# Insurance for security companies, guarding services and private investigators in Germany

> In the German security trade, liability insurance is not a recommendation but a condition of your licence: without proof there is no permit under § 34a of the Trade Regulation Act (GewO). Yet the legal minimum limits are low, and one incident on a club door, a lost site key or a missed patrol can quickly cost more. This page shows what you really need.

Quelle/Source: https://www.nammert.com/en/business-insurance-security-company.php  
Updated: 2026-09-18

## Are the legal minimum limits enough for my security liability cover?

For the licence, yes; in practice, usually not. 12,500 euros for financial loss is soon used up if a missed patrol brings a production line to a halt, and 15,000 euros for guarded property barely covers a building site store. Many clients therefore ask for 3 million euros for injury and property damage and 100,000 euros each for financial loss and loss of guarded property. These limits usually cost only a little more.

## At a glance

- **Compulsory:** Yes: liability insurance under § 34a GewO, the licensing rule for security firms, and § 14 of the Guarding Ordinance (Bewachungsverordnung), with at least 1 million euros for bodily injury, 250,000 euros for property damage, 15,000 euros for loss of guarded property and 12,500 euros for pure financial loss
- **Biggest risk:** Injuries during incidents, allegations of excessive force and break-ins despite guarding
- **Basic cover from:** about 315 euros a year for security liability cover that meets the legal minimum limits
- **Statutory accident insurer:** VBG, the Berufsgenossenschaft for service businesses; membership is compulsory from your first employee
- **Often forgotten:** Criminal legal defence cover: after an incident with injuries, the public prosecutor often investigates your staff
- **WZ 2025 / NACE:** 80.01 Private Wach- und Sicherheitsdienste sowie Detekteien, 80.09 Sicherheitsdienste a. n. g.

## What goes wrong in this trade

- **Trouble on the door:** A guest is injured while being escorted out and accuses the door supervisor of excessive force. Compensation, lawyers and often criminal proceedings follow.
- **Break-in despite guarding:** The patrol never happened or was only signed off on paper. After the break-in, the client claims the loss from you.
- **Keys and codes:** Site security often means access to everything. A lost key or an alarm code passed on can cost a whole locking system.
- **Mistakes in the control room:** An alarm is overlooked and the fire brigade called too late. The consequences are pure financial losses and quickly exceed the minimum limit.
- **Dishonesty in your own team:** An employee uses his access to steal from a client. Standard liability insurance does not pay for deliberate acts.
- **Violence against your staff:** Assaults, dog bites, night shifts and falls on patrol: the risk of injury for security staff is high.

**Risk radar** (Compared with other trades, 1 low to 5 high.): Liability 5, Fire and water 2, Theft 3, Cyber 3, Downtime 2, Health 5

## The insurance you need

- **Business liability** (Essential): Security liability cover is a condition of the § 34a GewO licence and covers injury, property damage, financial loss and loss of guarded property. https://www.nammert.com/en/insurance-broker-business-liability.php
- **Business legal expenses** (Strongly advised): With criminal defence cover it defends you and your staff after incidents with injuries, plus employment law disputes over dismissals. https://www.nammert.com/en/insurance-broker-business-legal-expenses.php
- **Group accident insurance** (Strongly advised): Pays your security staff a lump sum after serious injuries, on top of what the VBG provides. https://www.nammert.com/en/insurance-broker-group-accident.php
- **Fleet insurance** (Strongly advised): Patrol vehicles cover many miles at night; from three vehicles a fleet policy pays off. https://www.nammert.com/en/insurance-broker-fleet-insurance.php
- **Cyber insurance** (Depends on the business): For the control room, shift planning and client data, which can fail or leak in an attack. https://www.nammert.com/en/insurance-broker-cyber-insurance.php
- **Business contents** (Depends on the business): Replaces radios, cameras, control room equipment and uniforms at the office after burglary or fire. https://www.nammert.com/en/insurance-broker-business-contents.php
- **Electronic equipment** (Depends on the business): Protects video equipment and alarm receiving systems against power surges, operating errors and breakdowns. https://www.nammert.com/en/insurance-broker-electronic-equipment.php

## What it costs: example prices

The premium depends on the activity: site security is cheaper than event security, door supervision or close protection. It is calculated on payroll or turnover and the limits you choose.

| Insurance | Example | Typical range |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Business liability | Sole trader in site security, legal minimum limits | about 315 to 500 euros a year |
| Business liability | Small security company, 3 million euros combined, 100,000 euros each for financial loss and guarded property | about 500 to 1,200 euros a year |
| Business liability | Business with 20 employees, site and event security | about 2,000 to 5,000 euros a year |
| Business legal expenses | With criminal and employment legal cover, up to ten employees | about 500 to 1,100 euros a year |
| Group accident insurance | Ten security staff, 100,000 euros disability sum each | about 600 to 1,500 euros a year |

For comparison: Security liability cover with sensible limits costs roughly as much per year as three to four night shifts of site security that you bill to a client.

_Guide figures excluding German insurance premium tax, as of September 2026. The entry premiums for security liability come from publicly quoted tariffs; larger businesses, legal expenses and accident cover are guide figures from our own quoting experience. Armed close protection and cash in transit are rated individually._

- [IHK Köln: Bewachungsgewerbe, Erlaubnis nach § 34a GewO](https://www.ihk.de/koeln/hauptnavigation/recht-steuern/bewachungsgewerbe-erlaubnis-nach-34a-gewo-5224494)
- [bewachungshaftpflicht.de: Betriebshaftpflicht Bewachungsgewerbe](https://www.bewachungshaftpflicht.de/bewachungsgewerbe/)

## Our suggestions: three packages

- **Licence** (new business or sole trader in site security or mobile patrols): Business liability. Together: about 315 to 600 euros a year
- **Team** (security company with up to ten employees and events): Business liability, Business legal expenses, Group accident insurance. Together: about 1,800 to 3,800 euros a year
- **All round** (security provider with a control room, patrol vehicles and many sites): Business liability, Business legal expenses, Group accident insurance, Fleet insurance, Cyber insurance, Electronic equipment. Together: about 6,000 to 14,000 euros a year

## The worst day in the security business

Six things that really happen to security companies, all in one single shift from Friday to Saturday. Tap through and see who pays.

- 18:30: Copper cable disappears from a building site you guard. The patrol is signed off in the log but never took place. (€14,000, Paid by: Business liability)
- 21:15: At the entrance to a concert, a visitor falls over a barrier your team set up wrongly. Broken jaw. (€12,000, Paid by: Business liability)
- 00:40: A guest is taken to the ground at the club door and reports the officer to the police. Defence in criminal proceedings. (€5,500, Paid by: Business legal expenses)
- 02:10: On patrol an officer loses the master key to an office complex. (€38,000, Paid by: Business liability)
- 03:30: A drunk attacks a security officer. Serious eye injury with permanent loss of sight. (€45,000, Paid by: Group accident insurance)
- 05:20: The control room misses a water alarm in a warehouse. The client's goods stand in water for hours. (€60,000, Paid by: Business liability)

**Damage so far:** €174,500

## Practical tips from your broker

- Go well beyond the minimum limits: 3 million euros combined and 100,000 euros each for financial loss and guarded property are common.
- Have every activity named separately: site security, mobile patrols, events, door supervision, reception, control room, investigations.
- Check that loss of keys is included, with a limit that suits your sites.
- Include damage caused by subcontractors if you bring in outside staff for large events.
- Consider fidelity insurance against theft by your own staff; many large clients require it.
- Make sure all employees are listed in the national guard register (Bewacherregister) and have completed the required briefing or competence exam. Otherwise you risk trouble with the authorities and a dispute with your insurer.

## Why NAMMERT for your business

- **We know the required limits and the reality:** We make sure your proof of insurance for the licence is correct and, as a broker, get quotes from several insurers that meet what your clients demand.
- **Claims handling we do ourselves:** In boat insurance we settle claims ourselves. When a break-in turns into an argument over logs and patrols, we know what insurers look at.
- **Staff, vehicles and legal cover at a glance:** Liability, patrol vehicles, accident cover and legal expenses are handled together, so there are no gaps between the policies.
- **A family business since 1989:** Our advice costs you nothing; the insurer pays our commission. You have a fixed contact person instead of changing call centres.

## FAQ

### Is liability insurance compulsory for security companies in Germany?

Yes. Anyone who commercially guards the lives or property of others needs a permit under § 34a GewO, and for that a liability policy with the minimum limits set in § 14 of the Guarding Ordinance.

### What are the legal minimum limits?

1 million euros for bodily injury, 250,000 euros for property damage, 15,000 euros for loss of guarded property and 12,500 euros for pure financial loss.

### What does security liability insurance cost?

For sole traders in site security it starts at about 315 euros a year. With limits that match real practice, small businesses usually pay between 500 and 1,200 euros.

### Do private investigators also need security liability cover?

Pure investigation agencies do not fall under § 34a GewO and have no obligation. Public liability with financial loss cover still makes sense, for example for errors in investigation reports.

### Does insurance pay if my employee is accused of violence?

Liability insurance pays justified claims and defends you against unjustified ones. For defence in criminal proceedings you need legal expenses cover with a criminal law module. No liability policy pays for deliberate acts.

### Does the policy cover subcontractors?

Only if agreed. Subcontractors need their own permit and their own security liability policy; ask to see both before they start work.

## Request quotes

We obtain quotes and come back with a comparison. Free of charge and without obligation: the insurer pays our commission. You can write in English. https://www.nammert.com/en/business-insurance-security-company.php#anfrage

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NAMMERT Assekuradeur GmbH, insurance broker licensed under section 34d(1) of the German Trade Regulation Act, broker register no. D-C08Q-TOSD4-37. For boat and yacht insurance we act as underwriting agency, not as broker.

NAMMERT Assekuradeur GmbH, Karl-Marx-Straße 4, 15711 Königs Wusterhausen, +49 3375 29 12 77, info@nammert.com. Wikidata: Q141141479.