The President of the Sharia Issues a Decree Regulating the Licensing and Work of Protection and Private Guard Companies and Training on Them

 President Ahmed Al-Sharaa issued Decree No. (55) of 2026 on regulating the work of protection and private guarding companies and their related training companies, setting a comprehensive legal framework that defines the conditions of licensing, classification of companies and their work mechanisms, in addition to the controls of the work of guards and their workers, training procedures and government supervision, and penalties resulting from violations.

The decree aims to regulate the protection and private guarding sector and control its activity in a way that ensures the protection of lives, property and facilities, and strengthens government control over this type of security services, by defining the tasks of authorized companies, mechanisms for granting licenses and classifying companies according to the number of guards working in them, in addition to organizing training and professional qualification processes for workers in this field.

The decree also includes detailed provisions related to the conditions for establishing and managing companies, controls on the use of weapons and security equipment, and the contractual relationship with the beneficiaries of protection services, in addition to defining the duties of companies and their employees and the prohibitions imposed on them, in addition to setting a clear system of penalties, fines and legal procedures in case of violation of its provisions.

This decree constitutes a legislative framework that regulates the protection and private guarding sector in the Syrian Arab Republic, and specifies the powers of the competent authorities in supervising and controlling the work of companies operating in this field, in order to ensure their compliance with the laws and regulations in force and to enhance the level of discipline and professionalism in the provision of these services.

Basic Definitions Adopted by the Decree

In its first article, the Decree specifies a set of basic definitions that constitute the legal reference for regulating the sector of protection and private guarding services, as it clarifies what is meant by the terms used in the application of its provisions.

The Ministry means the Ministry of the Interior, while the Minister means the Minister of the Interior. The decree also defines private protection and guarding services as services that include the protection and guarding of individuals, facilities, property and documents, in addition to the transfer of money, jewelry, precious metals and other valuable objects, which are provided by the as-licensed company to those who request them for a fee.

The decree indicated that the company is a limited liability company that works in the field of providing protection and private guarding services and training on them, and is licensed in accordance with the provisions of the decree. A worker is anyone who works for the company, while a guard means a worker who is in charge of protection and special guarding duties by the company to which it is subsidiary, and who is authorized to work in accordance with the procedures stipulated in the decree.

The decree also defines a training company as a limited liability company engaged in training and qualification on protection and guarding services, provided that it is licensed in accordance with the provisions of this decree.

Classification of Protection Companies and License Conditions

In the second chapter, the decree specifies the mechanism for classifying protection and private guarding companies, as the second article stipulates the division of companies into three categories according to the number of guards working in them.

The first category includes companies with between 1001 and 1500 guards, while the second category includes companies with between 501 and 1000 guards, and the third category includes companies with 300 to 500 guards.

The decree authorizes the Minister, by a decree, to increase the maximum number of guards in the first category at the request of the company, provided that the value of the bank guarantee increases according to the number to be increased.

The decree also allows the company to request to amend its classification after the approval of the minister, when renewing the license, provided that the required conditions are met for the category it wishes to move to.

Article 3 of the decree stipulates a set of conditions that must be met in order to obtain a license to establish a private protection and guarding company.

One of the most prominent of these conditions is that the percentage of the company's owners, whether they are natural or legal persons who hold Syrian Arab nationality, should not be less than 51 percent of the capital.

The decree also stipulates that the capital of the company should not be less than the minimum specified for the category for which it wishes to obtain a license, as the decree has set the minimum capital limits according to the three categories, so that the capital of the first category companies should not be less than 600 million Syrian pounds, while the capital of the second category companies should not be less than 400 million Syrian pounds, while the capital of the third category companies was set at a minimum of 200 million Syrian pounds.

Among the conditions is that the company must be duly registered in the Commercial Register, and that it must have a fixed premises owned by it in its area of operation, and that this premises must meet the conditions and be equipped with the appropriate equipment to perform the work in accordance with the controls set out in the Executive Instructions.

The decree also requires the provision of a bank guarantee the value of which is determined by the executive instructions in accordance with each category of companies, provided that this guarantee is deposited in a public bank, and may not be disposed of for the duration of the license.

The decree also obliges companies to pay the fees for granting and renewing the license to the state treasury according to the category of the company, where the license fees for the first category are six hundred thousand Syrian pounds, for the second category is four hundred thousand Syrian pounds, and for the third category it is two hundred thousand Syrian pounds.

Conditions of the Company's Owners and Management

Article IV of the Decree specifies the conditions to be met by the owners of the company as well as by the person who manages it. For the owner of the company, he must be at least eighteen years of age, unless the ownership of the share or the company passes to him as a minor.

It is also required that he has not been convicted of a felony or misdemeanor or a misdemeanor or that breaches public trust unless he has been rehabilitated, and that he has not been dismissed, dismissed or dismissed from service with any public body for disciplinary reasons, and that he must not be an employee of a public entity.

As for the director of the company, he must be a Syrian Arab citizen, have completed thirty years of age, and have a university degree or at least its equivalent.

The director is also required to not be convicted of a felony or misdemeanor or a misdemeanor that violates public trust unless he has been rehabilitated, and that he has not been dismissed, dismissed or dismissed from service with any public entity for disciplinary reasons, and that he is not an employee of a public entity.

As for the duration of the license and the mechanism for granting it, Article 5 of the Decree clarifies the mechanism for granting licenses to private protection companies, as the Decree stipulates that the license is issued by a decision of the Minister of the Interior. He also limited the duration of the license to one renewable year.

Licensing Procedures

The third chapter of the decree deals with the mechanisms and regulatory procedures for granting licenses for the establishment of protection and private guard companies, as it specifies the steps to be followed by entities wishing to establish this type of company, in addition to the role of the Ministry of Interior in studying and deciding on applications.

Article 6 stipulates that the applicant for a license shall apply to the Ministry of Interior for preliminary approval, and after the issuance of this approval, he shall complete the necessary procedures to obtain the license. The Executive Instructions also specify the detailed procedures for submitting the application and the documents and forms required to complete the process.

The applicant must indicate in his application the category for which he wishes to obtain a license, in addition to specifying the company's needs for weapons, ammunition, devices, equipment, modern technical means and mechanisms, and explaining their types, numbers and areas of use. If the application is approved, the file will be referred to the concerned authorities to secure these needs and grant the necessary licenses to them in accordance with the approved procedures.

The same article also stipulates that the types of weapons, equipment, equipment and systems that are allowed to be used in the company's work shall be determined by a decision issued by the minister, provided that this is in accordance with the nature of the company's work.

After the issuance of the license decision, the license applicant must submit an application for the purchase of the company's needs of weapons, ammunition, machinery and equipment of a special security nature to the Ministry of Interior, which shall provide these needs after approval in accordance with the mechanisms and controls specified in the Executive Instructions.

Article 7 stipulates that the Ministry of Interior shall decide on the application for approval or rejection after studying the application and its annexes, within a maximum period of ninety days from the date of issuance of the initial approval. The license applicant shall be notified of the Ministry's decision, and in the event that this period elapses without a decision on the application, it shall be considered a rejection of the application.

The article also authorizes the Ministry to limit the licensing decision to the type of services that the company is allowed to provide, in addition to specifying the spatial scope within which it may operate, in order to ensure the proper performance of the service and the maintenance of public order.

Duties and Controls of Private Protection Companies

Chapter IV of the Decree deals with a wide range of obligations that protection and guarding companies must comply with while carrying out their activities, in order to ensure that they operate within a clear legal framework and under the supervision of the competent authorities.

Article 8 stipulates that the company must be independent in its management and field of work from any other institutions or commercial companies owned by or associated with their owners.

The decree also requires the ratification of contracts for the provision of protection and guarding services concluded by companies with the beneficiaries by the Ministry of Interior before the start of their implementation, in addition to the companies' commitment to implement the instructions issued by the Ministry to maintain order, public security and public morals, and to protect lives, symptoms and funds, while adhering to the laws and regulations in force.

Within the framework of strengthening control and follow-up, the decree obliges companies to use the latest technologies and monitoring and follow-up systems and link them to the Ministry of Interior, provided that the executive instructions specify the mechanism for this linkage.

Companies are also required to provide the Ministry with all the data, information, documents and records they require, in order to enable them to exercise their supervisory powers in accordance with the dates and mechanisms it specifies.

The decree requires the approval of the Ministry of Interior before employing or contracting candidates to work in the company, provided that the Ministry decides on the approval request within a period of thirty days from the date of submission of the names of the candidates, and in case of failure to respond within this period, the application is considered rejected, provided that the relevant automatic executive instructions are regulated.

Among the obligations are also the maintenance of regular and electronic records, which include the preservation of all information and data related to the company's activity, in addition to training and qualifying guards under the supervision of the Ministry to ensure their ability to carry out their tasks.

The decree also obliges companies to provide guards with the means to prevent damage to themselves and the sites they guard, in addition to providing uniforms for guarding at the company's expense, provided that the form of such dress is determined by a decision of the Minister.

The decree obliges companies to mark their guards by placing a sign on the right shoulder of the guard's uniform with the company's name and the phrase "Civil Guard" written on it, in addition to issuing a special identification card for each worker who holds the company's approved visual ID and is placed on the chest in a visible place during work.

It is also required that the company has a headquarters owned by it in each governorate in which it wishes to operate, while adhering to the spatial scope and the type of work specified in the licensing decision, and not exceeding it.

It is also prohibited to allow employees to carry weapons outside of work hours or to use them for tasks other than those assigned to them, and the use of designations, ranks, uniforms, or insignia of the army or internal security forces is prohibited.

In the social and organizational aspect, the decree obliges companies to register all their employees with the Social Insurance Corporation and fulfill all their obligations towards public entities, contractors, employees and third parties.

Prohibitions on protection companies

In order to control the activities of these companies and prevent the exceeding of their powers, Article 9 of the Decree sets out a set of prohibitions that companies may not carry out.

One of the most prominent prohibitions is dealing with companies outside the Syrian Arab Republic without obtaining prior approval from the minister, or the company being a subsidiary of an Arab or foreign company.

It is also prohibited to transfer the ownership of the company or to assign the license granted to it in whole or in part without prior approval from the Minister, and to inform the Ministry of Economy and Industry of this by a letter issued by the Ministry, provided that the new owner or assignee meets all the conditions required to obtain the license.

The decree prohibits the company from obtaining weapons from any source other than those specified in its provisions, and prohibits it from carrying out any research or information gathering work.

It is also prohibited to modify or delete the data uploaded and stored on the company's servers linked to the Ministry's servers without obtaining the Ministry's approval, and it is also prohibited to use guards before obtaining the Ministry's approval to work in the field of protection and private guarding.

The decree also emphasizes the prohibition of the disclosure of secrets and information that reaches the company by virtue of its work, in addition to prohibiting any activity that exceeds the limits of the nature of the company's work specified in the license.

Conditions for employees of private protection companies

Chapter 5 of the Decree deals with the conditions that must be met by employees of protection and private guarding companies, in addition to the controls that regulate the work of guards during the performance of their duties.

Article 10 stipulates a set of basic conditions that must be met by the employee of the company, as it is required that he has completed the age of eighteen and has completed the first cycle of basic education. He must not be convicted of a felony, a misdemeanor, or a breach of public trust unless he is rehabilitated.

It is also stipulated that the worker must not be an employee or a worker for a public entity, unless he obtains the approval of the entity for which he works. He must also be medically fit to perform work duties and sign a written declaration acknowledging his knowledge of the nature of the work that the company will assign him.

As for guards, they are required to submit a document proving that they have followed a training course in the field of protection and private guarding in accordance with the provisions of the Decree and its implementing instructions. The article also stipulates that the percentage of foreign workers in the company and the mechanisms and conditions for their employment are determined later in the executive instructions.

Guards' work controls and responsibilities

Article eleven specifies a set of professional obligations that the guard must abide by while performing his work. These obligations include adherence to the laws and regulations in force and the instructions issued by the Ministry of Interior, in addition to strictly implementing the instructions of the company and the beneficiary of the service.

The guard is also committed to protecting lives and property, securing the buildings, sites or persons assigned to protect them, and to be disciplined, professional, and to deal well with the public, customers and colleagues, while adhering to honesty, honesty, discipline, confidentiality in the performance of duties and non-disclosure of secrets.

The decree also requires the guard to report incidents and irregularities, prepare periodic reports on the security situation, and report any emergency incident to the nearest Internal Security Unit. They must also adhere to the uniform specified by the company and carry a special identification card.

The guard is also obliged to preserve the weapons handed over to him, not to misuse, damage or lose them, and not to carry them outside the workplace. He is also prohibited from participating in activities or actions of a political nature.

With regard to the powers of the guard, Article 12 clarifies the legal framework of the powers of the guard during the performance of his work, as it grants him the right to take the necessary measures and measures to prevent attacks on places, persons, money and objects of value subject to protection and private guard.

The decree also obliges the Internal Security Units to inform the nearest unit of the Internal Security Units immediately after the occurrence of any incident that requires the organization of the necessary control, while adhering to the rules of the use of force within the limits permitted by law and in accordance with the general rules related to legitimate defense.

Training Company Licensing Conditions

Chapter VI of the Decree regulates the mechanism of training and professional qualification for workers in the field of protection and private guarding, through licensed training companies, which in turn are subject to specific conditions and controls.

Article 13 stipulates the necessary conditions for granting licenses to training companies, the most prominent of which is that the percentage of the company's shareholders who hold Syrian Arab nationality should not be less than 51 percent, and the company's capital should not be less than two hundred million Syrian pounds.

It is also required that the company be duly registered in the Commercial Register and have a fixed office owned by it in its area of operation, in addition to paying the fee for granting and renewing the license to the State Treasury, which amounts to two hundred thousand Syrian pounds.

The conditions stipulated in Article IV of the Decree are also required to be met by the partners and the manager of the training company. The license for these companies shall be issued by a decision of the Minister, provided that the license period shall be one year, subject to renewal.

Training Companies Licensing Procedures

Article 14 stipulates that the application for a license for the training company shall be submitted to the Ministry, provided that the executive instructions specify the required documents and forms.

The applicant must also specify in his application the needs of the training company in terms of weapons, ammunition, devices, equipment, technical means and mechanisms, specifying their types, numbers and areas of use. If the application is approved, it will be referred to the concerned authorities to secure these needs and grant the necessary licenses in accordance with the rules.

The decree also stipulates that the training company shall not practice its activity before obtaining the official license.

Article 15 sets out a set of obligations that training companies must abide by, the most prominent of which is independence in management and the field of work from any other institutions or commercial companies owned by their owners.

It shall also provide the Ministry with the necessary data, information, and records to enable it to perform its duties and powers prescribed by law, in addition to providing it with the names of job candidates or trainers to obtain the necessary approval.

The decree also requires that data related to the company's activity be kept in regular and electronic records, and that the latest technologies, curricula and equipment necessary for training operations be used.

It also obliges companies to abide by the instructions issued by the Ministry to maintain public order and respect the laws, and not to allow their employees to carry weapons intended for training outside of work hours or to use them in tasks other than those assigned to them.

It also prohibits the use of trainers or personnel who have not received the approval of the Ministry, in addition to prohibiting the use of titles, ranks, uniforms, or insignia of the army or the Internal Security Forces.

This article also stipulates that the company's employees must be registered in the General Organization for Social Insurance, fulfilling all its obligations towards state agencies, contractors and third parties, and providing a training facility that complies with the standards required for the training of workers in the field of protection and private guarding, including the appropriate equipment to perform the training.

The company is committed to providing training curricula and programs that are compatible with the training and security standards approved in the training facilities at the Ministry, providing specialized trainers in implementing the curricula and programs approved by the Ministry, and issuing a document to follow a training course for trainees signed and approved in accordance with the controls specified in the executive instructions.

Prohibitions of Training Companies

Article 16 sets out a set of prohibitions that training companies may not do, including dealing with companies outside the Syrian Arab Republic without the prior approval of the minister, or being a branch of an Arab or foreign company.

It is also prohibited to dispose of ownership of the shares, transfer, assign them, or pledge them, or assign the license without obtaining the approval of the Minister and informing the Ministry of Economy and Industry thereof, provided that the conditions of the license must be met by the new owner.

The decree also prohibits the acquisition of weapons for training from any source not specified in its provisions, and prohibits any activity that is outside the nature of the training company's business.

In another context, Article 17 stipulates that companies licensed under the first category may apply for an additional license to implement training and qualification programs for workers in the field of protection and private guarding, in accordance with the conditions and controls specified in the Executive Instructions.

Upon obtaining a license, these companies are also obliged to comply with the duties and prohibitions stipulated in Articles 15 and 16 of the Decree.

As for the procedures for dealing with violations by training companies, Article 18 stipulates that in the event that the training company violates any of the duties specified in Article 15, the Ministry of Interior may issue a registered warning to the violating company to correct its situation within a period of one month from the date of receipt of the warning.

Penal and Violation Control System

The decree devotes an entire chapter to regulating the penalties and measures taken against companies or workers who violate its provisions, as it specifies cases that may lead to the cancellation of the license or the imposition of financial fines or penal penalties.

Article 19 stipulates the cancellation of the license of the company or training company by a decision of the Minister in several cases, most notably the loss of one of the conditions for granting the license, or the violation of the prohibitions contained in Articles 9 and 16, in addition to the commencement of liquidation proceedings of the company, whether by consent or judicial, or the loss of its legal personality for any reason.

The decree also holds companies whose licenses are revoked fully legally responsible for their contractors, including damages resulting from their practice of activity. It is forbidden to re-license any of the company's owners or partners before two years from the date of cancellation.

In the event that the company or training company refrains from closing its premises or ceasing its activities within five days of being notified of the decision to cancel the license, the closure decision shall be implemented through the Public Prosecution, and the person responsible for the failure to execute shall be punished by imprisonment from six months to two years, in addition to a fine of 300 thousand Syrian pounds, with the confiscation of the tools and equipment by a concluded court ruling.

Financial Fines for Administrative Violations

Article 20 specifies a set of violations that require the imposition of a fine of one hundred thousand Syrian pounds on the company or training company, the most prominent of which is failure to keep the required records, or refraining from providing the Ministry with data, information, and documents related to the company, its equipment, or its employees.

Violations also include not providing the Ministry with the names of job candidates to obtain the necessary approval, or the worker starting his work before obtaining the approval or before completing the required training course.

The fine is also imposed in the case of the use of clothing, designations, or signs of the army or the Internal Security Forces, as well as in the case of non-registration of employees with the Social Insurance Institution.

The company also punishes a fine of 200,000 Syrian pounds for any guard who does not put the identification card on his chest or badge on his right shoulder or does not wear the official dress specified for the company.

Article 21 stipulates the imposition of a fine of three hundred thousand Syrian pounds on the company or training company in several cases, including initiating the implementation of protection and guarding services contracts before they are duly ratified by the Ministry, or working outside the governorates in which they are licensed to operate.

The penalties also include practicing an activity or providing a service that is not licensed to the company, or the company's lack of independence in its management, headquarters or field of work from other companies.

The fine is also imposed in the event of carrying weapons in guard posts that are not duly delivered by the Ministry, in addition to disclosing secrets and information that reach the company by virtue of its work. The decree stipulates that the fine will be doubled in the event of a repeat violation.

Article twenty-two deals with the penalties that are applied directly to guards in the event of violation of the regulations specified in the decree. The guard shall be punished with a fine of ten thousand Syrian pounds in case of violating some obligations related to his professional duties. It is also punishable by imprisonment from one month to three months, and the company is fined one hundred thousand Syrian pounds if the guard carries the weapon handed over to him from the company at a place or time other than the place or time allocated to him.

In case the weapon is used for a purpose other than its intended purpose, the guard shall be punished by imprisonment from six months to two years, in addition to a fine of fifty thousand Syrian pounds.

Crimes, Penalties and Violations Control

Article twenty-three increases the penalties in the event of manipulation of technical systems or data related to the Ministry of Interior, where anyone who deliberately modifies or deletes the data stored on the company's servers linked to the Ministry's servers, or sabotages or disables the technical equipment for surveillance, shall be punished by imprisonment from one to three years and a fine of one hundred thousand Syrian pounds.

In the event that the director or one of the owners of the company is involved in the commission of such violation, the license shall be revoked and the bank guarantee shall be confiscated.

Article twenty-four stipulates that the owner and director of the company shall be punished with imprisonment from three to six months and a fine of one hundred thousand Syrian pounds, with the confiscation of the bank guarantee in case of violation of some of the basic clauses related to the prohibitions contained in Article 9 of the decree, clauses (A, B, D, H, I).

The same penalty shall also be applied in the event of violation of the provisions related to training companies stipulated in Article Sixteen of the Decree (Clauses A, B, D, E).

Mechanisms for Controlling and Inspection of Companies

Article 25 defines the role of the Ministry of Interior in supervising companies and training companies, as it is responsible for following up on their work and conducting surprise inspection visits to ensure their compliance with the laws and regulations in force.

The employees of the competent authority in the Ministry shall also regulate the seizures related to violations, and the form and content of such seizures shall be determined by a decision of the Minister.

If the violation is punishable by a fine only, the fine must be paid within one month from the date of the seizure, but in case of non-payment or if the penalty includes imprisonment or any other measure, the seizure shall be referred to the competent court.

In the eighth and final chapter, the decree sets out a set of final provisions related to the implementation of its provisions and the regulation of the relationship between companies and the beneficiaries of their services.

Article Twenty-Six stipulates that the executive instructions issued by the Minister will determine the beneficiaries of protection and private guarding services, and the contractual relationship between the company and the service applicant shall be regulated in accordance with the terms of the contract concluded by the two parties within the framework of the laws and regulations in force.

The decree also permits public entities whose nature of work requires the use of the services of these companies, provided that the terms and conditions contained in the decree are adhered to.

Article 27 stipulates that in the event of cancellation of the license or the dissolution of the company for any reason, weapons, ammunition and equipment of a special security nature must be handed over to the Ministry for regularization.

The decree also gives companies a period of three months to dispose of this equipment by selling it to other duly licensed companies, and in the event that they do not do so, their ownership will be transferred to the state in exchange for compensation determined by a decision of the minister based on technical expertise, provided that the company is liquidated in accordance with the laws in force.

Article Twenty-Eight stipulates that companies that were practicing protection and private guarding work prior to the issuance of this decree shall be granted a period of sixty days from the date of its issuance to submit license applications and settle their status in accordance with its provisions.

Article 29 also obliges the Minister to issue executive instructions on the decree within thirty days from the date of its publication.

 Article 30 stipulates the cancellation of the legislative decree No. 55 of 2013 and its amendments, while maintaining the subordination of crimes committed before the new decree comes into force to the provisions of the previous legislation.