What is PSARA?
The Private Security Agencies Regulation Act (PSARA) was enacted in 2005 to bring structure, accountability, and standards to India’s rapidly growing private security industry. Before PSARA, anyone could start a security agency with no training, no background checks, and no liability framework.
Under PSARA, all private security agencies must obtain a licence from the state government before operating. The licence requires the agency to meet specific standards around guard training, background verification, and operational conduct.
What Does PSARA Compliance Require?
A PSARA-registered security agency must:
Train all guards through a PSARA-approved training institution. The training covers physical fitness, access control, use of equipment, emergency procedures, fire safety, and professional conduct. Guards cannot be deployed without completing this training.
Conduct background verification on every guard before deployment — including police verification and character reference checks.
Pay statutory contributions including ESI and PF for all deployed guards. PSARA-compliant agencies manage these contributions properly, protecting both their guards and their clients.
Maintain proper records of all deployed guards, their verification documents, training certifications, and deployment histories — available for inspection if required.
Operate within their licensed territory — PSARA licences are state-specific. An agency licensed in Uttar Pradesh cannot legally provide guards in Delhi without a separate Delhi licence.
What Happens If You Hire a Non-PSARA Agency?
Hiring an unregistered security agency exposes you to several risks:
Legal liability. Clients who knowingly use the services of an unregistered security agency can face penalties under PSARA. If an incident occurs involving an unregistered guard, your legal exposure is significantly higher.
Unverified guards. Non-PSARA agencies have no obligation to conduct police verification — meaning the guards deployed at your premises may have undisclosed criminal histories.
No accountability. If an unregistered agency provides substandard service or disappears, you have no formal recourse mechanism.
Labour disputes. Agencies that are not PSARA-compliant are often not paying ESI or PF either. This creates a risk of labour disputes landing on your premises.
How to Verify PSARA Compliance
Verifying an agency’s PSARA status is straightforward:
- Ask the agency for their PSARA licence number and the state for which it is issued.
- Request a copy of the licence certificate.
- For Delhi-NCR operations, verify that the agency holds separate licences for Delhi, UP (for Noida, Ghaziabad, Greater Noida), and Haryana (for Gurgaon and Faridabad) if they operate across state lines.
A genuine PSARA-registered agency will provide this documentation without any hesitation or delay.
PSARA Compliance as a Quality Signal
Think of PSARA compliance as the baseline quality signal when comparing security agencies. An agency that has maintained its PSARA registration is an agency that:
- Has passed government-level scrutiny
- Is committed to proper guard training
- Is conducting background verification
- Is managing statutory obligations
- Has enough operational stability to remain registered year after year
Every other claim an agency makes — about experience, client satisfaction, or deployment capability — means very little if they are not PSARA-registered.
PSS Security Solutions is a fully PSARA-compliant security agency serving Delhi NCR for over 30 years. Ask us for our PSARA documentation — we share it openly. Call +91 9811110734.



