Security Guard Services in Martinique and Guadeloupe

How to Become a Licensed Security Guard in the French Antilles

In Guadeloupe, Martinique, Saint Martin and Saint Barthélemy, private security falls under the French national system administered by CNAPS. Working as a private security officer requires a professional card issued by CNAPS.

Regulator: Conseil national des activités privées de sécurité (National Council for Private Security Activities, CNAPS), Antilles-Guyane office. Legal framework: Internal Security Code (Code de la sécurité intérieure), as amended by Decree No. 2016-515 of 26 April 2016 on the conditions for carrying out private security activities and on CNAPS. cnaps.interieur.gouv.fr

Requirements

• Be a French or European national, or have lived in France for more than 5 years (CNAPS FAQ)
• CNAPS administrative investigation covering the police criminal records database, the wanted persons file and bulletin no. 2 of the criminal record
• Foreign nationals, including European Union nationals, provide an equivalent of bulletin no. 3 from their country of birth, dated less than 3 months earlier and translated into French by a sworn translator
• Nationals of countries outside the European Union must demonstrate French at level B1 or higher
• Demonstrate professional aptitude: a CQP (professional qualification certificate), a qualification listed in the RNCP (national register of professional certifications), a European diploma recognized as equivalent, or an equivalence for certain police officers, gendarmes, municipal police officers and military personnel
• Valid national identity card or passport; no medical certificate is required

Application Steps

1. Obtain a pre-registration certificate from the training body
2. Apply to CNAPS for prior authorization to access training (valid for 6 months), or for a provisional authorization if the hiring security company provides the training (valid for 6 months)
3. Complete the training and obtain the professional certification
4. Apply for the professional card on the CNAPS online portal (Dracar Ultimate), or by mail to the CNAPS regional office covering the applicant’s place of residence
5. CNAPS carries out its administrative investigation; files of people unknown to the police or gendarmerie are generally processed in less than 10 days, and no response after more than 2 months counts as an implicit rejection
6. A separate application is now required for each activity

Agency Licensing

A private security company must obtain an operating authorization from CNAPS, and each secondary establishment must have its own authorization. No one may direct, manage or be a partner in a private security company without a manager’s approval (agrément dirigeant), which is valid for 5 years. The approval does not allow the manager to carry out security assignments personally, which always require a professional card. Surveillance and guarding activities cannot be combined with services unrelated to surveillance, guarding or cash transport.

Armed security is a separate regulated activity that excludes any other private security activity: a company that carries it out may offer only that activity. The acquisition, possession and storage of weapons used in private security are governed by the order of 28 September 2018, and CNAPS also publishes orders on initial and continuing training for armed officers.

The professional card is valid for 5 years throughout France. Renewal must be requested at least 3 months before expiry, after completing the continuing training for maintenance and updating of skills (MAC). Each activity is renewed separately.

Sources

• CNAPS: home page
• CNAPS FAQ: Becoming a private security officer
• CNAPS FAQ: Card applications and filing
• CNAPS FAQ: Renewals and duplicates
• CNAPS FAQ: Managers and companies
• CNAPS FAQ: Activities
• CNAPS: Working as a private security officer
• CNAPS: Training for careers in private security
• CNAPS: Find the regional office or branch
• CNAPS: Regulatory texts
• CNAPS: Decree on the conditions for carrying out private security activities and on CNAPS
• CNAPS: Order on weapons, possession of weapons

Regulations change. Confirm current rules with the official regulator before applying. This summary is general information, not legal advice. Last reviewed November 2026.