Security Guard Services in Estonia

How to Become a Licensed Security Guard in Estonia

In Estonia, security activities are regulated by the Security Activities Act, whose amended version has been in force since 1 July 2024, and supervision is carried out by the Police and Border Guard Board. A company needs an activity license to provide guarding services, and security workers have a three-level professional qualification (guard, level 3; security officer, level 4; security manager, level 5), which carries language, training and health requirements.

Regulator: Politsei- ja Piirivalveamet (Police and Border Guard Board, PPA). Law: Security Activities Act (turvategevuse seadus), with amendments in force since 1 July 2024, and the ministerial regulation “Rules for Security Activities” (Turvategevuse eeskiri). politsei.ee

Requirements

• Professional levels: guard (level 3), security officer (level 4) and security manager (level 5)
• Estonian language proficiency: at least B2 for security officers and security managers, at least A2 for guards
• Basic training: at least 24 academic hours for guards (including 16 contact hours), 50 for security officers (including 32 contact hours) and 80 for security managers (including 48 contact hours)
• At least 16 academic hours of continuing training every year; for security officers and for security managers working in guarding, at least 6 of these hours must be practical training in the use of physical force, equipment and weapons
• A security manager must not have a current conviction for an intentionally committed crime
• Health requirements, under which workers are divided into two health groups (Group I: security officers and security managers working in guarding; Group II: guards)

Application Steps

1. Complete the basic training required for the chosen level
2. Obtain a professional qualification at level 3, 4 or 5
3. Meet the Estonian language and health requirements
4. Work for a company that holds a guarding activity license
5. Complete at least 16 academic hours of continuing training every year

Agency Licensing

Guarding requires an activity license from the Police and Border Guard Board, which is applied for online through eesti.ee before activities begin. Each guarding activity license must be linked to at least one named security manager who is responsible for organizing the guarding activities. Neither the company nor the persons who control it may have been convicted of intentional crimes under the listed chapters of the Penal Code. For security audits and for designing, installing and maintaining security systems, a notice in the Register of Economic Activities is required instead of an activity license, and for training security workers, a notice in the Estonian Education Information System. Activity licenses issued earlier for guarding property, personal protection and maintaining public order at events remain valid.

A guard may not use physical force and may use only pepper spray in the event of an attack. A security officer, or a security manager working in guarding, may use physical force in the event of a threat or a violation, and weapons permitted by law in the event of an attack. Transport of high-value cash and securities (more than 100 times the monthly minimum wage) must be guarded by armed security officers, and above 25 times that threshold two armed security officers are required together with a security case or an armored cash-in-transit vehicle.

Workers must complete at least 16 academic hours of continuing training every year. Existing level 5 security manager professional certificates remain valid until they expire, and the requirements of the new law apply when they are renewed.

Sources

• Ministry of the Interior: Overview of the Security Activities Act changes in force from 1 July 2024
• Police and Border Guard Board: permits for economic activity

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