Information for candidates and employers

We have tried to make applying for a card as easy as possible. If you have never held a Street Works Card before, you need to start by doing the following:

1. Contact an Awarding Body (AB) to find out which Training Providers (Centres) are nearest to your location. The ABs charges can vary considerably across Training Providers, so shop around for the best price.

2. Once you have contacted the AB and selected a Training Provider you can register with the Training Provider for Assessment or training and assessment for the units or qualifications you require.
3. When you have successfully completed your assessment (s) your Training Provider will notify the AB who will issue certificates for the Units or qualifications you have successfully completed.
4. Once the certificates are issued, the Training Provider will apply on your behalf to the Street Works Qualifications Register (SWQR) for your ID Card.  This will require a recent passport photograph of you to be included with your application.
5. SWQR carries out a series of quality and validation checks and issues a card to the Training Provider or candidate address, whichever is stipulated on the application form.
6. Initial Registration Cards are valid for 5 years, but the way they are renewed is dependent upon which country you work in.
7. If you are still unsure how to proceed with your application, or how to get started, call us on 0345 270 2720 (Monday – Friday 09:00-17:00, excluding public holidays).

England and Scotland

If you work in England and/or Scotland you have to take a re-assessment with a Centre. The re-assessment can be taken between the first year of the ID card life and up to five years after the card has expired.

For information on centres in your local area please contact any or all of the Awarding Organisations listed above. 

Please note - once the expiry date on the card has passed, the card is no longer valid and must be renewed.

Northern Ireland and Wales

You need to re-register your qualifications every five years (as per your ID card). You may apply for re-registration after the first year of the card’s life and up to three months after the card expiry date.

Please check your current card is not past this three-month period.

For example: if your card expired on 01/01/2021 the last date to re-register is 01/04/2021.

Apply to re-register

You need:

1. to complete a re-registration application form
2. a recent passport-style photo that meets our requirements.
3. to pay the fee no later than 3 months after the current card expiry date.

We recommend you apply six months before the card expiry date. This allows time to process the card and deal with any issues. Should you apply after the three-month expiry period, we can't issue a new ID card. You will need to undertake assessment and submit a new Initial Application.

To order a replacement card, you need to:

1. Phone SWQR on 0345 270 2720. 
2. A member of the team will ask for your surname and date of birth to access your record and check that you have a valid card to replace.
3. You will be given a unique reference number and passed through to our automated payment line. (Please ensure you have a means of noting down your reference number when you phone).
4. Following the instructions on the payment line to make your payment.
5. Your new card will be printed and posted out to the address you provided.

Please note: SWQR can't issue expired ID cards, and replacement cards are issued on a 'like for like' basis.

You need:

• to undertake training and assessment
• be certificated
• submit application
• to pay the fee

Key Units (England and Scotland) are:

For Operatives:

• LA - Location and Avoidance of Underground Apparatus
• or
• O1-Signing, Lighting and Guarding

LA can be held in its own right, as can O1, however, both are required if you want further certificates.

For Supervisors:

• LA-Location and Avoidance of Underground Apparatus
• or
• S1-Monitoring, Signing, Lighting and Guarding

LA can be held in its own right, as can S1, but both are required if you choose to obtain further certificates.

Key Units (Wales and Northern Ireland) are:

For Operatives:

Certificates for LA, O1 and O2 must be held if you work in Wales and/or Northern Ireland.

• LA-Location and Avoidance of Underground Apparatus
• O1-Signing, Lighting and Guarding
• O2-Excavation in the road/highway

For Supervisors:

• LA-Location and Avoidance of Underground Apparatus
• S1-Monitoring, Signing, Lighting and Guarding
• S2-Monitoring excavation in the road/highway

Note: In Northern Ireland and Wales, O1-Signing, Lighting and Guarding and S1-Monitoring Signing, Lighting and Guarding cannot be issued alone on an SWQR card. You must hold at least one of the above combinations in order to be issued with a valid ID card.

If you have taken an assessment, the card is normally sent to the Centre. If your Centre or employer applied for you, please contact them to find out when you will receive your card.

If after six weeks of being certificated, you have not received your ID card, please contact your Centre.

If you haven't taken an assessment (re-registration or replacement) and you have not received your card after six weeks, please contact us.

Wales and/or Northern Ireland

Additional Qualifications will be given the same expiry date as the current ID card. This is to allow all qualifications to be aligned. When you re-register, you will be given five years for all qualifications from the date of your application.

England and/or Scotland

Additional Qualifications will not affect the expiry dates for the existing qualifications on your ID card. Instead, each Additional Qualification will be given its own unique five-year expiry date in line with the qualification certification date

ID cards are sent to the address on the application. If you have taken an assessment, the card will normally be sent to the Centre. If your Centre or employer is applying on your behalf, please contact them to find out when you will receive your card.

Have you taken an assessment (re-assessment, initial and additional qualifications)? Please contact your Centre.

If you have not taken an assessment (re-registration or replacement), then please:

1. contact us
2. return the incorrect card with a letter telling us what is wrong.
3. We'll contact you to resolve the issue.

No, we need a passport-style photo to issue an SWQR card. Please read our photo requirements.

Cards issued before 2017 for England and Scotland, and cards issued now for Northern Ireland and Wales have 'Group Award' qualifications rather than individual units. This means instead of three single units shown on the back of the card, they will be under one 'Group Award'. Below is an award breakdown, this will explain what each Group Award' contains.

• Qualification breakdown for Northern Ireland and Wales
• Qualification breakdown for England and Scotland

If you need a copy of your certificates please contact your Centre. If a Centre no longer exists then you should contact the relevant Awarding Organisation.

• CABWI
• City & Guilds
• EUIAS
• Highfield
• LANTRA
• NOCN
• Smart Awards
• SQA

We cannot enrol candidates. Please contact a Centre.

You can find your nearest Centre from the Awarding Organisations:

• CABWI
• City & Guilds
• EUIAS
• Highfield
• LANTRA
• NOCN
• Smart Awards
• SQA

Never forget to renew your ID card with our ID card reminder service Sign up and receive alerts 30, 60 and 90 days before your card expires.