Security Guard Services in Serbia

How to Become a Licensed Security Guard in Serbia

Serbia licenses private security under the Law on Private Security (Zakon o privatnom obezbeđenju), which is administered by the Ministry of Internal Affairs. Individuals receive a license after training and passing a professional exam, and companies must hold a separate license for each type of service; both types of license are valid for five years.

Competent authority: Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Republic of Serbia (Ministarstvo unutrašnjih poslova Republike Srbije). Law: Law on Private Security, Official Gazette of the Republic of Serbia (Službeni glasnik RS) Nos. 104/2013, 42/2015 and 87/2018. mup.gov.rs

Requirements

• Citizenship of the Republic of Serbia
• Registered permanent residence in Serbia
• Legal adulthood (the law does not state an age)
• At least secondary education (technical secondary education for a technical protection license)
• No security impediment: no final prison sentence or pending proceedings for the listed serious criminal offenses, no listed security or protective measures in force, no final misdemeanor penalties in the last four years for the listed offenses against public order and peace or related to weapons, and no negative security check
• Psychophysical fitness proven by a medical certificate no older than 60 days at the time of application; work with weapons requires a certificate of fitness to possess and carry weapons
• For work with weapons: firearms handling training or completed military service with weapons
• Completed private security training (programs are prescribed by the minister; the law does not state the number of hours)
• Passed professional exam at the Ministry; exam costs are paid by the candidate or the employer
• Paid national administrative fee for the license (the law does not state the amount)

Application Steps

1. Enroll in private security training with the Ministry or an authorized company, sole proprietor or school
2. Complete the training
3. Pass the professional exam at the Ministry of Internal Affairs
4. Obtain a medical certificate of psychophysical fitness (and of fitness to work with weapons if working armed)
5. Submit the license application to the Ministry through the police administration for the place of permanent residence
6. Collect the license, which is valid for five years

Agency Licensing

Companies and sole proprietors must hold a Ministry license for each type of service: risk assessment; physical and technical protection without weapons; physical and technical protection with weapons; transport of cash and valuables; planning of technical systems; design and supervision; installation, commissioning and maintenance; in-house security activity; and cash transport within in-house security activity. General conditions include registration under the private security activity code, an act on the organization and job classification, an act on the appearance of uniforms and insignia, a responsible person holding an individual license, business premises, a separate room for storing weapons if working with weapons, and an own or contracted control center for physical and technical protection or cash transport. Physical and technical protection and cash transport require at least 10 employed licensed security officers. Company licenses are valid for five years.

Work with weapons requires a license to perform specialist security officer duties with weapons. Companies may own semi-automatic pistols in 7.65 mm and 9 mm caliber, up to no more than half the number of armed licensed officers assigned to armed posts, and may acquire weapons only with Ministry approval. Officers carry weapons only within the protected site while on duty, with listed exceptions such as cash transport, close protection of persons and response teams. The responsible person issues a weapon carry order that the officer must carry, officers may not carry personal weapons on duty, and companies must organize practice shooting at least once a year.

Licenses are valid for five years. A new license is issued on request if the conditions have not changed, and the request may be filed no earlier than 60 days before expiry. A license is revoked if the holder no longer meets the conditions.

Sources

• Law on Private Security (Zakon o privatnom obezbeđenju), consolidated version on Paragraf

Requirements change. Confirm current rules with the competent authority before applying. This summary is general information, not legal advice. Last reviewed November 2026.