Bodyguard company websites converge on the same language. Everyone is elite, former military, discreet, and available around the clock. None of that is verifiable, and none of it is what actually separates firms.
These nine checks are. They take under an hour and they are the difference between buying a covered service and buying an uninsured stranger.
1. Verify the state license yourself
Ask for the company's state security license number, then verify it with the issuing agency directly rather than accepting a screenshot. Every state maintains a public lookup.
Two things to confirm: that the license is current, and that it covers the state where your engagement happens. Credentials do not automatically transfer across state lines, so a multi-city itinerary can require several. Our guides to California BSIS licensing and New York DCJS requirements show how much the rules differ.
2. Request a certificate of insurance
Ask for a COI naming the company, showing general liability limits, and including an armed endorsement if your engagement involves armed coverage.
A firm carrying insurance can produce this within a business day because their broker issues them routinely. Delay, deflection, or an offer to describe coverage verbally means there is nothing to send. Our piece on bodyguard insurance and liability covers what the limits should look like.
3. Ask who carries liability
Put it plainly: if something happens during this engagement, who is responsible?
The answer should be the company, in writing, in the contract. Some operations are structured so that protectors are independent contractors and liability sits with the individual, which means it effectively sits with you. This distinction is invisible on a website and decisive if anything goes wrong.
4. Find out whether they employ or broker
Some companies maintain a vetted roster of protectors they employ and screen. Others take your booking and subcontract it to whoever is available, sometimes to a firm you never hear the name of.
Ask directly whether the assigned protector is an employee, and ask when that person was last background screened. A broker will answer vaguely because they do not know yet.
5. Ask what background screening actually means
The phrase is used loosely. Ask what the screening includes and how often it repeats.
A real answer covers criminal history, employment verification, reference interviews, and a drug screen, repeated on a cycle rather than once at hire. Our ten-step vetting checklist covers the documentation to request.
6. Establish whether advance work is included
Ask what happens before you arrive and who performs it.
At minimum your protector should review the itinerary, check routes, and identify exits. On higher-tier engagements someone should physically visit venues. If the answer is that the assigned agent looks at the schedule that morning, you are buying presence rather than protection. Our piece on advance work covers what it involves and why it is priced the way it is.
7. Test the pricing for a bait and switch
Ask for the total for your exact engagement: this many hours, this city, this date, this many protectors.
Compare it against the advertised rate. Firms that advertise a low hourly figure and quote something substantially higher are relying on the gap. Ask specifically about minimums, city multipliers, weekend or holiday surcharges, vehicle fees, and travel costs, and get the total in writing before booking.
8. Ask how they handle a schedule change
Plans change. The answer reveals whether you are buying a plan or a person.
A firm with real depth reassigns or extends without drama because they have a roster. An individual operating as a company will hedge, because a change means either they personally absorb it or the engagement collapses.
9. Judge the price against the arithmetic
A rate far below market is the clearest warning available.
Licensing, insurance with an armed endorsement, repeat background screening, vehicles with commercial coverage, unbilled advance work, and around-the-clock dispatch cost real money. A price that leaves no room for them means they are not being paid for. Our breakdown of what protectors actually earn shows where the money in an hourly rate goes.
The realistic floor for a licensed, insured, single-protector engagement is around $129 an hour with a four-hour minimum. Meaningfully below that, something in the list above is missing.
Answers that should end the conversation
Treat any of these as disqualifying rather than as a negotiating position:
- Refusal or inability to provide a license number that verifies with the state
- No certificate of insurance within one business day
- Liability assigned to the individual protector rather than the firm
- Cash-only payment, or pressure to pay entirely in advance with no contract
- A quote materially above the advertised rate with no written breakdown
- Claims of law enforcement or government affiliation that cannot be substantiated
That last one matters more than it sounds. A private firm implying official endorsement is misrepresenting what it is, and that tells you how it will handle the things you cannot check.
FAQ
How do I verify a bodyguard company is licensed? Request the state security license number and check it against the issuing agency's public lookup rather than accepting a screenshot. Confirm it is current and that it covers every state on your itinerary, since credentials do not automatically transfer across state lines.
What insurance should a bodyguard company carry? General liability at minimum, with a separate armed endorsement for any armed engagement. Ask for a certificate of insurance naming the company. A firm that actually carries coverage can produce one within a business day.
What is a fair price for a bodyguard company? Around $129 an hour with a four-hour minimum for a licensed, insured single protector, rising to $599 for a multi-agent detail with vehicles. Rates meaningfully below that generally indicate missing licensing, insurance, or vetting.
Should I hire a bodyguard company or an individual? A company, in nearly all cases. The difference is who carries liability. With an individual it effectively sits with you, and there is usually no insurance behind an incident.
What questions should I ask a security company before hiring? Ask for the license number and a certificate of insurance, who carries liability in writing, whether the protector is an employee or subcontracted, what background screening they passed and when, what advance work is included, the full written total for your exact engagement, and what happens if your schedule changes.