Security services licence in Estonia (guarding)

In Estonia, guarding (manned security and remote monitoring of sites) needs an activity licence from the Police and Border Guard Board before the work begins¹⁰¹³. Security audits, alarm system work, security officer training and in-house security need only a notice¹⁵¹⁶¹⁷. The licence turns on a qualified head of security and a clean criminal record of the company and its owners and managers²⁰²².

Information as of 11 November 2026. Every numbered statement of this page was checked in the official text named below and re-checked by a second reviewer on 2026-11-11. The page is general information, not legal advice; the authority decides on every application.

What the activity is

Estonian law calls the field "security activities" (turvategevus). The act lists four fields of activity: guarding (turvamine), carrying out security audits, designing, installing and servicing alarm systems, and training security officers¹.

Guarding means watching over, protecting and keeping order, either with people on site or with technical means². It covers manned guarding, keeping order at public gatherings, protecting a person (only with that person's consent) and watching a site remotely by technical means. The minister's security activities regulation also sets rules for guarding high-value consignments²³.

The other three fields are not guarding:

• a security audit assesses the threat and gives written recommendations in a report, approved by a head of security⁴;
• alarm system work is designing, installing and servicing devices that watch a site and send an automatic alarm to the security company⁵;
• training gives security officers the knowledge and skills they need⁶.

An organisation that, with its own staff, protects and keeps order in public areas it owns or holds, or guards the property of its tenants or, free of charge, of others, carries out "in-house security" (siseturvamine); the act applies to it as well⁷.

The legal act and the authority

The act in force today is the Turvategevuse seadus (TurvaTS; in English, descriptively, the Security Activities Act). It entered into force on 1 July 2024 and replaced the former Security Act (turvaseadus); the redaction checked here is in force from 1 October 2026⁸.

Licensing procedure, time limits and the register follow the Majandustegevuse seadustiku üldosa seadus (MSÜS, General Part of the Economic Activities Code Act), which applies to economic activities under TurvaTS unless TurvaTS says otherwise⁹.

The competent authority is the Politsei- ja Piirivalveamet (PPA, Police and Border Guard Board). It decides on the application and on granting, suspending and revoking the licence¹⁰. The PPA also supervises compliance with the act; the Ministry of Education and Research supervises the training rules¹¹.

Licences and notices are recorded in the Register of Economic Activities (majandustegevuse register, MTR)¹².

Who must apply

An undertaking must hold an activity licence before it starts guarding as an economic activity¹³. This applies whether the undertaking is a company or a sole trader¹⁴.

The other fields need a notice:

• security audits and alarm systems: a notice of economic activities under MSÜS. The notice counts as filed only once the responsible person has confirmed in the MTR that they work for the undertaking¹⁵;
• security officer training: a notice under the Adult Education Act; it counts as filed once the undertaking has confirmed in the Estonian Education Information System that it has a head of security and has given the criminal-record confirmation¹⁶;
• in-house security: a notice of the start of in-house security¹⁷.

The act does not apply to government authorities whose task is to guard and protect a site, or to guarding under the Estonian Defence League Act; protection of an Estonian-flagged ship in a high-risk area falls under the Maritime Safety Act¹⁸.

A licence is never granted by default (tacit approval), and it does not extend to the security company's subsidiaries¹⁹.

Requirements for the applicant

Subject of the licence check. The PPA grants the guarding licence if the criminal-record requirement is met and the undertaking has a head of security (turvajuht) who meets the requirements²⁰.

Capital and own funds. Whether a minimum share capital or own-funds requirement applies is specified for the client's situation. The Government may restrict capital holdings in a guarding company by persons from countries outside the European Economic Area (EEA) and Switzerland, for national security and public order²¹.

The undertaking, its owners and its management. The company and its related persons must not have been punished for an intentional crime under chapters 8–13, 15–19, 21, 22 and 24 of the Penal Code²². Related persons are the shareholders, members of the management body, procurators and anyone else with controlling influence over the management²³. For shareholders, the requirement applies to those holding more than 5% of the share capital²².

Head of security. A security company that does guarding, security audits or training must have a head of security who meets the act's requirements²⁴. The head of security must:

• be at least 18;
• have at least secondary education and full legal capacity;
• be an Estonian citizen or hold a right of residence or a residence permit in Estonia;
• speak Estonian at the level the law requires;
• be physically fit and in good health;
• be personally suitable for the work and not addicted to alcohol or drugs;
• hold the head of security professional qualification under the Professions Act²⁵.

Security officers. Guarding is done by security officers (turvatöötaja) and heads of security, and a security officer must hold the security officer qualification; a guard (valvetöötaja) may take part only under a security officer's guidance and as the site's security plan allows²²⁶. A person whose record of an intentional crime has not been deleted may not work in security²⁷. Officers need a health check no earlier than three months before they first start work²⁷. A qualification gained abroad can be used once the PPA recognises it²⁷.

Operational duties. The company must:

• notify the PPA of manned guarded sites;
• keep recordings from technical means for one month or, in the cases the act names, six months;
• keep records under the security activities regulation;
• report injuries, deaths and any use of a firearm;
• submit the description of its uniform and service ID card to the PPA²⁸.

AML/CFT, IT, outsourcing, seat. Whether anti-money laundering and counter-terrorist financing (AML/CFT), IT, outsourcing or seat rules apply is specified for the client's situation.

Documents filed with the application

The application to the PPA contains:

General data (MSÜS)²⁹:

• name and registry code of the undertaking;
• contact details;
• for a foreign undertaking, its address;
• the activity name and classification code;
• name, contact details and authority to sign of the person who signs.

A company still being founded files its founding document instead of a registry code; its licence takes effect at the earliest when it acquires legal capacity³⁰.

Data on the head of security²⁹³¹:

• name, personal identification code and contact details;
• the professional qualification certificate data;
• the head of security's own confirmation of their legal relationship with the undertaking.

Owners³¹: the list of shareholders holding more than 5%.

Criminal record³¹³²: a confirmation that the undertaking and its related persons have not been punished for the listed crimes, or that the records have been deleted. For a foreign undertaking or citizen, the PPA accepts a criminal record certificate from the country of origin or residence, issued no more than three months earlier.

The PPA may ask for more data if it needs it to check the requirements, with a reasonable time limit³³.

State fee and processing time

The state fee for reviewing an application for a guarding licence is EUR 270, under the State Fees Act (riigilõivuseadus, RLS) § 272²³⁴. The fee is paid when the application is filed³³.

The authority sends a first reply, with the time limit for deciding, within three working days³³.

The PPA decides within 30 days, counted from the date all required data has been filed³⁵. If data is missing, it sets a time limit to file it; it may suspend the time limit for up to 30 days while a defect is corrected, and extend it once by up to 30 days³⁵.

These time limits are set by law; they are not a promise of when or whether a licence will be granted. The licence is granted for an unlimited period unless a law provides otherwise or the undertaking itself asks for a limited period³⁶.

What LexorCorp Global OÜ does and how to order

LexorCorp Global OÜ sells this work through its activity licence application documentation service. For the client's activity it:

• sets out the requirements of the act from its official text;
• prepares the application;
• files it through the Register of Economic Activities;
• handles the written follow-up of the authority's questions.

It can also prepare the notice for a field that needs only a notice (security audits, alarm systems, in-house security).

The service does not include legal advice, an audit, tax advice, or training of staff. The decision on the licence and its timing belong to the PPA alone; LexorCorp does not promise a licence, a date or any decision.

The price depends on the activity and is given on request. Request a price for guarding from the security services section of the guide Licensed activities in Estonia. The request reaches LexorCorp like every other enquiry, and the reply comes by email.

Sources

1. TurvaTS § 4 (1) — text in force from 01.10.2026 (RT I, 09.07.2026, 65)
2. TurvaTS § 5 (1), (3), (4), (7), (8) — text in force from 01.10.2026 (RT I, 09.07.2026, 65)
3. TurvaTS § 4 (3) p 7 — text in force from 01.10.2026 (RT I, 09.07.2026, 65)
4. TurvaTS § 6 (1)–(2) — text in force from 01.10.2026 (RT I, 09.07.2026, 65)
5. TurvaTS § 7 (1) — text in force from 01.10.2026 (RT I, 09.07.2026, 65)
6. TurvaTS § 8 (1) — text in force from 01.10.2026 (RT I, 09.07.2026, 65)
7. TurvaTS § 1 (2), § 9 (1), (3) — text in force from 01.10.2026 (RT I, 09.07.2026, 65)
8. TurvaTS § 49; RLS 3. jaotis note; RT header — text in force from 01.10.2026 (RT I, 09.07.2026, 65)
9. TurvaTS § 1 (6) — text in force from 01.10.2026 (RT I, 09.07.2026, 65)
10. TurvaTS § 13 — text in force from 01.10.2026 (RT I, 09.07.2026, 65)
11. TurvaTS § 32 — text in force from 01.10.2026 (RT I, 09.07.2026, 65)
12. MSÜS § 8 (1)–(2), § 20 (4); TurvaTS § 11 (2) — text in force from 01.09.2025 (RT I, 02.01.2025, 26)
13. TurvaTS § 11 (1) — text in force from 01.10.2026 (RT I, 09.07.2026, 65)
14. TurvaTS § 3 p 4 — text in force from 01.10.2026 (RT I, 09.07.2026, 65)
15. TurvaTS § 11 (2) — text in force from 01.10.2026 (RT I, 09.07.2026, 65)
16. TurvaTS § 11 (3) — text in force from 01.10.2026 (RT I, 09.07.2026, 65)
17. TurvaTS § 11 (5) — text in force from 01.10.2026 (RT I, 09.07.2026, 65)
18. TurvaTS § 1 (3)–(4) — text in force from 01.10.2026 (RT I, 09.07.2026, 65)
19. TurvaTS § 11 (4) — text in force from 01.10.2026 (RT I, 09.07.2026, 65)
20. TurvaTS § 14 — text in force from 01.10.2026 (RT I, 09.07.2026, 65)
21. TurvaTS § 10 (3); full text read, no capital provision — text in force from 01.10.2026 (RT I, 09.07.2026, 65)
22. TurvaTS § 10 (1) p 3, (2) — text in force from 01.10.2026 (RT I, 09.07.2026, 65)
23. MSÜS § 5 (2) — text in force from 01.09.2025 (RT I, 02.01.2025, 26)
24. TurvaTS § 10 (1) p 8 — text in force from 01.10.2026 (RT I, 09.07.2026, 65)
25. TurvaTS § 15 (1), (3) — text in force from 01.10.2026 (RT I, 09.07.2026, 65)
26. TurvaTS § 15 (2), (4); § 5 (5) — text in force from 01.10.2026 (RT I, 09.07.2026, 65)
27. TurvaTS § 15 (5), (7), (13) — text in force from 01.10.2026 (RT I, 09.07.2026, 65)
28. TurvaTS § 10 (1) p 4–7¹, § 16 (2) — text in force from 01.10.2026 (RT I, 09.07.2026, 65)
29. MSÜS § 19 (2), § 15 (1) p 1–4, 7 and (2) — text in force from 01.09.2025 (RT I, 02.01.2025, 26)
30. MSÜS § 19 (4) — text in force from 01.09.2025 (RT I, 02.01.2025, 26)
31. TurvaTS § 12 (1) — text in force from 01.10.2026 (RT I, 09.07.2026, 65)
32. TurvaTS § 12 (2) — text in force from 01.10.2026 (RT I, 09.07.2026, 65)
33. MSÜS § 19 (5)–(7) — text in force from 01.09.2025 (RT I, 02.01.2025, 26)
34. RLS § 272² — text in force from 01.11.2026 (RT I, 21.10.2026, 10)
35. MSÜS § 20 (1)–(3) — text in force from 01.09.2025 (RT I, 02.01.2025, 26)
36. MSÜS § 24 (1) — text in force from 01.09.2025 (RT I, 02.01.2025, 26)

Official sources

The laws this article names, each linked to its official text, as read on 9 October 2026. For the Estonian acts we read the English translation in Riigi Teataja; the legally binding text is the Estonian one.

• State Fees Act — Riigi Teataja, English translation

Sources in the text are named without links; the official texts are linked under Official sources. To see which of our services your company needs, open the Business Navigator.