Skip to content
Check a card
Menu

Operators

Your BETA card shows the machines you have been trained and tested on. This page covers how to get one, how to keep it valid, and what to do if something is wrong.

Getting a card

  1. Book with an approved centre

    Only a BETA approved training centre can put you forward for a card. Ask to see its approval certificate.

  2. Take the course

    The length depends on the machine and on whether you have operated it before. Bring photo ID on the first day.

  3. Sit both tests

    A theory paper and a practical test on the machine. You need to pass both.

  4. Receive your card

    Once BETA has approved your result, you are on the register and your card is issued.

Using your card

Carry it at work
A site manager or supervisor can ask to see it at any time, and can check it by scanning the code on the back.
It covers what is listed
Your card covers only the machines on your record. If you move to a different machine, you need training and a test on it first.
Watch the dates
The card has an expiry date, and so does each machine on it. Book a refresher before a date passes.
Your employer still decides
A card shows you were trained and tested. Your employer must still authorise you and show you their site and machines.

If something is wrong

If your card is lost, stolen or damaged, or your name or photo is wrong, tell the centre that trained you. They can ask BETA for a correction or a replacement.

If you think a test result is wrong, you can appeal to BETA within 20 working days. A reviewer who had no part in the decision checks the record, and if you are still not satisfied an independent panel looks at it again. How appeals work.

If you were asked to pay for a card without being tested, or a centre offered to change a result, tell us. You will not be penalised for reporting it.

Contact BETA

Keep your card safe

Do not post a photo of your card online. Pictures of real cards are used to make fake ones, and a fake in your name can be used by someone else on site.

If anyone offers to sell you a BETA card, or a card without a course and test, it is not genuine and it will not show as active on the register. Please tell us at info@betaqualifications.com.

Common questions

Is a BETA card a forklift licence?
There is no legal forklift or plant licence in the UK. The law asks employers to make sure operators are trained and competent, under the Provision and Use of Work Equipment Regulations 1998 and, for lift trucks, the HSE approved code of practice L117. A BETA card is evidence that you were trained and passed an independent test. Your employer still authorises you in writing for their site and machines.
How long is my card valid?
A red card lasts 2 years. A blue card lasts 5 years. A gold card lasts 5 years and is renewed by an audited logbook and a test. The date is printed on the front and shown on the card check.
Can I add another machine to my card?
Yes. Pass the test for that machine at an approved centre and BETA adds it to your record. The card check shows every machine you are covered for.
I have lost my card. What do I do?
Ask the centre that trained you to order a replacement. Your record on the register does not change, so an employer can still check you by registration number while you wait.
My name or photo is wrong.
Tell the centre that tested you, or email BETA with your registration number. We correct the register and, where needed, reissue the card.

More questions and answers

Your information

Anyone who checks your card sees your name, your photo, the card's status and the machines on it. They never see your date of birth, your full ID number or your test scores. Read the privacy notice.