How to check a security company's license in Greece
Which licenses a security company and its guards need in Greece, and how to check them yourself before you hire.
Private security is a licensed activity in Greece. Anyone can print a uniform and a business card; the license is what the law actually asks for. Checking it takes ten minutes, and it is the one check nobody else will do for you.
Two licenses, not one
Greek law (Law 2518/1997, as amended) separates the business from the people who work for it.
- The company's operating license. A business that provides security services to others, such as guarding property, protecting people or securing events, needs an operating license issued by the Hellenic Police. It is issued for five years and has to be renewed.
- The guard's work license. Each person who does the actual security work needs their own work license as security staff, issued through the police. Getting one involves relevant training and a clean record on the offenses the law lists.
A serious provider has both and is used to being asked. Hesitation at this question tells you something.
What to ask for
- A copy of the company's operating license.
- The work license of each guard who will actually come to your site, not of "one of our people".
- The company's full legal name and tax number, as they will appear on the contract and the invoice.
What to check on the documents
- The name matches. The name on the operating license should be the same legal entity that signs your contract and issues your invoice. A license that belongs to a different company does not cover the one you are paying.
- The dates are current. Look at the issue and expiry dates on both licenses. An expired license is no license.
- The person matches. On the day, the guard who arrives should be the person named on the work license you were shown. Ask to see it together with an identity document.
- The activity fits. Guarding a building and protecting a person are different activities. Ask whether the license covers the one you need.
If something does not add up
The license names the police authority that issued it. If a document looks altered, or the provider will not show one, that authority is where to ask. You do not need to prove anything yourself; you only need to decide not to go ahead.
Common warning signs: the license "is being renewed" with nothing in writing, a guard who is "starting this week and the papers are coming", a price far below every other offer, or a request to pay in cash with no invoice.
What Security Solved does and does not do
Security Solved introduces clients to security professionals. It does not check identities, licenses or backgrounds, and nothing on a profile means that it did. That is why this check is yours to make, with every provider, wherever you found them.
This guide is general information, not legal advice. The law changes; for a specific case, ask a lawyer or the issuing authority.