Secure your air cargo at source, so it flies without further screening
An approved Known Consignor can send its cargo as secure (SPX) for passenger, all-cargo and all-mail aircraft without further screening. Source Secure prepares everything the CAA auditor asks to see: the security programme, recruitment and training records, site procedures and a mock audit, so your site is ready before you ask for the visit.
Updated
- Security programme drafted on the CAA's template for your site, ready to sign
- Recruitment file checklist covering the 5-year history and criminal record certificate rules
- Mock audit against the CAA's published guide, with a fix list before the real visit
The CAA's Known Consignor guide (CAP 1810, version 5, July 2026) says the scheme is voluntary, unsecured cargo needs additional security measures by a Regulated Agent before it can fly, and Known Consignor cargo can be treated as SPX and flown without further screening.
Source: caa.co.ukCAP 1810 requires a background-checked site security representative at each site, staff files with a 5-year employment or education history and criminal record certificates from every country lived in for over 6 months in the last 5 years, and training by a DfT certificated instructor; it notes there is no fixed fee for training.
Source: caa.co.ukKnown Consignor status is worth having and easy to get wrong
If you send goods by air and are not a Known Consignor, your cargo is unsecured. It can still fly, but a Regulated Agent must apply security measures before it is loaded, which adds handling and can add time and charges at the forwarder. Known Consignors secure cargo at their own site and it flies without further screening.
The scheme is voluntary, but once approved you are a directed party under aviation security rules. The CAA auditor checks a signed security programme, a named site security representative, physical security of identifiable air cargo, and every staff file: five years of employment or education history, criminal record certificates and training by a certificated instructor. A gap in any of these can mean an unsuccessful validation and a re-audit.
Most small exporters do this once, with no one in house who has done it before. The £852 application fee covers the first validation visit; a re-audit currently carries no CAA charge, but it delays approval. The quicker route is to arrive at the audit with the file complete.
Without it
- Doing it yourself: The CAA publishes CAP 1810 and provides a security programme template, and KCSupport@caa.co.uk answers questions.…
- Aviation security consultants and trainers: Some training providers also help with applications. We did not find published prices for application support when we…
- Staying unsecured: Your Regulated Agent screens or secures the cargo instead. No CAA fee or audit, but every shipment goes through their…
With Source Secure
- Security programme drafted on the CAA's template for your site, ready to sign
- Recruitment file checklist covering the 5-year history and criminal record certificate rules
- Mock audit against the CAA's published guide, with a fix list before the real visit
- Security programme, written for your site
- Recruitment file kit
How it works
- 1
Readiness check
A 45-minute video call and a short questionnaire about your site, staff, packing area and air shipments. Within 2 business days you get a written gap list against CAP 1810.
- 2
We draft the file
We write your security programme on the CAA template, the site security plan, the recruitment and training record files and the procedures for securing and handing over air cargo. First draft within 7 business days of your answers.
- 3
You fill the gaps we cannot
Your staff complete training with a CAA-registered provider you choose, HR completes background checks, and you sign the programme. We track each item on a shared checklist.
- 4
Mock audit and application
We run a remote mock audit with your site security representative, then you submit the online application to the CAA with a complete file. We stay on email until the validation visit.
Features
Security programme, written for your site
Drafted on the CAA's Known Consignor template with your real layout, people and process, ready for signature by a legal representative or the person responsible for security.
Recruitment file kit
A per-person checklist and record template: ID, National Insurance number, 5-year history with gaps over 28 days explained, references, criminal record certificates and who approved the hire.
Training plan
Which staff need which Known Consignor training modules by job role, with links to the CAA lists of registered providers and certificated instructors so you can compare quotes.
Site and handover procedures
How identifiable air cargo is protected from securing to collection: access control, packing area, seals, records and checks on the haulier or Regulated Agent collecting it.
Mock audit
A remote walk-through using the topics the CAA auditor covers, with a written fix list. One follow-up check is included after you close the gaps.
Annual revalidation reminder
A dated checklist for the 12-month revalidation and the renewal fee, so the status does not lapse.
A look inside
What you get: the working view and the delivery report.
Illustration of the layout, built from this page's own feature list. It shows no real results.
Who it's for
Manufacturers exporting by air
Parts, devices or samples flown to customers each week, where screening at the forwarder causes delays.
Brands asked by their forwarder
Your forwarder or airline suggested becoming a Known Consignor; you want the file done right first time.
Sites renewing after a failed audit
You hold or held the status and need the file rebuilt before the next CAA visit.
Works with
- CAA Known Consignor online application
- CAA Known Consignor security programme template
- CAP 1810 Known Consignor guide
- CAP 2330 aviation security recruitment guide
- CAA lists of registered training providers and instructors
- Shared Google Drive or SharePoint folder
- Word and PDF documents
Pricing
One-time prices in GBP, paid after we confirm scope. CAA fees (£852 application, £852 yearly renewal per site, from the April 2026 Scheme of Charges), staff training and criminal record certificates are paid by you to those bodies and are not included. We do not train, background-check or vet your staff, and we do not attend the CAA audit. Founding customer pricing applies to early-access orders.
Orders are subject to the Source Secure terms.
Readiness check
£79 one-time
Find out what stands between you and approval
- 45-minute call with your site lead
- Written gap list against CAP 1810
- Staff roles mapped to training needs
- Rough timeline to a ready site
- Credited against the Application file within 30 days
Application file
£495 one-time
One site, prepared for the CAA visit
- Everything in Readiness check
- Security programme drafted for signature
- Recruitment and training record kit
- Site security and handover procedures
- Remote mock audit and fix list
- Email help until the validation visit
Multi-site
£895 one-time
Up to three sites, or a failed audit to fix
- Everything in Application file
- Up to three sites, each with its own programme
- Review of a previous CAA audit report
- Two mock audits per site
- Revalidation checklist for year two
Compared with the alternatives
- Doing it yourself
- The CAA publishes CAP 1810 and provides a security programme template, and KCSupport@caa.co.uk answers questions. Entirely possible with time and patience; our readiness check gives you the gap list first.
- Aviation security consultants and trainers
- Some training providers also help with applications. We did not find published prices for application support when we checked in November 2026, so ask for a fixed quote. Training itself is quoted by each provider; the CAA notes there is no fixed fee.
- Staying unsecured
- Your Regulated Agent screens or secures the cargo instead. No CAA fee or audit, but every shipment goes through their process.
What changed
- The CAA's Known Consignor guide (CAP 1810, version 5, July 2026) says the scheme is voluntary, unsecured cargo needs additional security measures by a Regulated Agent before it can fly, and Known Consignor cargo can be treated as SPX and flown without further screening. Source: caa.co.uk
- The CAA processes applications within 4 weeks and aims to hold the initial validation visit within 6 weeks of the site saying it is ready; approval lasts 12 months, with yearly validation audits (checked 7 November 2026). Source: caa.co.uk
- Under the CAA Scheme of Charges for aviation security in effect from 1 April 2026, a Known Consignor application costs £852, covering administration and the site validation visit and including a non-refundable £274; renewal is £852 per site. Source: caa.co.uk
- CAP 1810 requires a background-checked site security representative at each site, staff files with a 5-year employment or education history and criminal record certificates from every country lived in for over 6 months in the last 5 years, and training by a DfT certificated instructor; it notes there is no fixed fee for training. Source: caa.co.uk
Your first two weeks
The readiness check arrives within 2 business days. The full application file is drafted within 10 business days of your questionnaire and call.
- Day 1: Questionnaire sent; call booked with your site lead.
- Day 2: Written gap list and training map delivered.
- Day 3–8: Security programme, procedures and record kit drafted.
- Day 9–10: Draft reviewed with you; training and checks tracked.
- When you are ready: mock audit, then your CAA application.
Security and data
- We never receive criminal record certificates or staff ID documents; the kit tells HR what to keep, and they keep it.
- Your security programme and site notes are stored in the EU, encrypted in transit and at rest, and shared only with named people at your company.
- Site plans and procedures are treated as confidential and are never reused for another customer.
- All project files we hold are deleted within 30 days of your validation visit or on request.
Questions
Do we have to become a Known Consignor?
No. The scheme is voluntary. Without it your air cargo is secured or screened by a Regulated Agent before it flies. It makes sense when you ship by air often enough that screening time or charges matter.
How long does approval take?
The CAA processes applications within 4 weeks and aims to visit within 6 weeks of you confirming the site is ready. Approval is by the Department for Transport on the CAA's recommendation. With our file, most of the waiting is training and background checks on your side.
What does it cost in official fees?
Under the Scheme of Charges in effect from 1 April 2026, the application is £852 including a non-refundable £274, and renewal is £852 per site each year. A re-audit after a failed first visit currently has no charge, but the CAA says that may change.
Do you train or vet our staff?
No. We do not train, background-check or vet anyone. Training must be delivered by a DfT certificated instructor under the Known Consignor syllabus, and your HR team carries out and keeps the recruitment checks. We tell you which modules each role needs and point you to the CAA's lists of registered providers.
Will you attend the CAA audit?
The audit is between the CAA and your site security representative and HR lead. We prepare you with a mock audit and stay reachable on email on the day.
Is this legal advice?
No. Source Secure is document preparation and audit readiness, not legal advice, and approval is decided by the Department for Transport on the CAA's recommendation. For questions about your obligations, contact the CAA at KCSupport@caa.co.uk.
Arrive at the CAA audit with the file complete
Readiness check from £79; full application file for one site £495, paid once.
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