The market for security equipment in the Republic of Belarus is actively developing. Video surveillance, access control systems, and fire alarm systems are today an integral part of the security of any business. However, in order to legally provide services for the design, installation, commissioning, and maintenance of such systems, organizations must obtain a license from the Ministry of Internal Affairs.

Article 1 of the Law of the Republic of Belarus dated 8 November 2006 No. 175‑Z “On Security Activities” (hereinafter – the Law) defines security activity as including: protection of individuals, protection of the premises of legal and natural persons from unlawful intrusions, including illegal penetrations, as well as the design, installation, commissioning, and maintenance of security equipment and systems.

According to the Law of the Republic of Belarus dated 14 October 2022 No. 213‑Z “On Licensing”, the activities of designing, installing, commissioning, and maintaining security equipment and systems are subject to mandatory licensing.

A license is required if you plan to carry out installation and maintenance work for:

• fire alarm and security systems;
• video control and surveillance systems;
• access control and management systems (ACMS).

The licensing authority is the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Republic of Belarus, and the documents are directly received by the Security Department of the Ministry of Internal Affairs at the place of registration of the legal entity.

The legislation imposes a number of mandatory requirements on license applicants. These can be conditionally divided into two groups: pre‑licensing (which must be fulfilled before obtaining the license) and licensing (which must be observed after obtaining it).

The main requirements include:

1. Qualified personnel. The organization must have at least three employees who possess the necessary qualifications and for whom this work is their primary occupation. Moreover, each declared service and each separate unit must have its own specialists. Employees who intend to carry out the licensed activity must pass a qualification exam.
2. Technical base. The applicant must own, or have operational control over, the instruments, equipment, and personal protective equipment required for the activity. They must meet the requirements of technical regulatory legal acts.
3. Absence of restrictions. Employees who will carry out security activities must not have restrictions established by law (for example, an unremoved or unresolved conviction for certain offenses).

The process of obtaining a license consists of several stages and takes a certain amount of time.

Document preparation

• application for a license;
• document confirming payment of the state fee;
• copies of the founding or other organizational and regulatory documents of the legal entity (for separate units);
• information on personal protective equipment, devices, equipment (including names, inventory and factory numbers, quantities);
• information on employees who will carry out the licensed activity.

Submission of documents and assessment of compliance

Documents can be submitted to the licensing authority in three ways: in person, by mail, or through the unified electronic services portal.

After submission, the Security Department evaluates the applicant's capabilities against the licensing requirements and arranges for employees to take the qualification exam.

Decision making

The application review period is up to 25 working days. Based on the results, a decision is made to issue the license or to refuse it.

The state fee for issuing the license is paid in accordance with the Tax Code of the Republic of Belarus (amounting to 10 basic units).

The license for security services is issued indefinitely. However, this does not mean that one can forget the requirements – the licensee must constantly comply with them, and the licensing authority conducts inspections.

Obtaining a license for the design, installation, commissioning, and maintenance of security equipment and systems is a process that requires careful attention to personnel, material and technical base, and documentation. The key point is to remember: working without a license in this field is an administrative offense and leads to fines with confiscation of income or equipment.