PI Certifications & Credential Tiers

The Short Version

Every NYI badge is earned, never bought. Each one has written rules, a real review and a yearly re-check.

Three membership tiers. Verified, Certified and Fellow.
Tenure badges count licensed years only. 5, 10 and 20.
Top Rated takes real reviews that we read and confirm.
Six skill certifications, each backed by documented casework.
Any badge can be revoked. A badge you cannot lose is not worth earning.

Membership Tiers

Verified. Certified. Fellow.

Every member holds exactly one tier. The tier answers one question. How much has this investigator proven to us?

Tier One

NYI Verified

The entry mark. It proves the basics are real. That alone filters out most bad actors.

Current NYS private investigator license
Liability insurance on file
No unresolved state discipline
Business identity and address confirmed

Tier Two

NYI Certified

The working standard. This is the tier we tell the public to look for first.

Everything in Verified
5+ years licensed and in business
Two client or attorney references, checked
Passes the NYI ethics exam

Tier Three

NYI Fellow

The highest honor. Fellows are nominated, reviewed by peers and capped on purpose.

Everything in Certified
15+ years licensed and in business
Nomination by a current Fellow or the board
Case record review by a peer panel

Requirement	Verified	Certified	Fellow
NYS license check (Dept. of State)	Required	Required	Required
Liability insurance on file	Required	Required	Required
No unresolved discipline	Required	Required	Required
Years licensed and in business	Not required	5+	15+
Reference check	Not required	2 references	4 references
NYI ethics exam	Not required	Required	Required
Peer nomination	Not required	Not required	Required
Case record review	Not required	Not required	Peer panel
Re-verification	Yearly	Yearly	Yearly

Tenure Badges

Years You Can Prove.

Tenure badges count licensed years only. We pull the license history, not the marketing copy. The badge updates itself as the years add up.

Established · 5+ Years

Five licensed years in business. Past the startup phase, with a record you can check.

Veteran · 10+ Years

A decade under the same license. Most firms never make it this far.

Legacy · 20+ Years

Twenty or more licensed years. A career, not a business plan.

Reputation

Six Specialties, Backed By Casework.

A skill certification is not a quiz score. Each one requires documented, recent casework in that specialty, reviewed by the certification board.

Surveillance

Field surveillance done lawfully and well. Mobile, fixed and covert. The bread and butter of the trade, held to a written standard.

Requires 25+ documented surveillance cases

Background & Due Diligence

Deep background work for hiring, business deals and personal matters, built on lawful sources and verified records.

Requires 25+ documented background cases

Skip Tracing & Locates

Finding people who do not want to be found. Debtors, witnesses, heirs and missing persons, all within the law.

Requires 25+ documented locate cases

Digital Forensics

Recovering and preserving digital evidence so it holds up. Devices, accounts and data trails handled the right way.

Requires 15+ documented forensic cases

Insurance Fraud (SIU)

Claims investigation for carriers and SIU teams. Staged accidents, exaggerated injuries and workers' comp fraud.

Requires 25+ documented SIU cases

Litigation Support

Evidence gathering, witness interviews and trial prep for attorneys. Work product built for the courtroom.

Requires 25+ documented litigation cases

What Gets A Badge Revoked

A lapsed license, lost insurance, state discipline, faked reviews or a verified ethics complaint. Revoked members come off the directory the same week, and the badge files stop resolving. A badge you cannot lose is not worth earning.

Every Badge Has A Rulebook.