​The Government will publish the Security and Guarding Services (Licensing) (Amendment) Regulation 2023 (Amendment Regulation) in the Gazette this Friday (May 5) to revise the prescribed licence form for enabling electronic licensing (e-licensing) for security companies.
      
     Owing to the format of the existing prescribed licence form, the Secretary of the Security and Guarding Services Industry Authority (SGSIA) would need to record information about the annual payment on the original licence after the security company licensees have paid the annual fee. Hence, the security company licence must be issued in paper format.
      
     A spokesman for the Security Bureau said, "To be in line with the spirit of business facilitation, the Government proposes to abolish the requirement for security company licensees to visit the Secretariat of the SGSIA every year for updating the licence to record the payment of annual licence fee, and correspondingly amend the licence form prescribed in Schedule 2 to the Security and Guarding Services (Licensing) Regulation (Cap. 460B) (Licensing Regulation) to enable e-licensing for security companies.
      
     "After the implementation of e-licensing, there will be no change to the current regulatory regime for the issue of licence, the existing arrangements for payment of annual licence fee, and law enforcement and monitoring of security companies. Those paper licences that were already issued will remain valid until the expiry date or until the SGSIA provides electronic licences to the licensees, whichever is the earlier."
      
     The Government has briefed major stakeholders, including licensees and key industry organisations of the security services industry, on the proposed arrangements and they welcome the convenience of e-licensing.
      
     Under the Security and Guarding Services Ordinance (Cap. 460), a company supplying personnel to do security work for another person for reward must have a security company licence issued by the SGSIA, and the licence shall be in a form prescribed in Schedule 2 to the Licensing Regulation.
      
     The Amendment Regulation will be submitted to the Legislative Council for negative vetting on May 10, and is expected to become effective on July 1.

Ends/Wednesday, May 3, 2023
Issued at HKT 18:00

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