The Security Industry Authority (SIA) has updated its guidance for businesses in the Approved Contractor Scheme (ACS) to reflect the higher annual registration fee that took effect in June.
On Monday 28 September the SIA changed its "Keep your ACS approval" guidance from an annual registration fee of £15 to £25 for each licensable individual deployed. The SIA's change note says the update follows the change in registration fees in June 2026. To keep their approval, approved contractors must re-register every year by submitting an annual return through their SIA online business account and paying that fee, and must renew every three years.
The rise itself was announced by the SIA on 28 May. The SIA said then that the Home Office had laid a Statutory Instrument in Parliament on 27 April, that the changes would come into effect on 1 June 2026, and that this is the first rise in the annual registration fee in the history of the ACS. It also said the 50% discount on applications for additional individual licences now applies only when the second application is made on the same day, on the same application form. The SIA said the fee changes are not a result of its new role under Martyn's Law, which is funded separately.
On Tuesday 29 September the SIA also updated its guidance on setting up an ACS passport scheme, changing the fixed administration fees to current figures. The page now lists an application fee of £1,428 plus VAT and a reinstatement fee of £715 plus VAT, with surveillance and re-accreditation charged at a daily rate of £381 plus expenses.
What it means for operators
For ACS companies, the annual return is now costed at £25 per licensable individual deployed, so headcount drives the bill: for example, a business deploying 40 licensable individuals pays £1,000 a year in registration fees, before the cost of its annual assessment by an approved assessing body. Budget for it ahead of the next annual return, and remember the SIA does not renew approval automatically.
For individual operators, including close protection licence holders, any second licence application only attracts the 50% discount if it goes in on the same day and on the same form as the first.
