A private security business in Bulgaria may begin regulated operations only after it has the correct licence. Incorporating a company, hiring guards, or signing a prospective customer is not enough. The licence must cover both the intended type of security activity and its territorial scope.

The competent authority is the General Directorate “National Police” (GDNP) at the Ministry of Interior (MoI). This guide explains the 2026 licensing rules, the eligibility and management tests, the application file, and the compliance system that must be ready before the first assignment starts.

Private-security, employment, weapons, and data-protection rules can change, and the facts of each operation matter. Confirm the current forms, fee, and filing channel with the MoI before applying. This guide is general information, not legal advice or an operational security plan.

Private Security Licensing in Bulgaria at a Glance

Which Activities Require a Licence?

Article 5 of the Private Security Activities Act lists the regulated activities. The current active categories are:

1. personal protection of natural persons
2. protection of property belonging to natural or legal persons
3. alarm and response security activity
4. self-protection of property by the eligible organisations named in the Act
5. protection of sites that are immovable property
6. event security, numbered as item 7 in the Act
7. security during transport of valuable consignments or cargo, numbered as item 8
8. protection of agricultural property, numbered as item 9

The old activity numbered 6, protection of urbanised territories, has been repealed. Treating the law as if it contains only five current licence types can therefore lead to a mismatched application.

Applicants select each required activity and either particular Bulgarian oblasts or nationwide scope. The licence records those choices exhaustively. Work outside them requires the appropriate supplement; licence rights cannot be sold, assigned, or lent to another operator.

The electronic form permits more than one oblast to be selected. Before paying, confirm how the MoI will calculate the fee for the exact combination. A business expecting customers across Bulgaria should compare that total with nationwide scope rather than applying only for the location of its registered office.

Who May Apply?

A Bulgarian trader—including an EOOD, OOD, joint-stock company, or sole trader—may apply if the statutory tests are met. If the security venture has not yet been incorporated, start with our company registration guide.

The Act also provides routes for traders established in an EU Member State, another EEA state, or Switzerland. Foreign registration and eligibility evidence must normally come from the competent home-state authority and be accompanied by an official Bulgarian translation. A non-EU investor can own a Bulgarian company, but the Bulgarian applicant itself must satisfy every licensing condition.

Self-protection is narrower than ordinary commercial security. It applies only to the categories specified in the Act and protects the eligible organisation’s own property. It should not be used as a lower-cost substitute for supplying security services to third parties.

Company and Management Eligibility Tests

The applicant must be properly registered, must not be in liquidation or insolvency, and must have no disqualifying tax or compulsory social-security liabilities. An authorised deferral or instalment arrangement can matter, so the debt position should be reviewed before the file is submitted.

The personal tests reach beyond the registered manager. Depending on the legal form, they apply to a sole trader, an EOOD owner, OOD partners, members of management bodies, and unlimited-liability partners. Relevant persons must:

• have no conviction for an intentional publicly prosecutable offence, regardless of rehabilitation
• not be accused of such an intentional offence
• not suffer from a mental illness
• satisfy the Act’s restrictions connected with management of an insolvent company with unsatisfied creditors during the preceding three years
• satisfy the one-year restriction connected with management or control of a company whose private-security licence was revoked, unless the revocation was annulled

For a foreign manager who is neither a Bulgarian citizen nor a Bulgarian permanent resident, equivalent official home-state records and Bulgarian translations are required. Ownership and board changes shortly before filing deserve special attention: adding a new person can change both the evidence required and the outcome.

Application Documents

The MoI’s current service description and document list should be checked immediately before filing. The core package consists of:

1. the prescribed application, stating the activity type or types and territorial scope
2. the applicant’s UIC for a Bulgarian registration, or the applicable foreign-register evidence with Bulgarian translation
3. a specimen photo service card, distinctive sign, and security-staff uniform
4. medical evidence concerning the mental-health eligibility requirement for the relevant persons
5. the prescribed declaration concerning association with a recently revoked licence
6. foreign criminal-status, prosecution-status, and other eligibility documents where applicable
7. evidence that the correct state fee has been paid

Some Bulgarian-register facts are obtained officially by the administration rather than duplicated on paper. Conversely, a foreign corporate or management structure can require additional certified, authenticated, or translated records. Use the current checklist for the applicant’s exact legal form and nationalities instead of recycling a file prepared for another business.

A security plan, guard roster, customer contract, and firearms records are generally operational documents, not substitutes for the core initial-licence evidence above. They become essential at the relevant stage described below.

Application Process, Timing, and 2026 Fees

1. Define the licensed business model

Map each proposed service to an Article 5 category and decide whether selected oblasts or nationwide coverage is commercially realistic. Verify that the company’s ownership and governance pass the personal tests.

2. Design compliant identification

Prepare the service-card specimen, insignia, and uniform. They must distinguish the business from the MoI and other state authorities; police-like wording, markings, lights, or appearance are prohibited.

3. Assemble and cross-check the evidence

Check names, citizenship, board positions, translations, medical records, declarations, and the payment reference. Review public liabilities and Commercial Register entries before submission.

4. File through an accepted channel

The application is addressed to the GDNP Director. It can also be lodged through the regional MoI directorate for the applicant’s registered seat, or submitted via the MoI electronic-services portal after the required electronic authentication.

5. Respond to deficiencies

If the documents are incomplete or do not prove the conditions, the authority notifies the applicant within 14 days. The applicant then has 45 days from receiving that notice to correct the file or provide the additional documents. Missing that cure period terminates the proceeding.

6. Receive the decision

The authority issues or refuses the licence within up to one month from receipt of the application—or from correction of the deficiencies or delivery of the additional evidence. This is a decision period, not a promise that incorporation, foreign documents, design work, and licensing will all finish in one month.

The 2026 MoI Tariff No. 4 uses euros. Representative fees are:

A duplicate or supplement is listed at EUR 76.69. The activity description, number of selected oblasts, and any later supplement affect the amount, so confirm the payable total and bank details before transfer.

Staff, Qualifications, and Training

Licensing the company does not make every employee eligible to perform security work. For activities 1–8, security managers and operatives work under a main employment relationship in the corresponding role. They must be adults with legal capacity, meet the citizenship, criminal, prosecution, mental-health, and clinical-health rules, and generally have at least secondary education.

The Act requires the vocational qualification “Security Guard” through the vocational education and training system. Agricultural-property security has modified education and training rules for operatives, including a successfully completed course under that system. Do not rely on a generic course described only by a number of hours; verify that the qualification document satisfies the statutory route.

Before employment, collect the evidence specified by Article 50. The criminal-status, prosecution, psychiatric, and clinical-health records must be recent—issued no earlier than six months before the contract. A foreign EU/EEA/Swiss employee supplies equivalent records with official Bulgarian translation.

The licence holder must notify the licensing authority and the regional MoI directorate about the employment contract within seven days after its registration with the National Revenue Agency, and must also notify termination. Employers must separately maintain workplace health and safety; our occupational health service guide explains that obligation.

Security Plans and Operating Duties

Operational readiness is activity- and assignment-specific. For ordinary property-protection contracts, Ordinance No. 8121z-611 requires a site security assessment and a security plan within 14 days after the contract or stated takeover date. The plan covers the site’s characteristics, posts, routes, shifts, communications, response instructions, vehicles, weapons if used, video surveillance, and monitoring systems as applicable. Staff lists, duty schedules, access-control rules, and shift logs may also be required.

Other activities have their own documentation. Alarm-response work requires an initial security survey, patrol deployment and response arrangements, while personal protection, event security, valuable-cargo transport, self-protection, and agricultural security each have tailored planning rules. The company must train and brief personnel on the applicable documents and keep the required copies available for inspection.

Further continuing duties include:

• use written security contracts and submit commencement or termination notices within the activity-specific deadlines
• notify relevant staff contracts and site or contract details through the prescribed MoI channels
• keep statutory records and retain supporting documents for the required period
• operate video surveillance only under Bulgarian data-protection law and the GDPR
• never transfer or lend the licence, service cards, insignia, uniforms, or service weapons
• report detention, physical force, auxiliary means, or firearm use in the manner required by the Act

Armed Security Is a Separate Compliance Layer

The private-security licence may cover an activity performed with armed or unarmed guards, but it does not itself authorise acquisition, storage, carrying, or use of firearms. Those matters fall under the Weapons, Ammunition, Explosives and Pyrotechnic Products Act and its implementing rules.

An armed model therefore requires a separate legal assessment of company permits, secure storage, individual authorisations, training, transport, inventory controls, and incident reporting. Under the Private Security Activities Act, a firearm is a last resort only in circumstances of self-defence or necessity recognised by criminal law. Providing firearms without the required authorisation can support licence revocation.

No Annual Renewal, but Changes Must Be Reported

The licence is indefinite. There is no routine annual renewal application, but indefinite does not mean maintenance-free.

Changes to relevant application or registration facts must be declared to GDNP, through the competent regional MoI directorate, within 14 days. The authority issues an updated licence or supplement where necessary. Loss, theft, or destruction of the licence must be reported within seven days; the Act provides for a duplicate after notification.

GDNP and designated regional police officers may request information and certified copies, inspect protected sites, access relevant video-surveillance registers, and issue mandatory compliance instructions. Serious or repeated breaches, ineligible staff, unauthorised weapons, or failure to cure violations can lead to statutory fines or pecuniary penalties and, in specified cases, revocation.

Common Mistakes and Final Checklist

The most avoidable errors are choosing a licence by the company’s address instead of its planned territory, using an obsolete list of activities, assuming rehabilitation removes a management disqualification, and treating uniforms or training certificates as informal design choices.

Before filing, confirm that:

• every proposed service maps to a current Article 5 activity
• the scope covers every oblast where contracts are expected
• all owners, partners, and management-body members within the statutory test have been screened
• foreign records are current, authentic, and properly translated
• the service card, insignia, and uniform are distinctive and non-police-like
• the exact euro fee and payment reference have been verified
• qualified staff, employment notices, site assessments, plans, and records can be implemented before operations begin
• any armed-security model has a separate weapons-law workstream

Lion Consult can coordinate company setup, governance screening, the licensing file, and post-licence compliance planning. Contact our team before committing to customer launch dates or security-staff recruitment.

Last reviewed: 1 August 2026. This article is informational and does not replace advice based on the selected activity, ownership structure, territory, personnel, and operating model.

Frequently Asked Questions

Who can apply for a private security licence in Bulgaria?

A Bulgarian trader, including a commercial company or sole trader, may apply if the applicant and all relevant owners, partners, and management-body members satisfy the statutory conditions. Eligible EU, EEA, and Swiss traders also have routes under the Act, supported by home-state evidence and official Bulgarian translations.

Which private security activities require a licence?

The eight active categories are personal protection, property protection, alarm and response security, qualifying self-protection, protection of immovable-property sites, event security, protection during transport of valuables or cargo, and agricultural-property security. The old urbanised-territory category has been repealed.

Which authority issues the licence and how long does it take?

The Director of the General Directorate National Police at the Ministry of Interior, or an authorised official, issues or refuses the licence within up to one month after receiving a complete application or corrected file. A filing may also be lodged through the regional MoI directorate for the applicant's seat or electronically.

How much does a Bulgarian private security licence cost in 2026?

The fee depends on the activity and territorial scope. For example, property protection is EUR 255.65 for a separate oblast and EUR 766.94 nationwide, while personal protection is EUR 818.07 and EUR 3,067.75 respectively. The amount for multiple selected oblasts should be confirmed before payment.

Does a private security licence expire or require annual renewal?

No. The licence is indefinite and has no routine annual renewal. The holder must nevertheless remain compliant, declare relevant changes within 14 days, obtain a supplement where required, and report loss, theft, or destruction of the licence within seven days.

Does the private security licence authorise firearms?

No. Armed security adds a separate layer under Bulgaria's weapons legislation, including the relevant company and individual permissions, storage, training, transport, inventory, and reporting controls. The private-security licence alone does not authorise acquiring, carrying, or using firearms.

What qualifications do security guards need?

For most licensed activities, security managers and operatives must work under a main employment relationship, have at least secondary education, satisfy citizenship, criminal, prosecution, mental-health, and clinical-health requirements, and hold the vocational qualification Security Guard. Agricultural-property security has modified education and course rules.