The paperwork and legal compliance requirements for starting a locksmith business is no different from any general business. Having a recognised certificate and be a member of a locksmith association does help, but not essential as most work these days comes from companies who spend a lot of money on Google & Bing ads. It is true that the search engine giants do prioritise ads over organic search results when a user search for a locksmith.
Before we delve into the details, here’s a quick overview of the steps to becoming a locksmith in the UK. Note that the locksmith industry is not regulated and doesn't require licensing for businesses and individuals.
Locksmith training schools help you learn the trade. With an experienced locksmith trainer and a well-designed locksmith training course, you can learn locksmithing and have the necessary knowledge to start working as a professional locksmith. Please note that it is not a very difficult trade to learn, you need good hands skills and even if you get things wrong at customer things can be easily fixed when you take your time and usually asking another locksmith to help ( in most cases if you start working with companies who provide the work ) even over the phone the issue can be rectified.
No, despite claims to the contrary you do NOT need any kind of official qualification to start trading as a locksmith and according to Ofqual there are no plans for this to change.