard licence. Only one temporary licence can be issued per person. A temporary licence cannot be renewed or extended beyond the initial 6-month term.

A temporary licence can be amended to a full licence following the successful completion of the Manitoba Security Guard Training Program and achieving a pass mark on the final exam.

To apply for a temporary security guard licence:

Enroll in the Manitoba Security Guard Training Program
Submit a licence application

all required documents (except proof of training) must be included with the licence application. See New Licence.
Select check box for temporary licence on the licence application form
Include a letter from an approved trainer confirming your enrollment in the Manitoba Security Guard Training Program with the application for a licence.

Note: For a temporary licence application, all required documents must be submitted with the application form including the results of a criminal record check, the results of a child abuse registry check, and photograph. The letter confirming your training enrollment must be included with the application form and required documents.

To amend your temporary licence to a full licence, submit your training certificate to pisg@gov.mb.ca. You should do this as soon as you receive your certificate.

Criminal Record Check Results – All Applications

Criminal record check results should be obtained from the Canadian police agency for the jurisdiction where the applicant resides. If the applicant is not able to obtain the record check directly from the police agency in their jurisdiction, the following criminal record check providers are currently accepted:

Commissionaires
Sterling Backcheck
Fastcheck

If your criminal record check indicates that you have, or may have, a record of charges or convictions, you will be required to provide a criminal record check that has been certified with fingerprints and includes a transcript listing the charges and/or convictions on your criminal record. This must be dated within the previous 6 months from the date of your application. The certified criminal record check must be obtained from the police agency for the jurisdiction in which the applicant resides. The licence application cannot be processed until the complete results are provided, including the transcript.

Returned or Incomplete Applications

If your application is returned to you because of an error or missing information, you have 90 calendar days to respond. If we do not receive the requested information from you within 90 calendar days, your application will be closed and your payment will be retained as a processing fee. A new application and payment will be required, which will be subject to regular processing time.

Establishing Your Identity:

The Private Investigators and Security Guards program must be able to verify your identity prior to issuing a licence. When you apply for a security guard licence or private investigator licence, you will be required to provide two pieces of government issued identification with your application. For the purpose of confirming your identity, further documents or identification may be requested by the Registrar following the review of your application.

Acceptable identification documents

You must provide a copy of the front and the back of two different pieces of government- issued identification:

One piece of identification which includes your full legal name, photograph, signature and date of birth.
A second piece of identification that proves your eligibility to work in Canada.

Even if you have one piece of identification that provides all of the above requirements, you must provide two different identification documents. You cannot submit the same piece of identification for both.

When preparing to submit your identification, please remember:

two different pieces of identification are required
identification submitted must be current and valid (not expired, cancelled, or suspended) at the time your application was submitted
the first and last names on your licence application must match your name as on the identification provided
your identification must be in English or French
you must submit clear, quality, visible copies (front and back) of your original identification documents

Acceptable documents

Choose one piece of identification from the following list which includes your full legal name, photograph, date of birth, and signature:

valid Driver's licence
any valid Passport (showing photo and signature page)
Certificate of Canadian Citizenship (card with photo)
Provincial Identification Card issued by a Canadian province or territory
Canadian Department of National Defence Identification Card or Canadian Forces Card
Certificate of Indian Status Card
Refugee Protection Claimant Document

Choose your second piece of identification from the following list to prove your eligibility to work in Canada:

Canadian birth certificate
Certificate of Canadian Citizenship
Canadian Citizenship Card
Canadian passport (photo and signature page)
Permanent Resident Card
Valid work permit or study permit
Certificate of Indian Status Card (issued by the Canadian government)
Certificate of Registration of Birth Abroad
Department of National Defence (DND) Services Card
Canadian Department of National Defence (DND) Canadian Forces Card

Unacceptable documents

The following documents will not be accepted:

health card
Social Insurance Number (SIN) card
Firearms Possession and Acquisition (PAL) or Possession-Only (POL) licence
Security guard or private investigator licence

Other identification or documents may be acceptable. If you have a question regarding acceptable documents, or do not have valid government issued identification, please contact the Private Investigators and Security Guards program office at 204-945-2825 for further information or assistance.

Photo Requirements

If you are applying for a new licence you will need to submit a photograph with your licence application.

Photos are valid for three years. If you are renewing your licence, you will be required to submit a new photograph if the photo on file has expired.

Your photo must be a digital photograph of passport quality and must be submitted in a .JPEG file format with your application.

Your photo must meet the following requirements:

an original photo that has not been altered in any way
photos taken from an existing photo or photos of an existing photo are not accepted (for example, photos of your passport or other identification document photo are not accepted)
not a ‘selfie’
clear, sharp and in focus
taken in front of a plain white or a neutral light coloured background showing a clear difference between your face, clothing, and the background
taken within the last 6 months
display your natural skin tones
avoid shadows across your face and/or shoulders, around your ears, or in the background
taken straight on, with your face and shoulders centered and squared to the camera
taken with your eyes open and clearly visible, and with your mouth closed in a neutral position (for example no smiling, neutral expression)
photos with a red-eye effect will not be accepted

Glasses: You can wear prescription glasses if your eyes are clearly visible and there is no reflection or glare in the lenses. Sunglasses cannot be worn.

Hats and head coverings: You cannot wear hats and head coverings unless it is worn daily for religious or medical reasons. Your full face must be clearly visible in your photo and your head covering must not cast a shadow on your face.

Uniforms: You cannot wear a uniform in your photograph

Legal Change of Name Documents

Legal change of name documents are required when:

Requesting a change of name on your licence
Submitting a licence application which contains a change of name
Requested by the Registrar

Note: Change of name documents may be requested by the Registrar for previous legal names on new licence applications.

Acceptable legal change of name documents:

Marriage certificate issued by a Canadian province or territory
Certificate of Change of Name (issued under the Change of Name Act or issued by a Canadian province or territory)
Certificate of Election of Surname
Certificate of Resumption of Surname

Private Investigator Competency

In Manitoba, private investigator licences are issued based on proof of competency, which must be included with new licence applications. The current criteria for proof of competency is:

Certificate of Service issued by a Canadian municipal, provincial or federal police service.
Proof of completing a regulated Private Investigator training standard set by another Canadian provincial jurisdiction.
Proof of successfully completing a curriculum at a university, college or vocational institute which covers police studies, criminal law and criminal justice.

Out of Province Licences

A licence issued in Manitoba is only valid in the province of Manitoba. A licence issued by another Canadian province or territory is not valid in Manitoba. This means that if you are a licence holder from another Canadian province or territory you cannot work as a security guard or private investigator in the province of Manitoba without holding a licence issued by Manitoba.

Holding a licence from another Canadian province or territory does not guarantee that you will be issued a licence in Manitoba. It is not possible to transfer or convert a licence from another province or territory to a Manitoba licence. However, if you have completed a training standard from another Canadian province or territory, you may be eligible for training equivalency when applying for your Manitoba licence. Training equivalency means that you would be considered to have met the training requirement for a Manitoba licence and may not be required to complete the Manitoba Security Guard Training Program.

What is required to be considered for training equivalency for out of province licence holders?

If you hold a valid security guard or private investigator licence from another Canadian province or territory and you have recently moved to Manitoba, you may be eligible for training equivalency.

To be considered for training equivalency in Manitoba based on holding a licence in another Canadian province or territory, you must hold a valid licence in that Canadian province or territory and that Canadian province or territory must have a legislated training requirement place.

To apply for a Manitoba licence based on training equivalency you must submit the following:

A complete Manitoba licence application form
Results of a criminal record check dated within the previous 6 months
Results of a child abuse registry check dated within the previous 6 months
Photograph (.jpeg file format) taken within the previous 6 months
Copy of your valid security guard or private investigator licence from another Canadian province or territory (front and back)
Copy of your training certificate and/or proof of competency

For Ontario licence holders, a training completion number (TCN) is accepted.

All applications are subject to review by the Registrar and must meet the eligibility criteria for a licence in Manitoba.

Note: Licence or training equivalency may not be granted if the Canadian province or territory where the current licence is held does not have a mandatory training standard.

Establishing Your Manitoba Address:

To obtain a security guard or private investigator licence in Manitoba, you must have an address for service in the province of Manitoba.

Should the Registrar need to confirm your address or Manitoba residency, the Registrar will request two supporting documents to prove that you reside in Manitoba. A supporting document must be dated within 90 days of the date of your application and contain your physical address in Manitoba. (For rural residents, at least one of the supporting documents must contain your physical address and the second supporting document can contain your mailing address).

Acceptable Supporting Documents showing a Manitoba address:

Bank Statement or void cheque
Employment confirmation
Manitoba Health Card
Mortgage document or residential lease
Personal income tax document
Social assistance benefit confirmation
Utility Bill

Replacement Licence Cards

There is a $15.00 fee for all replacement licence cards.

Lost or Stolen licence card:

Report your security guard licence card lost or stolen to the appropriate police agency
Send an email to pisg@gov.mb.ca to notify the Private Investigators & Security Guards program of the lost or stolen licence card, including the police report number
This email must be sent by the licence holder
Please include your security guard licence number (if available), full name (as it appears on the licence card), date of birth, telephone number, and email address
Program staff will contact you for payment of the replacement card fee
A new licence card will be sent by mail to the mailing address on file

Damaged licence card:

Send an email to pisg@gov.mb.ca to notify the Private Investigators & Security Guards program that your licence card has been damaged
This email must be sent by the licence holder.
Please include your security guard licence number (if available), full name (as it appears on the licence card), date of birth, telephone number, and email address
Program staff will contact you for payment of the replacement card fee
A new licence card will be sent by mail.
Return the damaged licence card to the Private Investigators and Security Guards program by mail to:

Private Investigators & Security Guards Program
PO Box 20 Stn Main
Winnipeg, MB R3C 9Z9

Contact Us:

By Phone: 204-945-2825
Please note, this line is monitored for messages which are returned within 24hours. Please leave a voice message with your name, telephone number, and licence number if applicable.
By Email: pisg@gov.mb.ca
By Mail:
Private Investigators & Security Guards Program
PO Box 20 Stn Main
Winnipeg, MB R3C 9Z9
Website

Application processing updates can be found on the program website.