Compare licensing rules
Pick up to three states or countries to see their rules side by side.
| Finland | |
|---|---|
| Status | Licence required |
| Regulator | Poliisihallitus – Turvallisuusalan valvonta (National Police Board, Security Sector Supervision) |
| Who holds the licence | Individuals and agencies |
| Minimum age | 18 |
| Exam | Yes |
| Training | Guards: 120-lesson guard basic training (vartijan peruskoulutus, Decree 878/2016). The firm's responsible manager needs the security supervisor specialist qualification (turvallisuusvalvojan erikoisammattitutkinto) |
| Bond or insurance | No insurance or bond in the Act; the licence holder must have the financial means to run the business (s.71) |
| Fees | 2026: security business licence €520; responsible manager approval €230; annual supervision fee €185; guard approval €82 (Interior Ministry Decree 1335/2025 as amended by 96/2026). |
| Processing time | About 2 weeks for security-sector approvals when the application is complete (police stated time) |
| Renewal | Business licence valid indefinitely, with an annual report and supervision fee; guard approval valid for up to five years and ends at age 68. |
| Reciprocity | Foreign certificates can satisfy licence and approval conditions (s.107, Act on the Recognition of Professional Qualifications 1384/2015) |
| Recording calls | One-party consent |
| GPS trackers | No tracker-specific statute. Repeatedly following or monitoring someone in a way that causes fear is stalking (Criminal Code 25:7a), and location data is personal data under the GDPR. |
| Firearms | Guards may carry firearms only in bodyguard, cash-in-transit or certain high-importance guarding work, after yearly proficiency tests (s.19); crime-detection work is not among those tasks. |
Reference information, not legal advice. Each profile lists its sources and the date it was checked.