HOW TO GET A CALIFORNIA STATE GUARD CARD

The following are the three simple steps required to get a California State Guard Card.

  • Step 1 – Take the CA state required 8-Hour Guard Card
    Course

  • Step 2 – Submit an Online Security Guard Application to the
    BSIS

  • Step 3 – Get Fingerprinted by Live Scan Using the State
    Fingerprint
    Form

  • After Step 3 – Verify Your Guard Card Online

** Please read the instructions for all three steps before starting step one.

STEP 1 of 3: Take and complete the CA state required 8-Hour Guard Card Course:

1. Purchase either the 8-Hour Guard Card Course or the full 40-Hour BSIS Course Package from the Home page of our website.

2. Complete the online Guard Card Course (Powers of Arrest) course on our website.

3. Write down the serial number listed on the certificate of completion. The certificate serial number is required for step 2 of this process.

NOTE: You can view or print the certificate for the course any time you log in after completing the course, we never delete any certificates.

STEP 2 of 3: Submit the Online Security Guard Application to the CA State BSIS:

1. Go to the CA State Department of Consumer Affairs website at: CA State Breeze Online License Application System to submit the online CA State Security Guard Application. On the home page, you need to click the link that says New Users – Breeze Registration on the lower right side of the page.

2. Create an account within their system, and then login to the account.

3. Once you log in, you need to select a link that says “Start a New Application.”

4. Select “Bureau of Security and Investigative Services” from the list that appears.

5. Select “Initial Security Guard Registration” from the list that appears, then just follow the online instructions to fill out the form info as requested.

6. Please make sure to use the info listed on your training certificate. This includes Instructor’s name, School or Business Name, Our License # (CA PPO-120101), and your Certificate Serial Number.

 

If you have any issues or problems with the application, you can call the Breeze website support at: (916) 557-1208 or the BSIS directly at: (800) 952-5210.

Make sure to keep the receipt for the payment to the BSIS, you may need it in step 3.

You can also submit the application by mail at the link below (Processing is Slower):

CA State BSIS Mail-in Security Guard Application with Instructions

NOTE: Per BSIS Application Instructions: “Please allow sixty (60) days to process your application. The Bureau will notify you in writing in that 60 days if your application is deficient.”

Check Your Application Status: You can check to see if your application has been certified by going to the CA State License search page and searching for your license. Once you are cleared, it will show up in the search results about seven to ten days before you get the card in the mail.

STEP 3 of 3: Get fingerprinted at an official Live Scan location:

  1. Find a Live Scan location in your area:
    Click Here to find the location nearest to you    .
  2. Obtain the Live Scan security guard forms from the BSIS:
    Click Here to download the Live Scan – Standard Security Guard form
    /Click Here to download the Live Scan – Security Guard w/firearm form
    NOTE: If you plan on also obtaining your BSIS Firearm Permit (for security guards) within the next 12 months, then use the w/firearm form linked above.
  3. Completely fill out all 3 copies of the form. When the Live Scan is complete, the Live Scan operator sends one to the Sate of CA Department of Justice (DOJ), one to the FBI, and give the other to you to use when completing the state security guard application (step 3).
    The Live Scan process automatically sends the fingerprints into to the CA State Department of Justice (DOJ), and to the FBI computer systems.

Filling out the Live Scan Forms: There are a lot of fields in the Live Scan forms you don’t need to fill out. Fill out only the information you know about yourself. The SOC field is for your Social Security Number. Leave all other fields blank:

4. Go to the Live Scan location with your Live Scan security guard forms (3 copies of the same page) and get fingerprinted. They will give you back two copies of the form. One form is for you to keep, and one is to mail in with your mail-in application. However, if you submit the application online, you can also keep the second copyyy.

IMPORTANT: If you paid the FBI and DOJ Fingerprint fees to the BSIS with your application, meaning you paid $104.00 rather than $55.00 to the BSIS in step 2 above, then you need to bring your printed receipt with you to the Live Scan location so they don’t charge you the $49.00 DOJ and FBI fees that you already paid.

AFTER STEP 3: Verify Online If Your Application Has Been Approved

The State of CA has a search page that allows to check if your license (guard card) has been approved, or updated in the case of an expired license:

  1. Go to the CA State Breeze License Search Page.
  2. Select Security and Investigative Services, Bureau Of in the BOARDS AND BUREAUS box, then select Security

3. Enter your first name and last name into the First Name and Last Name boxes.

4. Click the Search button.

Your license will only appear in the search results once you are approved. Once your name does show up, click on the link to go to your license page and view your license info. You can print that page an use it as a temporary card, until your BSIS printed card arrives in the mail.

Please note that if you previously had a guard card that expired, that license will show up in the search results, with its status of Cancelled, Expired, or Suspended, until you are cleared. Then the status will change to “Current.”

You can also call the BSIS directly at: (800) 952-5210 to inquire about application processing, they are available from 8:00 AM to 4:30 PM on weekdays, excluding holidays.