3.2 Guard Licensing, NSI Training and Evaluation
Key Takeaways
Article 96 requires a guard to be 21–55 years old, hold a high school diploma, have at least two years of police, security or armed forces experience, meet height minimums of 160 cm (men) or 150 cm (women), be fit and pass the authority's tests.
The approved licensing course must last at least 40 hours, completed without interruption in the same week (Article 79), and training and tests are in Arabic or, for non-Arabic speakers, English (Article 77).
A candidate must score at least 70% on the authority's test; a failed candidate gets one more attempt, and a second failure means the licence is refused and the person may not apply again (Article 112).
NSI's BSG assessment weights are written 40% (70% pass mark), language 20%, practical 20%, notebook 10% and deportment 10%, plus SOPAT physical and self-defence tests, with 70% overall to pass.
Individual licences are valid for two years (Article 100), and the renewal course must be at least 16 hours over two consecutive days (Article 80).
Quick Answer: To be licensed, a guard must meet the conditions in Article 96 of Ministerial Decision No. 557. The employer enrols them at an approved institute such as NSI, which runs the BSG course for Abu Dhabi and SOL3 for the Northern Emirates. The candidate must pass the institute's assessment and then the Competent Authority's test with at least 70%. After a failure there is one more attempt, and a second failure ends the application permanently. The individual licence is valid for two years. Renewal requires a renewal course of at least 16 hours. The authority does not officially publish the number of exam questions or the time limit.
Step 1: Eligibility (Article 96)
To obtain a security guard licence, a person must:
- speak Arabic and English, or master one with a working knowledge of the other;
- hold a high school diploma or its equivalent;
- have at least 2 years' experience in police, security or the armed forces;
- be 21 to 55 years old;
- be at least 160 cm tall (men) or 150 cm (women);
- be well-proportioned and fit;
- be free of all defects;
- pass the tests set by the Competent Authority.
NSI's BSG course page repeats these conditions and also asks for attested education documents. To register, a candidate needs a passport copy or Emirates ID, a registration form, a photograph, a medical certificate and an education certificate.
Step 2: Employment and enrolment
Guards are hired only through licensed companies (Article 4), and a company needs the authority's approval to appoint security staff (Article 11 of the Law). The company must then enrol the guard at the training institute and, during training (Articles 109–110):
- assign no duties until the approved course is completed;
- pay two-thirds of the monthly salary;
- provide transport between accommodation and the institute;
- provide treatment and residence;
- pay the training fees.
Step 3: The approved course
| Rule | Article |
|---|---|
| Licensing course of at least 40 hours, completed without interruption in the same week | 79 |
| Training day of no more than 8 hours; each training hour at least 45 minutes | 81 |
| A 15-minute break for every two training hours, plus 40 minutes for lunch | 81 |
| No more than 30 trainees per class | 78 |
| Training and tests in Arabic, or in English for non-Arabic speakers | 77 |
| At least one comprehensive test covering the whole course, with a pass grade of at least 70% | 84 |
| A completion certificate showing, among other details, the trainee's written-exam grade | 87–88 |
NSI's BSG course content lists twenty topics. This guide is organised around them:
| Topics 1–5 | Topics 6–10 | Topics 11–15 | Topics 16–20 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. First aid | 6. Patrolling | 11. Access control | 16. Hospital security |
| 2. Fire safety | 7. Observation and note taking | 12. Conflict management | 17. Special event security |
| 3. Health and safety (OHS) | 8. Traffic management | 13. Critical incident response | 18. Ports, airports and borders security |
| 4. Security roles and responsibilities | 9. Vehicle searching | 14. Cash in transit | 19. Critical infrastructure |
| 5. Control room operations | 10. Person searching | 15. Bank security | 20. Museums security |
NSI does not state the BSG course length on its course page. It lists SOL3, the Northern Emirates entry course with the same twenty topics, at 8 days. Older candidate accounts describe a five-day BSG course, so check the current length with NSI.
How NSI assesses BSG candidates
NSI uses initial, formative and summative assessment. "Unless otherwise specified by the authorities", the criteria are:
| Component | Weight |
|---|---|
| Written assessment (pass mark 70%) | 40% |
| Language skills (reading, writing, speaking, participation) | 20% |
| Practical assessment | 20% |
| Notebook maintenance | 10% |
| Deportment | 10% |
| Physical assessment (SOPAT test) | Required |
| Self-defence test | Required |
Candidates who score 70% overall pass and receive the NSI BSG certificate, which NSI lists as valid for two years. SOL3 is assessed 50% written and 50% practical, also with a 70% pass mark. NSI does not publish the individual SOPAT events, so prepare for general fitness and practical drills rather than memorising "official" distances you may see online.
Step 4: The authority's licensing test (Articles 111–112)
- The company must give the guard 24 hours' leave before any test to obtain or renew a licence (Article 111).
- A licence is granted or renewed only if the employee passes the approved test with at least 70% of the full grade (Article 112).
- After a failure, the employee gets another opportunity. If they fail again, the licence is refused or not renewed. The person is barred from security work and may not apply for a licence again (Article 112).
- The authority may require any security employee to take a test at any time (Article 112).
- Cheating or helping anyone cheat in a test costs AED 1,000, and arriving at the test without the security card costs AED 300 (Article 120).
What is not officially published: the Competent Authority does not publish the number of questions, the time limit or the question format. Candidate reports commonly describe a computer-based multiple-choice test of about 60 questions with an on-screen result. Treat those details as unofficial and rely on the published 70% rule.
Step 5: The licence and its limits
- No work before the licence. A guard may not perform duties before receiving the individual licence, and the company may not allow it (Article 99).
- Temporary card. The authority may issue a temporary guard card for three months, not renewable, once the guard meets the Article 96 conditions and has passed the approved course (Article 97).
- Starting category. New guards are employed as general security guards. A general guard needs at least one year of experience as a general guard in the State before applying for another individual licence category. A VIP guard licence also requires five years of police or armed forces experience (Article 98). General guards may work in industrial areas, shopping malls, houses and commercial places (Article 91).
- Validity. Individual licences are valid for two years from the licensing date (Article 100).
Step 6: Renewal
- The company must renew a licence within 15 days of expiry. Otherwise it breaks the law, and the order fines it AED 500 per licence (Articles 100 and 119).
- A licence not renewed within two months of expiry becomes void automatically, and the guard must stop working (Article 101).
- The renewal course must last at least 16 hours over two consecutive days (Article 80). NSI's Basic Security Renewal Course (BSRC) runs for 3 days. It covers events and crowd management, X-ray inspection systems, disasters and crises, traffic management, confidentiality of information, reports and information security, accidents, dealing with People of Determination, and basic first aid.
Fees in the published schedule
The fee table printed with the Ministry's English edition of the executive order (Ministerial Council Resolution No. 33 of 2008) lists:
- individual licence application: AED 100;
- issuing or renewing a security guard licence: AED 500;
- exam: AED 300;
- temporary security guard licence: AED 300.
Fees can change, so confirm current amounts with the employer. In any case the employer pays the training fees and the costs of procedures needed to start work (Articles 110 and 34).
Section summary checklist
- Article 96: age 21–55, high school diploma, 2 years' experience, height 160/150 cm, fitness, language, tests.
- Course of at least 40 hours in one week. Arabic or English. No more than 30 per class.
- NSI BSG: 20 topics; written 40%, language 20%, practical 20%, notebook 10%, deportment 10%, plus SOPAT and self-defence; 70% to pass.
- Authority test: at least 70%, one retake, then a permanent bar.
- Temporary card: 3 months, not renewable. Licence: 2 years. Renew within 15 days, or it is void after 2 months. Renewal course of at least 16 hours.
A candidate fails the Competent Authority's licensing test. What does Article 112 of Ministerial Decision No. 557 provide?
One more attempt is allowed; a second failure means refusal and no new application in future
The candidate may retake the test every month until passing, with no limit on the number of attempts
The candidate is licensed provisionally if the employer pays a fine for the failure
The candidate must wait five years before applying again, then take the full course
Which statement about the approved licensing course is correct under Ministerial Decision No. 557 of 2008?
At least 16 hours over two consecutive days, taught and tested in English only for all trainees
It is optional for candidates who already have two years of police or military experience
At least 40 hours in one uninterrupted week, taught and tested in Arabic or, if needed, English
It may be completed online at the candidate's own pace over a period of up to three months
A newly trained guard who meets all the Article 96 conditions and has passed the approved course is waiting for the full licence. What may the Competent Authority issue under Article 97?
A SIRA card from Dubai that is valid in all emirates until the full licence arrives
A temporary card for three months that cannot be renewed
A permanent card valid for five years that can be renewed online by the company
A one-week visitor permit allowing the guard to work only under close supervision
Sections you finish are checked off in the contents.