Compare licensing rules
Pick up to three states or countries to see their rules side by side.
| Puerto Rico | |
|---|---|
| Status | Licence required |
| Regulator | Negociado de la Policía de Puerto Rico (Puerto Rico Police Bureau), División de Expedición de Licencias y Permisos de Seguridad Privada |
| Who holds the licence | Individuals and agencies |
| Experience | None for the standard route; ex-law-enforcement investigators with 8+ years' service and an honourable discharge may skip the school course and exam (Art. 28(a)) |
| Exam | Yes |
| Training | Course of at least 1,000 hours of study and practice at a detective school authorised by the Police; 6 hours of continuing education every 2 years |
| Bond or insurance | $5,000 bond in favour of the Government of Puerto Rico, or a liability policy of at least $5,000 per person / $10,000 for multiple claims; agencies also need a payment bond to the Secretary of Labor (at least $25,000 in the first year, or $5,000 per employee for agencies with 1-4 employees) |
| Fees | $50 detective licence; $50 detective agency licence (Art. 13), paid by electronic internal revenue voucher |
| Renewal | Detective licences and ID cards every 2 years; agency licences every year |
| Continuing education | 6 hours every 2 years at renewal, 4 of them at the Police Academy (Art. 4(A)(l)) |
| Reciprocity | No reciprocity; licensed private detectives from any US state, territory or possession may be authorised free of charge to work temporarily in Puerto Rico on a specific assignment (Arts. 22 and 28(b)) |
| Firearms | The Act does not itself authorise detectives or agency staff to carry prohibited weapons (Art. 15); carrying needs a separate firearms licence |
Reference information, not legal advice. Each profile lists its sources and the date it was checked.