Commercial guarding requires a permit. Guarding within the meaning of Section 34a of the Trade, Commerce and Industry Regulation Act (GewO) refers to activities aimed at protecting the lives or property of third parties from interference by third parties. The specific activities covered by the term "guarding" are wide-ranging. These include, among others

• conventional bicycle, vehicle and building security,
• the event service,
• air passenger control,
• the transportation of money and valuables,
• personal protection or
• the guarding of industrial and military facilities and nuclear power plants.

Guarding requires an active custodial activity (e.g. supervision or checks). The guarding must consist of human activity.

A guarding contractor can be a natural or legal person. In the case of partnerships (e.g. OHG, KG), the trader is any managing partner. In the case of legal entities (e.g. GmbH, AG), the permit is issued to the legal entity.

• Copy of identity card or other official identification document for all natural persons authorized to manage the company
• Proof of personal reliability
  • If resident in Germany:
    • Extract from the central trade register
    • Certificate of good conduct for all natural persons authorized to manage the company
  • If resident abroad: documents from the home country that prove personal reliability
• Proof of the company's legal form
  • if the company is 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. for a civil law partnership (GbR))
  • if the company is based abroad: documents from the country of domicile that prove the legal form.
• Proof of orderly financial circumstances
  • Current certificate in tax matters from the responsible tax office (to be submitted in the original); if applicable, certificate in tax matters from the municipal tax office
  • Extract from the debtor register of the central enforcement court
  • Submission of a statement of assets
  • Information from the insolvency court as to whether proceedings have been opened (so-called negative certificate)
  • Proof of the funds required for the business or corresponding collateral
• Proof of personal expertise for all natural persons authorized to manage the business: Submission of proof of the prescribed instruction, successful completion of the examination of expertise or proof recognized as equivalent
• Proof that the required liability insurance has been taken out
• 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).

"The trade authorities in Lower Saxony levy corresponding fees in accordance with the Ordinance on Fees and Expenses for Official Acts and Services (General Schedule of Fees - AllGO). For the security industry, the amount of fees is based on "time spent" in accordance with tariff number 40.1.12 of the Annex to Section 1 (1) AllGO.