Protection of property and persons

Protection of property and persons is a licensed (concession) trade (field No. 14) covering the physical and technical protection of property, persons and premises. To carry it on you need a concession granted by the Trade Licensing Office in administrative proceedings and proof of professional qualification under Annex 3 to the Trade Licensing Act (Act No. 455/1991 Coll.). The licence comes into existence only on the date on which the decision granting the concession becomes final.

Conditions for operating

General conditions under Section 6 of the Trade Licensing Act: full legal capacity and a clean criminal record. For concession trades in the security field, reliability of the entrepreneur is additionally required.

Professional qualification under Annex 3 to Act No. 455/1991 Coll. (regulated by Sections 6 to 8 and Section 27 of the Act) - one of the following variants suffices:
a) university education, or
b) higher professional education of a legal, security or similar focus, or
c) secondary education with a maturita examination in a security or legal field, or
d) secondary education with a maturita examination and a retraining certificate or other proof of professional qualification, or
e) secondary education with a maturita examination and a professional qualification for the activity of guards under Act No. 179/2006 Coll.

Required experience: variants c), d) and e) additionally require 3 years of experience in the field.

Reliability of the entrepreneur is also required, as is a clean criminal record and professional qualification of the employees. Clean criminal record: yes. Medical fitness: no. Liability insurance: no.

If you do not meet the professional qualification yourself, under Section 11 of the Act you may appoint a responsible representative who meets the conditions (one person may act as responsible representative for no more than 4 entrepreneurs).

The licence comes into existence only on the date on which the decision granting the concession becomes final; the concession is issued by the Trade Licensing Office in administrative proceedings. Responsible body: Ministry of Industry and Trade, Na Frantisku 32, 110 15 Prague 1.

Examples of activities

Physical protection of premises, buildings, sites and construction sites (guarding service)
Protection of persons (bodyguard, escort of persons)
Operation and manning of a central alarm receiving centre (ARC) and monitoring of alarm signals
Response and intervention service reacting to an alarm
Protection during the transport of money, valuables and valuable consignments
Security supervision at events, concerts and sporting matches
Reception and gatekeeper security service with access control
Loss-prevention protection of goods in shops against theft

What this trade is and what it is for

Protection of property and persons is a licensed (concession) trade classified under field No. 14 of Annex 3 to the Trade Licensing Act (Act No. 455/1991 Coll.). It authorises you to provide security services - protecting property, premises, valuables and persons themselves against theft, damage, assault or other threats. It is one of the most strictly regulated activities, because it concerns the safety of people as well as the handling of sensitive information.

This trade is the basis of the business of private security agencies. It covers both physical protection (guarding service, protection of persons) and technical and surveillance activities (operating a central alarm receiving centre, intervention call-outs).

What this trade covers (and what it does not)

Protection of property and persons includes in particular:

physical protection of premises, sites and construction sites,
protection of persons (bodyguard, escort),
operation and manning of a central alarm receiving centre (ARC) and monitoring of alarms,
response and intervention service reacting to an alarm signal,
protection during the transport of money, valuables and valuable consignments,
security supervision at social and sporting events.

The boundary with neighbouring trades: the installation and fitting of alarm (security) and camera systems is governed by a separate concession trade - "Provision of technical services for the protection of property and persons" (field No. 15). Private investigation and gathering of information falls under the trade "Private detective services" (field No. 16). If you wish to combine these activities, you need a concession for each field separately.

Conditions for obtaining the trade under the law

You must satisfy the general conditions under Section 6 of the Trade Licensing Act - full legal capacity and a clean criminal record. For concession trades in the security field, reliability of the entrepreneur is additionally required, as is a clean criminal record and professional qualification of the employees.

Professional qualification is governed by Annex 3 to the Act and regulated by Sections 6 to 8 and Section 27 of Act No. 455/1991 Coll. One of the following variants must be demonstrated:

a) university education, or b) higher professional education of a legal, security or similar focus, or c) secondary education with a maturita examination in a security or legal field + 3 years of experience in the field, or d) secondary education with a maturita examination + a retraining certificate (or other proof of professional qualification) + 3 years of experience in the field, or e) secondary education with a maturita examination + a professional qualification for the activity of guards under Act No. 179/2006 Coll. + 3 years of experience in the field.

Neither medical fitness nor liability insurance is required here. If you do not meet the qualification yourself, under Section 11 of the Act you may appoint a responsible representative who meets the conditions and is responsible for the proper operation of the trade. One person may act as responsible representative for no more than 4 entrepreneurs.

How to notify or obtain the trade step by step

This trade cannot be obtained by notification - you must apply for a concession, on which the Trade Licensing Office decides in administrative proceedings (it usually requests an opinion from the relevant body).

Complete the Unified Registration Form (URF) - concession application.
Submit it to any Trade Licensing Office (municipal Trade Licensing Office), electronically via the rzp.gov.cz portal, or at a Czech POINT branch.
Provide proof of education and experience (professional qualification) and, for legal persons, details of the responsible representative.
Pay the administrative fee.
The office decides normally within 30 days. The licence comes into existence only on the date on which the decision granting the concession becomes final.

The detailed procedure can be found in the guide How to start a trade.

Documents and fees

the completed URF (concession application),
proof of identity,
proof of education and experience (professional qualification),
the responsible representative's consent and documents, where applicable,
administrative fee of CZK 1,000 for a concession application (first entry into business), CZK 500 for a further concession,
a clean criminal record is verified by the office itself from the criminal records register.

Frequently asked questions

Can I start trading immediately after submitting the application?

No. Unlike notifiable trades, the licence comes into existence only on the date on which the decision granting the concession becomes final. Before that date you may not provide protection services.

What if I have neither professional education nor experience?

You may appoint a responsible representative under Section 11 of the Act who meets the professional qualification. Otherwise you will not obtain the concession.

Is a maturita alone enough for guards?

A maturita alone is not enough. For secondary education with a maturita you must additionally demonstrate the field (security/legal), or retraining or a guard's professional qualification, and always 3 years of experience in the field.

How long does the office take to decide on the application?

The time limit for a decision is normally 30 days from submission of the concession application.

Do I need a separate concession to install cameras and alarms?

Yes. The installation of technical security systems falls under separate field No. 15 and requires its own concession.