Security Guard Services in Liechtenstein

How to Become a Licensed Security Guard in Liechtenstein

In Liechtenstein, private guarding is a trade that requires a license (security specialist, Sicherheitsfachfrau or Sicherheitsfachmann) and is regulated by the Trade Act and the Trade Ordinance. The Office of Economic Affairs (Amt für Volkswirtschaft) issues the trade license after obtaining an opinion from the National Police (Landespolizei), and employees deployed outside the business premises need an identification card (Legitimationskarte) with a photo.

Competent authority: Office of Economic Affairs (Amt für Volkswirtschaft). Legal basis: Trade Act (Gewerbegesetz, GewG) of September 30, 2020, LGBl. 2020 No. 415 (LR 930.1), in particular Art. 11, 12, 21, 25, 26 and 29; Trade Ordinance (Gewerbeverordnung, GewV) of December 15, 2020, LGBl. 2020 No. 469 (LR 930.11), in particular Art. 18, 26 and 32 to 34 and Annexes 1, 3, 4 and 5. llv.li

Requirements

• Employees of a licensed security company must have the reliability and suitability required for their assignment (GewV Art. 32(2))
• License holders and employees working outside the business premises must carry an identification card with a photo and show it to the police on request (GewV Art. 34(1) and (2))
• For the identification card, the employer submits a copy of the employee’s identity card or passport (for third-country nationals, also a copy of the Liechtenstein residence permit) together with an original criminal record extract and an original debt enforcement register extract (GewV Art. 34(4)(a) in conjunction with Art. 26(1)(a))
• The employee must consent to the result of the National Police check being communicated to the Office and to the employer (GewV Art. 34(4)(b))
• Before issuing the card, the Office checks reliability and suitability by asking the National Police whether anything in police information systems weighs against issuing it (GewV Art. 34(3))
• License holder (natural person): must have legal capacity to act and be reliable. Reliability is lacking, among other things, in the case of an unexpunged conviction to a prison sentence of more than three months or a fine of more than 180 daily rates, or certain insolvency offenses (GewG Art. 11(1) and Art. 12(1))
• Nationality of the license holder: nationals of an EEA state or Switzerland (or family members or other persons entitled under the Free Movement of Persons Act, Personenfreizügigkeitsgesetz) or third-country nationals with at least five years of permanent, uninterrupted residence in Liechtenstein (GewG Art. 11(1)(c))
• Professional qualification of the license holder, one of the following: at least two years as a police officer with the National Police or another security authority with corresponding training; completed basic vocational training and at least five years of practical work in the trade; or the Matura (upper secondary school leaving certificate) and five years of practical work in the trade (GewV Art. 18). For security-relevant trades, the practical work must fall within the five years before the application (GewV Art. 5(3))

Application Steps

1. The licensed security company prepares an application for an identification card for each employee who will work outside the business premises
2. Gather a copy of the identity card or passport (for third-country nationals, also a copy of the residence permit), an original criminal record extract and an original debt enforcement register extract
3. Obtain the employee’s written consent to the result of the National Police check being communicated to the Office and to the employer
4. The employer submits the application to the Office of Economic Affairs at least two weeks before the first planned assignment
5. The Office checks reliability and suitability with the National Police and issues an identification card with a photo, valid for a maximum of three years
6. The employee carries the card while on duty. The employer returns the card when the requirements are no longer met, the employment ends, the card expires or the trade license lapses

Agency Licensing

Security specialist (Sicherheitsfachfrau or Sicherheitsfachmann) is a qualified trade (GewV Annex 1, No. 60), a trade requiring a license (Annex 3, No. 62) and a security-relevant trade (Annex 4, No. 32). The license application is submitted to the Office of Economic Affairs (GewG Art. 21), which must obtain an opinion from the National Police before granting it (GewV Art. 33). The application must include identification, an original criminal record extract and an original debt enforcement register extract, and proof of qualification, for the owner or, for companies, for the managing director and the operations manager (GewV Art. 26). The company needs business premises in Liechtenstein, a domestic address for service and a commercial register entry stating the business purpose; foreign companies also need a branch in Liechtenstein (GewG Art. 11). Wearing a uniform requires the Office’s approval, which is granted only if there is no risk of confusion with the uniforms of the police, customs and border guard, or postal service (GewV Art. 32(3)). Providers from an EEA state or Switzerland that provide cross-border security services must notify the Office and show that neither they nor their employees have criminal records (GewG Art. 29(1)(d)); security specialist is one of the trades whose qualifications are checked before cross-border services are provided (GewV Annex 5, No. 22).

Identification cards for employees are issued for a maximum of three years from the date of issue (GewV Art. 34(3)) and must be returned when they expire (Art. 34(5)). The trade license has no fixed expiry date. It lapses on death, loss of legal capacity, written renunciation or deletion from the commercial register (GewG Art. 25), and it is revoked, among other reasons, if the requirements are no longer met or the trade has not been carried on for at least two consecutive years (GewG Art. 26).

Sources

• Trade Act (GewG), LGBl. 2020 No. 415, Lilex consolidated law
• Trade Ordinance (GewV), LGBl. 2020 No. 469, Lilex consolidated law
• Lilex subject area 93, Trade and Industry (Gewerbe. Industrie), listing GewG and GewV

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