Private investigators in BC hold a security worker licence from the Security Programs Division under the Security Services Act: enter under supervision through the Introduction to Private Investigation course, or qualify for the full licence with 2,000 hours of investigation work in the last five years, with application fees of $60 to $240 by licence term.
Applies in: British Columbia
Private investigators in British Columbia are licensed as security workers by the province's Security Programs Division under the Security Services Act — there is no separate investigator college. Two licence classes exist: private investigator under supervision, the entry route built around the Introduction to Private Investigation course, and the full private investigator licence, which takes 2,000 hours of investigation work in the last five years plus course work, or 10 years of Canadian police work. The application fee is $60 to $240 depending on the licence term you buy.
This is a BC system end to end. Ontario licenses private investigators under its own act, through its own ministry, with a different test and training course; nothing from that process carries into BC, and a licence from another province does not authorize work in BC.
The province's application page sets the floor for every security worker applicant:
Private investigator under supervision. The entry licence. You may do the work of a private investigator only while supervised by someone who holds the full licence in the same category. Businesses employing under-supervision workers must supervise them with a fully licensed investigator, develop written training plans, hold regular progress reviews, and tell clients the worker is not fully licensed.
Private investigator (full). The unrestricted worker licence. It is built on experience first and course work second, through one of the routes in Step 3.
For the under supervision licence, you meet one of the options on the province's training page. The named routes are the Introduction to Private Investigation course and exam through the Private Security Knowledge Network (PSKN), or courses related to private investigation in BC spanning criminal law, civil law, human rights legislation relevant to BC, information and privacy, evidence protocols, interviewing, report writing, surveillance and documentary research. Equivalent training may be considered.
For the full licence, one of two options:
Equivalent training or experience may be considered for the full licence as well.
Under the Security Services Regulation, applicants complete prescribed checks, including identity verification and fingerprinting. Fingerprints are required for all security worker applicants on the initial application. (On renewal, fingerprints are taken again if you do not use a BC Services Card account.)
The document set for the application:
You apply online; the application uses a BC Services Card account to verify your identity, and applying without one is possible but may take longer to process.
Fees for a new application are set by term: 90 days $60, one year $120, two years $180, three years $240. Fees are non-refundable, payable by credit card (recommended) or by certified cheque or money order payable to the Minister of Finance. After applying, the program reviews the application and documents and completes the criminal record check, contacting you by email if more information is required.
A worker licence lets you work as an investigator; it does not let you sell investigation services as a business. That takes a security business licence on top — $500 for one year, $775 for two, $1,050 for three — with an active insurance policy, a manager who holds a private investigator security worker licence, and at least one employee licensed in the same category. Private investigators also work under conduct rules that surprise newcomers, including the rule that private investigators cannot wear uniforms.
The provincial pages state the eligibility rules, training options, experience thresholds and fee tables used above. They do not state a processing time that applies to every application — the province says timelines vary with volume and completeness — the price of the PSKN course or other training, which providers set themselves, or what private investigators charge clients in BC, so this guide gives none of those.
The Security Programs Division of the Government of BC, under the Security Services Act. A private investigator is one class of security worker licence, alongside security guards, locksmiths and others. You need a BC security worker licence to do private investigation work in BC even if you hold a licence from another province.
The under supervision licence is the entry door: you do private investigator work only while supervised by a fully licensed private investigator, inside a licensed business that must keep a written training plan for you, hold regular progress reviews, and tell clients you are not fully licensed. The full licence removes the supervision condition and rests on demonstrated experience — 2,000 hours of private investigation work within the last five years, proved by employer or client letters, plus the required course work — or on 10 years of police work in a Canadian police service with registration in the introductory course.
For the under supervision licence, one of the listed options: the Introduction to Private Investigation course and exam through the Private Security Knowledge Network (PSKN), or courses related to private investigation in BC covering criminal law, civil law, BC human rights legislation, information and privacy, evidence protocols, interviewing, report writing, surveillance and documentary research. Equivalent training may be considered. For the full licence through the police route, you register in the PSKN course and must complete the course and exam within one year of getting your licence.
The provincial application fee for a new security worker licence depends on the term you choose: $60 for 90 days, $120 for one year, $180 for two years or $240 for three years. Fees are non-refundable, and renewal and licence-change fees differ from the new-application fees. Course fees charged by training providers are separate and are not set by the province.
Yes. Under the Security Services Regulation, applicants complete prescribed checks including identity verification and fingerprinting, and fingerprints are required for all security worker applicants on their initial application. You also provide consent to a criminal record check, proof of required training or experience, proof of Canadian citizenship, permanent residency or ability to work in Canada, a passport-quality photo, valid government-issued photo identification, and a fingerprint confirmation slip.
Not on a worker licence alone: operating a security business in BC takes a separate security business licence, and a private investigator business must have a manager who holds a private investigator security worker licence. Business licence application fees run $500 for one year, $775 for two years and $1,050 for three years, the business must carry an active insurance policy, and it must have at least one employee with a valid security worker licence in the same category as the business application.