By last Friday, the Private Security Authority (PSA) had only received 3,500 licence applications from people to work as door supervisors and "static" security guards, despite an April 1st deadline. It is estimates that 20,000 people work in the sector.
The majority of applications received to date are understood to be from static security guards - those working in the retail or office maintenance areas.
This indicates that many "bouncers" around the country may have not yet applied for the licences.
However, speaking last week at an open day in Dublin for workers affected by the new licences, the PSA's director of licensing, Paul Scallan, said he expected the level of applications to increase significantly in the run-up to the deadline.
From April 1st, it will be an offence to operate in a designated sector of the private security industry without a licence. It will also be an offence to employ an unlicensed person.
The PSA intends to start issuing individual licences from next month, once the April 1st deadline passes. It hopes to have around 70 per cent of these completed by October, with the remainder in place by next April.
However, given the volume of applications that the PSA expects to have to deal with in the coming weeks - and the fact that many of the applications it has received to date are incomplete - Mr Scallan said individuals would be allowed to carry proof that they had applied for a licence as an interim measure.
To obtain a licence to work in the industry, applicants must prove that they have received training relevant to their sector.
Individuals must also complete a Garda vetting form which requires details of all previous addresses from date of birth, and reveal details of any previous criminal records. However, a previous criminal conviction will not automatically disqualify an individual from a licence.
Other information required includes a valid tax clearance certificate.