Business obligations, registers and licences · Slovakia
Private security licences for guarding and detective services
Guarding and detective services may be operated only under a licence issued under the Private Security Act, and the procedure is strict. The authorities check the people involved, their reliability and professional competence, and the company's resources. We assess your eligibility and that of key individuals, prepare the application and attachments, and handle proceedings before the Regional Police Directorate through to a decision.
- Guarding and detective services
- Individuals checked in advance
- Prices agreed upfront
What we'll do for you
Private security licensing depends on individuals, their integrity, reliability and competence. We check these before filing, rather than waiting for the police to do so.
Select an item to see the details.
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Eligibility review
We examine the statutory conditions for the company and individuals — integrity, reliability, age, legal capacity and professional competence — and identify what needs to be supplied or addressed.
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Professional competence
We determine who will meet the company's professional competence requirement and guide them through the process, from examination preparation to the documents required for the application.
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Application and attachments
A complete licence application with all attachments under Act No. 473/2005 Z. z. on Private Security, prepared to avoid the procedure stalling on a request for further information.
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Proceedings before the police
Filing with the Regional Police Directorate, communication with the authority and responses to requests through to the licensing decision.
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Operations after licensing
We put operator obligations in place — records, identification, employment contracts and notification of changes — so the business can retain its licence through its first inspection.
Deliverablean application for a security service operating licence, with proceedings handled through to a decision
How it works
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We establish whether the company and individuals meet the requirements and prepare an action plan.
- Preparing the file
Documents, professional competence and attachments — we complete and check the file.
- Filing and proceedingssubject to the authority
We file the application and monitor proceedings until the licence is granted.
- Setting up operations
Internal documents and processes to ensure operations comply with the licence from day one.
Private security is one of Slovakia’s most strictly regulated businesses. The licensing procedure examines the company and the people behind it, followed by inspections throughout its operations.
Our task is to ensure you enter the procedure prepared: with individuals checked, a professional guarantor in place and a file that leaves no weak points for the police to identify. After licensing, we help set up operations to withstand inspection.
No-obligation enquiry
Ready to start?
Send us an enquiry. We usually reply within 24 hours with a price confirmation and next steps. The first 30-minute consultation is free and commits you to nothing.
- 1Send your enquiry via this form
- 2Usually within 24 h you get a price confirmation and plan
- 3We start work only after your approval
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What clients ask
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What types of security services does the law distinguish?
The Private Security Act mainly regulates guarding services, such as protection of property and people and maintaining order at events; detective services, such as locating people and property and gathering information; and professional training and advice in this field. Each type has its own licence and requirements. Operating any of them without a licence is unlawful.
Who is checked during the procedure?
The company and, above all, the people behind it — statutory representatives, commercial procurators, persons with significant ownership interests and the professional guarantor. Both integrity and statutory reliability are examined. Reliability goes beyond a criminal record extract: the police also assess administrative offences and other circumstances of the person's past conduct. We therefore check individuals in advance; replacing an unsuitable person before filing costs less than a rejected application.
What is professional competence, and who must have it?
It is demonstrated by a professional competence examination and certificate. The person in management designated by law must meet it when operating the service. We determine who will act as your company's professional guarantor and guide that person through the process, including examination preparation.
How long does obtaining a licence take?
Proceedings follow the Administrative Procedure Code's time limits, but preparation determines the actual duration: checks on individuals, professional competence examinations and completion of attachments. With good cooperation, allow several months from deciding to proceed to obtaining the licence. We provide a more precise timetable after reviewing eligibility.
We provide cleaning and building management. Do we need a licence for a gatekeeper?
If the work meets the criteria for guarding — protecting property, controlling access or intervening in a security breach — generally yes, even if the position is called gatekeeper or receptionist. The distinction is fine and fines for unauthorised security services are substantial. We assess your operations and tell you whether a licence is required. That is a useful outcome in itself: sometimes reshaping the activity is enough.
Legal Q&A
Common questions on this topic
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We want to operate a guarding service. What do we need for a private security licence?
The regional Police Force directorate grants a guarding licence for ten years. For a company, it checks reliability and especially the people involved. Every statutory body member must be at least 21, of good character, reliable, medically fit and professionally qualified, with the required education and experience and a type P competence card after an Interior Ministry examination. Members with interests of 15% or more must be of good character and reliable. Attach personal documents, the founding deed and the fee. Unlicensed operation risks a fine and activity ban.
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We trace debtors' assets and gather information on companies for clients. Do we need a detective service licence?
If you carry out such activities for clients, generally yes. Act No. 473/2005 Coll. on Private Security expressly treats the tracing of property, the gathering of information on a person's financial circumstances and the gathering of information in connection with debt recovery as detective services, and a detective service may be operated only under a licence from a regional Police Force directorate. Activities carried out as part of an activity under special regulations are an exception. Operating without a licence risks a fine of EUR 3,319 to EUR 66,387 and an activity ban.
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We are selling a company holding a private security licence and the managing director is changing. Will the licence remain valid?
On a sale of a business interest, yes: the licence stays with the company to which it was granted; the licence itself cannot be transferred, so a buyer does not acquire it on a sale of the enterprise. The new managing director must, however, meet the same conditions as on the grant of the licence, and a new member holding an interest of at least 15% must be of good character and reliable, with changes notified to the regional directorate within 15 days. If the sole managing director leaves, or a statutory representative ceases to meet the conditions, the regional Police Force directorate suspends operation for up to three months and, if the grounds persist after that period, withdraws the licence.
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Further reading
Alarms, cameras and alarm receiving centres: when you need a technical service licence and when a guarding licence
Installing an alarm, servicing cameras and monitoring alarm signals around the clock fall under two different licences under the Private Security Act. For installation firms, building managers and operators of alarm receiving centres we examine where the line between them runs and what conditions apply to each.
Read more →
Guarding your own premises with your own employees: in-house protection needs a licence too
A production plant, a warehouse or a shopping centre is often guarded by its own employees. The Private Security Act calls such activity in-house protection and requires a licence from the regional Police Force directorate. We explain when in-house protection is involved, what conditions apply to the company and to the guards, and the risks of operating without a licence.
Read more →
When an AI user becomes its provider: roles under the AI Act
The AI Act allocates obligations by role, not by who wrote the code. A company that has a chatbot built on someone else's model, sells an AI product under its own brand or uses a general-purpose tool for a sensitive purpose may become a provider with all the attendant obligations. This article explains where the line runs and what follows from it for supplier contracts.
Read more →