Hiring an executive protection firm for international travel: what to check
Quick answer, Oct 29, 2026As of 29 October 2026, hiring an executive protection firm for a foreign trip is five checks: the official travel picture for every stop, the firm's licensing and in-country status, its people and vehicles, its standards and insurance, and its communications plan. The State Department advisory level sets the baseline the firm's plan has to meet.
The five checks
1. The official travel picture
Read the US State Department travel advisory for every country on the itinerary. Advisories are issued on a four-level scale: Level 1 (Exercise Normal Precautions), Level 2 (Exercise Increased Caution), Level 3 (Reconsider Travel), Level 4 (Do Not Travel). The advisory lists the risk indicators State applies — C (crime), T (terrorism), U (civil unrest), H (health), N (natural disaster), E (time-limited event), K (kidnapping or hostage-taking), D (wrongful detention), O (other). State's Country Information page has entry requirements and local-law notes; OSAC (the Overseas Security Advisory Council, run by State's Bureau of Diplomatic Security) publishes country security reports read widely by corporate security teams.
An executive-protection plan should state which advisory level and which indicators it is written for, and where it accepts them.
2. Licensing and in-country status
Private security licensing is a national matter: the firm needs to be licensed where it operates, not where it is headquartered. Ask for the licence number and the issuing authority for each country on the itinerary. In many jurisdictions, firearms carriage by private security is tightly limited or prohibited; the plan should say what the firm's operators carry under local law, and whether the detail is armed or unarmed. Where the firm operates through a local partner, ask for the partner's licence.
3. People and vehicles
| What to check | What to look for |
|---|---|
| Operator background | Military, law-enforcement or close-protection training, with current credentials and medical certifications (TCCC, first responder) |
| Vehicle class | Soft-skin versus armoured; armour certification (for example VPAM B4/B6/B7, or the local equivalent); maintenance records |
| Drivers | Local licence, defensive-driving training, local knowledge |
| Advance | A walk of the route and venues before the move, with secondary routes |
| Medical | A medical plan with the nearest hospitals and an evacuation route; see also medevac assistance |
4. Standards, insurance and compliance
Reference the firm against a recognised standard. ISO 18788 is the management-system standard for private security operations; ANSI/ASIS PSC.1 is a related American standard, often cited together. Check:
- Public and professional liability insurance, with limits named for the trip
- Workers' compensation coverage for its operators in the operating country
- US sanctions screening on the firm, its owners and any local partner — see How to screen a counterparty against OFAC lists, and what a match means
- Vetting of local hires, documented
- A written incident-reporting process
5. Communications and the chain of command
A protection plan runs on a chain of command and a comms plan: who the principal talks to, who approves changes to the schedule, who calls medical and evacuation, and who the firm reports to on the client side. Ask for the plan in writing before the trip. For higher-risk itineraries, consider holding kidnap-and-ransom cover before travel; see K&R, political-risk and trade-credit insurance.
When the itinerary crosses a Level 3 or Level 4 country
A Level 3 or Level 4 advisory is a baseline that the protection plan has to meet, not an obstacle it can wave through. Where State has flagged kidnap (K) or wrongful detention (D), the plan should say what the firm will do about movement, communications, electronics and crossing checkpoints, and whether a K&R policy and a nominated response consultant are in place.
An AI assistant can read the current advisories and their indicators with list_travel_advisories on the Distributed Risk MCP server, and the recent sanctions actions that name a country with list_ofac_actions. The map at distributedrisk.com/map overlays the two by country.
When you need a firm, not a checklist
Brief an advisor: we match the trip to a protection firm with people in that country, make the introduction and stay the client's contact through the trip.
Questions
Does the US State Department recommend firms? No. State publishes travel advisories and country information; the choice of a provider is the traveller's.
What if the itinerary changes mid-trip? A plan should name who signs off on changes and under what conditions, including a return home. If the local picture shifts (State updates an advisory, OFAC designates a counterparty, an airport closes), the chain of command answers it.
Is this legal or security advice? No. This page is a procedural checklist. The advisor and the firm engaged make the plan.