Most people who look for a bodyguard in Athens have never hired one before. They are usually acting on a specific concern: a business visit with some exposure, a family holiday that attracted attention, or a situation at home that has become uncomfortable. The search results all look alike, and every provider promises discretion and experience. This guide explains what close protection actually involves, what Greek law requires of the people who provide it, and how to tell a professional provider from a confident one.
What close protection is, and what it is not
The popular image of a bodyguard is a large man standing next to someone famous. Professional close protection looks very different. Most of the work happens before the principal (the person being protected) arrives anywhere. It involves checking the route, the venue, the entrances and the exits, so that the visible part of the day stays uneventful.
In practice, an assignment usually follows the same sequence:
- An assessment. Who is the principal, why might they attract attention, where will they be, and who knows about it?
- A plan. The level of cover, the number of officers, whether transport is included and what happens at each point of the day.
- The detail itself. Officers who have been briefed on the plan and work to it, adjusting as things change.
A provider who wants to send an officer before asking any of these questions is selling presence, not protection.
What Greek law requires
Private security in Greece is regulated by Law 2518/1997. Article 1 lists the activities that make a business a private security company, and the protection of natural persons is one of them. In other words, close protection provided to third parties is a regulated security activity in Greece, not a general service anyone can offer.
Three points are worth knowing:
- The company must hold an operating licence. Under Law 3707/2008 the licence is issued by the Headquarters of the Hellenic Police and is valid for five years. Article 4 of Law 2518/1997, as amended by Law 5187/2025, requires the company to include the phrase “private security services company” in its name and its licence number on its documents. It must not carry out the activities of Article 1 without a licence.
- Each officer must hold a personal work licence. Article 3 of the same law requires security personnel to hold a work licence. For close protection this is the category A licence, issued by the police and valid for five years.
- No one may imply police authority. The law prohibits security companies from using wording that suggests they represent a public or police authority.
For a client, this gives a simple first filter. Ask for the company’s licence number and check that it appears on its documents. Ask the officers to show their work licences. A professional provider will expect the question.
A note on firearms
Greek law is very restrictive about firearms in private security. Clients from abroad sometimes assume that armed protection is a matter of choice or budget. It is not. Any provider who offers armed cover casually, without explaining the legal limits, should be treated with caution. A professional will explain honestly what is permitted in your situation.
Levels of cover
Close protection can be scaled to the need. Typical arrangements include:
- A single officer accompanying the principal. This suits business meetings, court attendance, medical appointments and travel where the concern is nuisance or intrusion rather than a targeted threat.
- A two-officer detail. One officer stays with the principal while the other works ahead, checking arrivals, holding the vehicle and managing entrances.
- Protection with transport. Officers work alongside security-trained drivers, so that the car becomes a controlled space rather than a taxi that happens to be booked.
- Residential or overnight cover at a home, villa or hotel, when the principal stays in one place and the concern is the boundary rather than the route.
The right level comes from the assessment, not from the budget or from what looks impressive. Too much visible security draws attention, and attention is often what clients wanted to avoid.
Low profile as the default
In Athens most principals prefer officers who blend in. Officers should be dressed for the setting: business wear in meetings, evening dress at an event, casual clothes on a beach. To an observer they look like colleagues, staff or guests. High-visibility protection does have its place, and sometimes deterrence is the whole point, but it should be a deliberate decision.
How to check a provider
Beyond the legal minimum, these questions separate serious providers from the rest:
- Will you assess the situation before quoting? A fixed price per officer per day, quoted without questions, is a warning sign.
- Who exactly will be assigned, and how were they selected? Experience, judgement and the ability to calm a situation without force matter more than size.
- Can I see the licences? The company’s operating licence and each officer’s work licence.
- How do you handle information? Your schedule, your address and your identity should be shared with as few people as possible. Officers should sign confidentiality undertakings.
- What happens beyond Athens? Assignments on the islands or elsewhere on the mainland need travel and accommodation planned around your movements. Ask how much notice the provider needs.
- How do you work with my own people? Assistants, drivers and household staff are often where information leaks. A good provider briefs them rather than ignoring them.
Working with the people around you
Protection often fails through the people around the principal. An assistant publishes an itinerary, a driver posts a photo, a housekeeper opens the door to a caller. Part of a proper assignment is to brief those people on what they can say and to whom, and to review what is already public about the principal and the household. The broader picture can be covered by a security assessment of the residence, office or travel plans.
Our approach
Our close protection service in Athens starts with an assessment and works at a low profile unless you decide otherwise. It can be combined with secure executive transfers when the route is part of the concern. We would rather recommend less cover than you expected than sell you a detail you do not need.
If you are considering close protection in Athens or elsewhere in Greece, contact us or call +30 690 856 0514. Tell us about the person, the dates and the concern. We will tell you plainly what we think the situation needs.
This article is general information, not legal advice. Sources: Law 2518/1997 (Government Gazette A 164/1997), Articles 1, 3 and 4, as amended by Law 5187/2025 (Government Gazette A 48/2025); Law 3707/2008 (Government Gazette A 209/2008).