A permit is required in Germany for commercial activities in the security industry. It is required for guarding the lives or property of third parties over a certain period of time (e.g. personal protection or a security service) or in the form of recurring checks (e.g. as a doorman).
It can be issued to natural and legal persons, is generally valid for an unlimited period and is valid throughout Germany.
Regardless of whether a permit is issued, the business must be registered at the place of business.
Service details
Procedure
You must apply to the competent authority for permission to operate a security business. It is recommended that you only apply for a permit to operate a security business once all the necessary documents have been submitted.
Prerequisites
- Personal and financial reliability
- Orderly living conditions
- Proof of liability insurance
- Submission of a certificate from the Chamber of Industry and Commerce) regarding expertise
Required documents
- Completed application form
- Copy of identity card or comparable identification document
- For legal entities:
- for companies based in Germany:
- for companies entered in a register: Extract from the commercial register or the partnership register
- otherwise a copy of the articles of association (e.g. in the case of a civil law partnership (GbR))
- if the company is based abroad: documents from the country of domicile that prove the legal form.
- for companies based in Germany:
- Proof of personal expertise by submitting a certificate from the Chamber of Industry and Commerce (IHK) confirming successful completion of an examination of expertise or by submitting proof recognized as equivalent
- Certificate in tax matters ("clearance certificate") from the tax office
- Certificate in tax matters ("clearance certificate") from the municipal treasurer's office
- Confirmation of entries in the debtor register and freedom from insolvency from the local court
- Information from the central enforcement court
- Proof that you have taken out the required liability insurance
In order to verify the necessary requirements (in particular your personal reliability), the competent authority may request further documents and obtain statements from other authorities (e.g. police, State Office of Criminal Investigation, Office for the Protection of the Constitution).
From 01.01.2019, your personal reliability will be checked again at regular intervals, at the latest after 5 years.
In the case of legal entities (limited liability companies, business companies, public limited companies, registered cooperatives), you only need to complete the application form for the legal entity itself. You must submit all personal documents for all natural persons authorized to manage the company (e.g. identity papers). For the legal entity, you also need an excerpt from the central trade register.
Partnerships (GbR, KG, OHG, PartG, GmbH Co. KG) are not eligible for a license as such. Therefore, each managing partner requires a permit. You must submit a completed application form and all personal documents for each of these persons.
Fees
The amount of the fees is based on the current version of the Ludwigsburg District Fee Ordinance.
Legal basis
Responsible body
The approval authority is the district administration office, district police department, if the intended place of business is located in a municipality in the Ludwigsburg district. The large district towns are responsible for intended business premises in the large district towns, including the administrative communities.
