The SIA notification: what's known, what's still to come
Last reviewed:
Martyn's Law requires a one-time notification to the Security Industry Authority when you become the responsible person for premises in scope of the Act, so the SIA knows your premises exists. The detailed mechanics, exactly what information is needed, the timeframe you'll have, and how you submit it, are still to be set out in regulations. Here's what's confirmed, what isn't yet, and what you can reasonably prepare now.
What's confirmed
Section 9 of the Act creates the notification duty itself: standard-tier responsible persons must notify the SIA that their premises is in scope. It's a one-time notification, not a recurring registration or licence application, and it applies whenever you become, or stop being, the responsible person for premises covered by the Act.
What's still to come
Several practical details await secondary regulations rather than being set out in the Act or the current statutory guidance:
- The exact information the notification must contain.
- The timeframe you'll have to notify once you're in scope.
- How the notification is actually submitted. The SIA's notification portal is not yet live.
- Whether any fee applies.
Some reports have suggested the SIA could begin testing a notification system with a small group of volunteer venues in early 2027, ahead of duties commencing, though this hasn't been officially confirmed by the SIA or Home Office at the time of writing. Treat any specific date you see, including this one, as provisional until it appears on the official SIA or GOV.UK channels, and check our timeline guide for the latest on commencement generally.
Is this the same as registering or getting a licence?
No. Notification tells the regulator your premises exists; it isn't an application for approval, and nothing is granted, licensed or certified as a result of submitting it. There's no such thing as being "SIA-approved" or "SIA-licensed" under Martyn's Law for a standard-tier venue, and any product or service claiming that status for you is describing something the Act doesn't create.
Accuracy matters here specifically
Whatever you eventually submit needs to be accurate. Providing false or misleading information to the SIA, knowingly or recklessly, is a criminal offence under section 25 of the Act, and it applies to anyone doing it, not just the responsible person. That's not a reason for alarm about an honest, careful notification; it's a reason to keep good records of your capacity basis and responsible-person status now, so that when the notification opens, what you submit is straightforward and correct.
What you can prepare today
Nothing can be submitted yet, but you can get the groundwork in order so the notification itself is quick when it opens:
- Your venue's name, address and a clear description of the premises.
- Your capacity basis: which counting method you used and the figure it produced. See how to count your capacity.
- Who your responsible person is, and on what basis they're in control. See who the responsible person is.
- A short summary of your public protection procedures, so it's ready if the notification asks for one.
That's the same information our service already helps you pull together for your procedures document, which is one reason it's worth building your record now rather than waiting. See the standard tier explained for the full duty this notification sits alongside.
This page is a living page: we'll update it as regulations and SIA guidance are published, with the update log below.
- 15 July 2026: page published; portal not yet live, timings and information requirements await regulations.
Common questions
Is there a fee to notify the SIA?
Unknown at this stage. Fees, if any, would be set out in regulations that haven't been published yet. We'll update this page the moment that's confirmed rather than guess.
Do I need to renew or re-notify every year?
There's no annual renewal requirement stated in the Act or guidance. Notification is described as a one-time duty tied to becoming, or ceasing to be, the responsible person, not a recurring registration.
What happens if the responsible person changes?
The duty to notify sits with whoever is the responsible person at the time, so a change in who that is would trigger a fresh notification from the new responsible person. The mechanics of exactly how that works haven't been set out in regulations yet.
About this guide. Written by the Martyn's Law Plan team, based on the statutory guidance published under the Terrorism (Protection of Premises) Act 2025. Last reviewed: . Read the official guidance on GOV.UK.
Sources: Terrorism (Protection of Premises) Act 2025; Home Office statutory guidance (April 2026, updated May 2026) and supplementary documents. Paragraph references are to the statutory guidance. General information, not legal advice. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.