This article will show you the exact steps to obtain a California Guard Card in approximately seven to ten business days.  In order to obtain your California Guard Card, you must first enroll in  the “Power to Arrest” and ” Weapons of Mass Destruction” courses either  at an online training facility or at a local BSIS certified training facility.

Things to know before you begin:

• You must be at least 18 years of age
• No felony or misdemeanor convictions*

*Misdemeanor and felony convictions will not necessarily disqualify you from applying.

STEP 1 – Take the eight hour “Powers to Arrest”  and “Weapons of Mass Destruction” courses:

You must complete the eight hour ‘Power to Arrest’ and ‘Weapons of Mass Destruction’ courses and pass the examinations in order to apply for your license.     The  “Power to Arrest” and  “Weapons of Mass Destruction” training can be obtained from any BSIS approved  training facility.  Upon completion of the eight hour course, you will receive a certificate of completion by the course instructor in person or by means of email or through regular mail.  Upon receiving your certificate of completion, you will need to submit a copy of your certificate to the State of California when applying for your license as outlined in step three.

STEP 2 – Submit your fingerprints

You will need to locate a live scan facility to submit your fingerprints electronically utilizing the Live Scan service. You must only use the security guard Live Scan forms downloaded from the Bureau of Security and Investigative Services (BSIS) web site or directly obtained from BSIS. The Live Scan forms from BSIS contain the correct coding to ensure that BSIS receives the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and California Department of Justice (DOJ) clearances.  A breakdown of fees required at the time of fingerprinting that need to be paid at the Live Scan site are as follows:

• Department of Justice Fingerprint Fee $32.00
• Federal Bureau of Investigations Fingerprint Fee $19.00

Total: $51.00

Download Live Scan Forms

Locate a Live Scan fingerprinting center near you

STEP 3 – Apply to the State of California

You will need to register on the BSIS State website before you can submit your application by utilizing the following link:

Register and submit an application to the Bureau of Security and Investigative Services

Registration fees will need to be paid by a major credit card or debit card at the time of submission.  Once the registration fees have been paid, your online application will be sent electronically to BSIS.  A breakdown of fees required at the time of submission are as follows:

• Application Fee $50.00
• Online Convenience Fee $1.00

TOTAL $51.00

STEP 4 – Wait For Approval

Once the Bureau has received your online application and your criminal background check has been cleared, your name and California Guard Card security license number will appear on the Bureau’s website as cleared. You can verify the Bureau’s approval by checking the Bureau’s ‘Verify a License’ feature by utilizing the following link:

Verify a License

Once the California Guard Card online registration has been cleared and appears on the Bureau’s web site, a screen printout from the web site may be used as an interim license so that you can be placed on assignment.  Once you are placed on assignment, you must have the following documents in your possession at all times.

• A valid California Guard Card or a screen printout of the Bureau’s approval obtained from the Bureau’s web site.
• A valid Government issued photo I.D. such as a California drivers license, identification card or a U.S. Government issued passport

Your license will be mailed to you within a few weeks of clearing the background check.

The initial upfront cost in order to obtain the license will cost you approximately $160. You will be required to obtain another eight hours of training within the first 30 days of receiving your California Guard Card, and the remaining 24 hours (40 hours total) within six months.