Compare licensing rules
Pick up to three states or countries to see their rules side by side.
| New Mexico | |
|---|---|
| Status | Licence required |
| Regulator | New Mexico Regulation and Licensing Department – Private Investigations Advisory Board |
| Who holds the licence | Individuals and agencies |
| Minimum age | 21 |
| Experience | At least 6,000 hours of actual investigative work acquired within the 5 years before application |
| Exam | Yes |
| Training | None for an unarmed licence; firearm certification (department-approved firearms training plus a psychological evaluation) only if armed |
| Bond or insurance | Companies: general liability insurance of at least $1,000,000; no bond found for individual investigators |
| Fees | Application $100; private investigator licence $300 per 3-year term (renewal $300); company licence $300; late renewal $100; fingerprint fee set by the Department of Public Safety vendor |
| Processing time | One to three weeks from receipt of the application (RLD FAQ); background issues can delay it |
| Renewal | Every 3 years online through the RLD portal, by the expiry date (30-day grace period with a $100 late fee); 6 hours of CE per renewal period |
| Continuing education | 6 hours every 3-year renewal period (2 hours a year) from an approved provider; firearms requalification does not count |
| Reciprocity | Licence by reciprocity for applicants licensed for at least a year in another state with similar or better requirements and no discipline in the last year (16.48.2.25 NMAC) |
| Recording calls | One-party consent |
| Firearms | Optional firearm certification on the licence: department-approved firearms training with a qualification score sheet and a psychological evaluation (16.48.2.9 NMAC) |
Reference information, not legal advice. Each profile lists its sources and the date it was checked.