When does Martyn's Law come into force?
Last reviewed:
As of July 2026: Martyn's Law received Royal Assent on 3 April 2025, but its duties have not yet commenced. Commencement is expected in spring 2027, and the SIA's notification portal is not yet live. Nothing is required of venues before then. This page is kept current as things change; see the update log at the bottom.
| Royal Assent | 3 April 2025 |
|---|---|
| Duties in force? | Not yet |
| Expected commencement | Spring 2027 |
| SIA notification portal | Not yet live; volunteer testing expected from early 2027 |
The timeline so far
The campaign behind the Act began after the Manchester Arena attack in 2017, led by Martyn Hett's mother, Figen Murray. It moved through consultation and a Bill before reaching the statute book. The key dates:
- 3 April 2025: the Terrorism (Protection of Premises) Act 2025 received Royal Assent.
- April 2026: the Home Office published the statutory guidance explaining how the duties will work in practice, with a further update in May 2026.
- 15 April to 12 June 2026: the SIA ran a public consultation on its draft section 12 guidance, covering how it will exercise its own regulatory functions. Final section 12 guidance is expected in autumn 2026, once ministers have signed it off.
- 10 June 2026: the Terrorism (Protection of Premises) Act 2025 (Commencement No. 2) Regulations were published, bringing a small number of provisions into force on 15 June 2026. These switched on the SIA's own duty to prepare its regulatory guidance; they did not switch on any duties for venues.
- Early 2027 (expected): the SIA plans to invite volunteers to test its notification portal ahead of launch.
- Spring 2027 (expected): the substantive duties on responsible persons commence, and the SIA's notification and inspection functions become fully operational.
Why the long lead-in
The Government set an implementation period of at least 24 months from Royal Assent, deliberately, so venues have real time to prepare rather than facing duties overnight. Much of that time is also being used to stand up the regulator itself: the SIA has to build a notification portal, write and consult on its own operating guidance, and test its processes before it can start regulating anyone else. The commencement regulations issued so far reflect that: they've switched on the SIA's own obligations first, not venues' duties.
What's still to be decided
A few things haven't been finalised yet, and this page will update as they are:
- The commencement regulations that will formally switch on the duties for standard and enhanced tier premises.
- The detailed notification regulations, including exactly what information the SIA will ask for and by when.
- The SIA's section 12 operating guidance, expected in final form in autumn 2026.
- The notification portal itself, still in development, with volunteer testing expected from early 2027.
What sensible venues do now
None of the above is a reason to wait. The things that take real time, working out your tier, designing your procedures, briefing your staff, are worth doing well before commencement rather than in a rush once it lands.
- Check which tier you're in, free, about two minutes, no email required.
- Read who Martyn's Law applies to if you're not certain your premises is in scope.
- Work through the standard tier explained and design your four procedures.
- Write your procedures down using our free template, and brief everyone with a role.
Update log
- 14 July 2026: page published, reflecting the Commencement No. 2 Regulations and the SIA's section 12 guidance consultation.
Frequently asked questions
Is Martyn's Law in force yet?
No. The Act received Royal Assent, meaning it became law, on 3 April 2025, but the duties on venues have not yet commenced. Commencement is expected in spring 2027, after an implementation period the Government set at around 24 months from Royal Assent.
Is it actually law, or is it still a proposal?
It is law now. Royal Assent on 3 April 2025 means the Terrorism (Protection of Premises) Act 2025 is a real Act of Parliament, not a proposal or a bill. What hasn't happened yet is commencement: the point at which its duties actually start applying to venues. Those are two different milestones, and a lot of confused reporting mixes them up.
Can I be fined today for not complying?
No. Nothing can be enforced against a venue until the duties commence, expected spring 2027. There is nothing to notify, nothing to submit, and no penalty that can apply before then. Some regulatory machinery started moving in June 2026, but that was about setting up the regulator itself, not about venue duties.
Sources: Terrorism (Protection of Premises) Act 2025; Home Office statutory guidance (April 2026, updated May 2026) and supplementary documents. Paragraph references are to the statutory guidance. General information, not legal advice. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.