You’ve completed your security guard course or private investigator training, taken your Emergency First Aid and CPR training, and passed your exam…congratulations! You may now apply for your security guard license. One of the things that must be included when applying for your license is a Guarantor Form, similar to that required when applying for a passport or official government document.
What is a Guarantor Form?
This is a form that is included when applying for your security or private investigator licence once you have finished your security guard training, private investigator training, or dual licence training course. It is required as part of the SG application or PI application once a student has passed the course and passed their exam. You must have a licence before you can work in the field as a security professional. The licence application can be found on the Ontario.ca website. As there can be confusion on how to complete the guarantor form, we’ve decided to outline how to fill one out and what you require before submitting one.
What is a Guarantor?
A guarantor verifies that you are who you say you are, that your ID is valid and you are legally allowed to work in Canada. A guarantor confirms your identity and that the information you provided on your Security Guard or Private Investigator License Application is valid. For this reason, you must provide the person acting as your guarantor with the same two pieces of identification that you chose for your license application.
Who is eligible to act as a guarantor for my security guard license?
Your guarantor must be at least 18 years of age, and have known you for at least two years. They must be able to verify your identity, confirming that the identification documents you have included (you must provide two, see below for options) belong to you, and be able to confirm your basic description.
What if I haven’t known someone for two years?
For those new to the province, it may be difficult to find someone who has known you for two years. In this case, if you don’t have someone eligible to act as your guarantor who has known you for at least two years, you may ask:
- Your employer
- An officer from a registered Ontario security guard, or private investigator company registered under the Private Security and Investigative Services Act.
- A chiropractor, dentist, judge justice of the peace, pharmacist, lawyer, mayor, doctor, religious Minister, notary public, police officer, principal or teacher at a primary school, professional accountant, engineer or professor at a public college.
What ID should I provide to my guarantor and on the form?
You should use the same two forms of identification for the guarantor form that you used to apply for your security license-one of a government issued photo ID, and one that confirms your eligibility to work in Canada.
For government issued photo ID choose one of the following:
Any valid driver’s license
- Ontario enhanced driver’s license
- Ontario photo card
- Any valid passport
- A permanent residence Card
- Certificate of Canadian citizenship (front and back)
- Certificate of Indian status
- Canadian Department of National Defense card
To prove that you are eligible to work in Canada you may choose one of the following:
- Canadian birth certificate
- Certificate of Canadian citizenship (front and back)
- Certificate of Indian status
- Canadian Passport
- Ontario enhanced driver’s license
- A permanent residence Card
- Naturalization Card
- Valid Work Permit
- Record of Landing
- Retention Certificate
After you have provided your guarantor with the correct identification, then you must fill out the applicant section of the guarantor form, providing and confirming your personal information and forms of identification. Once that is filled in you may hand the form to your guarantor to complete.
Important things to remember when filling out your guarantor form:
You must find a guarantor of at least 18 years of age who has known you for two years, or an acceptable alternative as listed above.
- You must provide your guarantor with two pieces of ID from the approved list above.
- Your first and last name must match on both documents of identification provided.
- The two pieces of identification provided must be the same as the ones provided for your security licence application.
- When your guarantor signs the form, it is only valid for 90 days before it expires
That’s it. Once you have completed the guarantor form, you may submit it together with your licence application and you are well on your way to becoming a security guard in Ontario!
Thank-you for taking your security training with SGC!