Canada Exam Prep
BC Private Investigator overview

BC Private Investigator: Who needs a B.C. PI licence and how to get one

The Security Services Act definition of a private investigator, who is exempt (lawyers, journalists, insurance adjusters, pre-employment screening), the PI and PI-under-supervision licences, the PSKN Introduction to Private Investigation course and exam, the 2,000-hour and police-experience routes, and out-of-province investigators.

  • 15 questions
  • Topic drill
0/15
Who needs a B.C. PI licence and how to get one · Question 1Score 0/0

An Alberta PI follows a case into B.C. for an Alberta client. How can they avoid needing a B.C. licence?

Study reference: B.C. private investigator law and public guidance (Oct 2026), Ch. 1 Licensing — Security Services Act ss. 1–3, 10; B.C. Reg. 207/2008 ss. 2, 3, 15; gov.bc.ca Security worker training requirements; PSKN course page

All 15 questions in this test

Every question and its answer choices. The correct answers and explanations appear when you take the test above.

  1. An Alberta PI follows a case into B.C. for an Alberta client. How can they avoid needing a B.C. licence?

    1. Stay in B.C. for less than 30 days
    2. Apply to the registrar for an exemption
    3. Work only on weekends while in B.C.
    4. Hire a B.C. lawyer to supervise them while they are in the province

  2. A firm is paid to find out what caused a warehouse fire and who is responsible. Is this PI work?

    1. Yes, the cause of a fire is part of the definition
    2. Only if the insurer is based outside B.C.
    3. No, fire causes are only for the fire department
    4. Only if police have closed their file first

  3. A company wants a PI business licence. Who must hold a full PI worker licence?

    1. Every shareholder
    2. Its accountant
    3. Its manager
    4. Its landlord

  4. A company only checks job applicants' qualifications for employers. Does it need a PI licence?

    1. Only if it checks more than 10 people a year
    2. No, pre-employment suitability checks are exempt
    3. Yes, unless the employer is a government body or a Crown corporation
    4. Yes, any background check needs a PI licence

  5. According to the PSKN course page, who must a private investigator in B.C. work for?

    1. Any law firm or insurance company in B.C.
    2. A police service that has a contract with them for investigative work
    3. Themselves, as an unlicensed sole operator
    4. A provincially licensed private investigation firm

  6. Under option 1 for a full B.C. PI licence, how much PI work experience is needed?

    1. 1,000 hours within the last 2 years
    2. 4,000 hours within the last 10 years
    3. 500 hours within the last year
    4. 2,000 hours within the last 5 years

  7. Which courses does the regulation link to the full PI licence, along with two years' experience?

    1. Accounting, bookkeeping and tax preparation
    2. Basic Security Training and Advanced Security Training from the JIBC
    3. First aid, CPR and defensive driving
    4. Evidence gathering and presentation, and criminal and civil law

  8. What can a private investigator under supervision do?

    1. Supervise newer investigators at a licensed private investigation firm
    2. Any PI work, after six months in the industry
    3. PI work, only under a fully licensed PI's supervision
    4. Only office research, never field surveillance

  9. What is the minimum age for a B.C. private investigator licence?

    1. 21
    2. 19
    3. 16
    4. 18

  10. Which person does not need a PI licence for investigative work in their own profession?

    1. A paralegal working for a collection agency
    2. A security guard asked to follow a shopper
    3. A retired police officer working for a client
    4. A lawyer in the practice of law

  11. Which association provided the content of the B.C. Introduction to Private Investigation course?

    1. The Justice Institute of British Columbia
    2. The Canadian Bar Association, B.C. branch
    3. The Professional Investigators' Association of B.C.
    4. The Insurance Council of British Columbia

  12. Which course and exam does B.C. name for a PI-under-supervision licence?

    1. PSKN's Introduction to Private Investigation
    2. JIBC's Advanced Security Training
    3. JIBC's Basic Security Training (BST)
    4. The Ontario private investigator test

  13. A retired officer with 10 years of police service applies for a full PI licence. What else is needed?

    1. A two-year apprenticeship with a licensed firm in B.C.
    2. Nothing more, because police work fully replaces all of the training requirements
    3. Registration in the PSKN course, with the exam done within a year
    4. A new criminal law degree from a B.C. university

  14. Under B.C.'s Security Services Act, who is a private investigator?

    1. Any person who looks up public information about a neighbour without being paid
    2. A person paid to seek information on misconduct or whereabouts
    3. A police officer who investigates crimes while on duty in B.C.
    4. A journalist who researches a news story about a company

  15. What must letters proving PI experience for a full licence include?

    1. The names of every client the applicant worked for
    2. Dates, role and duties, hours logged and supervisor names
    3. The applicant's salary history and tax returns
    4. Only the employer's name and a general letter of recommendation for the file

Who needs a B.C. PI licence and how to get one: key rules to remember

Our summary of what the official handbook says on this topic, in our own words. Read it before or after the practice questions above, then check the original chapter. Read the official chapter ↗

Private investigator

  • A private investigator is a person who, for consideration, seeks or obtains information about: crimes, offences, contraventions or misconduct (or allegations of them); the activities, character or repute of a person or organization; a person's whereabouts; the location, disposition or recovery of lost, stolen or missing property; or the cause of, or responsibility for, a fire, accident or incident causing damage or injury.
  • A private investigator business is a "security business", and private investigator work is "security work".

Licence required

  • Doing PI work, or holding yourself out as available for it, requires a security worker licence for that work.
  • Applicants must be ordinarily resident in Canada and at least 19, authorize criminal record, police information and correctional service checks, and pay the fee.
  • Out-of-province PIs: the registrar may exempt a PI licensed elsewhere who enters B.C. only to continue an investigation for an employer or client outside B.C., after notifying the registrar and applying.

Exemptions

  • Exempt from both worker and business licences: peace officers on duty; licensed insurance adjusters within their licence; reporting agencies and collectors under the Business Practices and Consumer Protection Act; people who only obtain financial ratings; reporters and journalists; lawyers in their practice; people who only advise on protecting electronic data.
  • Exempt: people who mainly obtain information for employers on the qualifications and suitability of job candidates (pre-employment screening), for that work only.
  • Exempt from the worker licence: government employees performing their duties; people doing security work for no pay (except liquor door security).

Licence types and term

  • Two PI licence types: private investigator (item 4) and private investigator under supervision (item 5), who works only under the supervision of a fully licensed PI.
  • Regulation qualification for a full PI licence: conversational English plus two years' PI experience and courses in evidence gathering and presentation and in relevant criminal and civil law, or equivalent experience accepted by the registrar.
  • A business entity holding a PI business licence needs a manager who holds a full PI worker licence; an individual business licensee must hold one.
  • Maximum licence term: 3 years.

Security worker training requirements (updated April 21, 2026)

  • PI under supervision: the PSKN Introduction to Private Investigation course and exam, or B.C.-relevant courses in criminal law, civil law, human rights legislation, information and privacy, evidence protocols, interviewing, report writing, surveillance and documentary research; equivalent training may be considered.
  • Full PI licence, option 1: 2,000 hours of PI work in the last 5 years (employer or client letters with dates, role, hours logged and supervisor names) plus the PSKN course and exam or the listed courses.
  • Full PI licence, option 2: 10 years of police work in a Canadian police service plus proof of registration in the PSKN course, which must be completed with its exam within one year of getting the licence.

Introduction to Private Investigation – British Columbia (pskn.ca)

  • Content provided by the Professional Investigators' Association of British Columbia (PIABC); delivered online by the Professional Security Knowledge Network (PSKN).
  • Four parts, equivalent to 60 classroom hours: I Licensing, Liability and Safety; II Legal; III Basic Tools of the Trade; IV Technological Aids.
  • In B.C. a private investigator must be an employee of a provincially licensed private investigation firm (PSKN course page).
  • After the provincial licensing exam PSKN sends pass or fail results to the B.C. Registrar; PSKN is not involved in the licence decision.

PIUS training

  • B.C. was the first province to require training for Private Investigator Under Supervision (PIUS) applicants (mandatory from January 31, 2013) and the only jurisdiction offering PIUS licences at that time.
  • A PIUS works as a PI while mentored by a PI with an unrestricted licence.

Study the Who needs a B.C. PI licence and how to get one rules as flashcards →

Other topics

Full practice tests