Common FAQ’s About SORA

“S.O.R.A.” stands for the New Jersey SECURITY OFFICERS REGISTRATION ACT. It is the New Jersey Law that regulates the licensing of Security Officers working in New Jersey, as well as Security Officer Companies and Owners (N.J.S.A. 45:19A et. seq.). All persons who wish to work as Licensed Security Officers in New Jersey are bound to comply with the provisions of this law, as well as the state’s S.O.R.A. rules and regulations (N.J.A.C. 13:55A et. seq.)
You are eligible to be certified or re-certified under SORA, provided that you meet the following criteria:

a. You are at least 18 years of age or older at the time you apply.
b. You have NOT been convicted of a First, Second, Third or Fourth Degree Crime in NJ or equivalent level offense in another state.
c. You are not a Convicted Sexual Offender.
d. You have not been convicted of an offense involving Controlled Dangerous Substances (CDS) (aka DRUGS) offense.
e. Any other offense deemed by the Superintendent of State Police to be a disqualifying offense.*

*NOTE: You may also be disqualified by the NJSP if you provide false information on your application, or if you omit required information!

The New Jersey Security Officer Registration Act and the  S.O.R.A. Rules & Regulations have NOT been updated and/or amended to reflect the current marijuana laws in NJ as it relates to disqualifying drug offenses, specifically, marijuana.

Please review the New Jersey Attorney General’s Directive 2021-1: Directive Governing Dismissals of Certain Pending Marijuana Charges and the Interim Guidance Regarding Marijuana Decriminalization for additional information.

NO, there is no recognition of any out-of-state security license which would exempt you from having to obtain a New Jersey S.O.R.A. card.
FOR INITIAL CERTIFICATION:

a. Apply online with the NJSP for an INITIAL S.O.R.A. APPLICATION
b. Schedule and get fingerprinted at an IdentoGo location.
c. Register for and successfully complete a 24-Hour Basic S.O.R.A. Course from a certified provider and be photographed.

All of these steps requires a separate payment for each process.

FOR RENEWAL/RE-CERTIFICATION:

a. Apply online to the NJSP for a RENEWAL S.O.R.A. APPLICATION
b. Register for and successfully complete an 8-Hour S.O.R.A. Refresher Course with a certified provider and be photographed.

Each of these steps requires separate payments for each process.

In ADDITION to all of the steps outlined in Question #4, applicants for Armed Security Officers must also:

a. OBTAIN A NJ HANDGUN CARRY PERMIT BEFORE CARRYING ANY FIREARM;
b. TAKE AND PASS A NJ HANDGUN SAFETY & QUALIFICATION (CCARES) COURSE.
c. ENSURE THAT YOU ARE IN COMPLIANCE WITH ALL OF THE RULES UNDER SANTIAGO’S LAW.

*Officers who do not comply with these rules can be subject to arrest and criminal charges.

YES, you must submit to fingerprinting the first time you apply for SORA certification. You DO NOT have to get re-fingerprinted to renew your S.O.R.A. card UNLESS;
1) You have let your current card lapse (expire), or
2) You are applying for a different certification level (Unarmed to Armed, or vice-versa).
YES, it is part of the certification/re-certification process. New applicants must take the 24-Hr. Basic Course, while Renewal applicants must take the 8-Hr. Refresher Course. You cannot be certified/re-certified unless you successfully complete the class and are photographed by the Instructor.
YES, it is part of the certification/re-certification process. You cannot be certified/re-certified unless you been photographed by the Instructor*.

*Different rules apply for online classes, please check with the instructor.

We can appreciate your busy schedule, however, the S.O.R.A. rules require that you attend the TOTAL number of hours specified for certification or re-certification, and this requirement is enforced by the NJ State Police.

Before enrolling in any S.O.R.A. training class, please make sure that you are able to commit to stay for the ENTIRE class. LADD offers different configurations for all S.O.R.A. courses, including multiple-day, morning, evening and online classes.

We are unable to allow you to “skip” any hours required for a S.O.R.A. class, and CANNOT certify your training to the NJSP if you decide to leave early. ONLY in documented emergency circumstances is it possible we may allow you to make up the hours on another date, however understand that you are responsible for complying with all of the SORA requirements in the required time frame.

Understand that LADD cannot and will not certify the training of any student unless they have successfully completed the requisite course in the required time frame. Also be guided by our Terms of Service and Refund Policies in this regard. See Question #19 regarding these policies.

NEW SORA APPLICANTS
You have 30-DAYS FROM THE DATE YOU SUBMITTED YOUR ONLINE APPLICATION to complete the requirements for certification.

RENEWAL SORA APPLICANTS:
You are required to complete the all of the renewal requirements BEFORE YOUR CURRENT CERTIFICATION EXPIRES.

If you FAIL TO COMPLETE THE REQUIREMENTS in the required time frame, you will be required to RE-APPLY AS A NEW SORA APPLICANT and be subject to all of the requirements (including fingerprinting) as a NEW SORA APPLICANT!!

How long it takes to get your S.O.R.A. is mostly up to you. You must complete all of the steps required by the NJ State Police (Application – Training – Fingerprinting) in the time frame required.

As a general rule of thumb, once you have completed ALL of the required steps of the process, you should receive an E-MAIL from the NJ State Police, advising you of your “final application status” 4 or 5 days following completion of the last step.

If you are approved, you will be able to access your DIGITAL SORA card via your online NJSP SORA account.

PLEASE NOTE that the NJ State Police can take up to TWO WEEKS to send you the email advising you of your final application status.

See Question #14 regarding Digital SORA Cards

As of November 1, 2023, the New Jersey State Police (NJSP) discontinued the issuance of a plastic physical SORA card to security officers. The NJSP now issues the e-SORA card via your online NJSP SORA account, which can be downloaded and printed along with your authorization letter.

To access your online documents, you will have to log into your online NJSP SORA account. You can use the link below:

NJSP SORA ACCOUNT LOGON

NO, The 30-Day Temporary Certificate of Registration was discontinued effective October 1, 2024.

Security Officer applicants are no longer be permitted to work as Security Officers until such time as they receive official approval by the NJSP.

The costs associated with SORA as of 1/1/2026 are:

INITIAL CERTIFICATION:
a. NJSP Application Fee = $75.00
b. IdentoGo fingerprinting Fee = $68.98
c. LADD 24-Hour S.O.R.A. Basic Course = $99.00
TOTAL STUDENT COST: = $242.98

RE-CERTIFICATION**:
a. NJSP Application Fee = $80.87
b. LADD 8-Hour S.O.R.A. Refresher Course = $49.00
TOTAL STUDENT COST: = $129.87

**There is NO separate fingerprinting fee associated with renewal applications.

These prices are estimates only and are subject to change without notice.

The New Jersey State Police provide NO mechanism for converting an UNARMED certification into an ARMED certification, or vice-versa.

In order for you to change your status from being an Unarmed Officer to an Armed Officer, or vice-versa, you must RE-APPLY for the specific certification that you are looking for, and comply with all of the requirements as if you are a NEW APPLICANT, including being re-fingerprinted and having to take the 24-Hour course.

If you are a current LADD student, please inquire about specific pricing for this training.

LADD Security Management Consultants, Inc. has set policies regarding our Terms of Service (how classes are conducted) and our Refund Policy (How & When we would issue refunds). To obtain additional information regarding our Terms of Service and our Refund Policy, CLICK HERE.
Official information regarding SORA, including the application portal, can be found on the NEW JERSEY STATE POLICE website at: https://www.njsp.gov You can also contact the Private Detective Unit (the unit responsible for enforcing SORA) by email at: pdu@njsp.gov You can also find helpful links at the bottom of this FAQ page.



S.O.R.A. INFORMATION PAGE (NJSP)

S.O.R.A. HELP PAGE (NJSP)

NEW JERSEY S.O.R.A. LAW (NJSP)

NEW JERSEY S.O.R.A. RULES & REGULATIONS (NJSP)

SANTIAGO’S LAW FOR ARMED SECURITY OFFICERS (NJSP)

N.J. CARRY PERMIT LAW (PDF)

S.O.R.A. APPLICATION SITE (NJSP)

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