# Security in Hannover, Germany

Canonical page: https://closeprotectionhire.com/cities/hannover/

Security briefing for Hannover, Germany. Home to Hannover Messe, the world's largest industrial trade fair, and Continental AG's global headquarters.


## Threats

- **Industrial Trade Fair Logistics**: Hannover Messe, organised by Deutsche Messe AG, is widely described within the industrial and manufacturing sector as the world's largest industrial trade fair, with more than 4,000 exhibiting companies from over 70 countries in a typical edition. Fair week brings the same pattern seen at other major German exhibition cities: hotel occupancy at or near capacity, transfer and taxi scarcity, and access congestion around the Hannover exhibition grounds, one of the largest in the world.
- **Transport Hub Petty Crime**: Bundespolizei data reported by German media identified Hannover Hauptbahnhof among the country's higher-incident stations, with 1,606 recorded offences logged January to May 2025. A joint police and city security cooperation, running October 2024 to September 2025, was credited by Polizeidirektion Hannover with cutting violent crime at the station by more than 20 percent over that period. This is a genuine, named improvement, but it confirms the station remains a location warranting standard vigilance for visitors transiting on foot rather than by vetted transport.
- **Terrorism Awareness (National)**: FCDO Germany travel advice states that terrorist attacks are very likely to be attempted nationwide, citing both Islamist-extremist and far-right threat actors, with enhanced security at transport hubs and major public events. This is a Germany-wide assessment rather than intelligence specific to Hannover, and it applies most directly to large gatherings such as Hannover Messe's opening events.
- **Nightlife District Activity**: Hannover's Nordstadt district, close to the university and a concentration of bars and late-night venues, records a meaningfully higher volume of reported offences than the city average, according to secondary reporting on regional police data, though this is predominantly nightlife-adjacent disorder rather than crime targeting business travellers. Corporate accommodation away from the immediate Nordstadt nightlife strip is the straightforward mitigation.

## Regulations

- **Licensing**: Anyone who guards the life or property of others commercially needs a permit under section 34a of the Gewerbeordnung from the competent local authority. The person running the business must pass the Sachkundeprüfung before the Industrie- und Handelskammer (IHK). Every guard needs at least the IHK Unterrichtung certificate, and the Sachkundeprüfung is also required for listed activities such as patrols in public areas, door work at nightclubs and leading roles at large access-controlled events. Since 1 June 2019 businesses and their guards are entered in the national Bewacherregister, run by the Federal Statistical Office since 10 October 2022.
- **Firearms**: Under section 28 of the Waffengesetz, a security business may acquire and hold firearms only where it takes on assignments that require them to protect an endangered person or object. Each guard who is to carry the firm's weapons must first be reported to the authority, which must approve that guard, and the weapon may be carried only while the specific assignment is being carried out. Most private close protection in Germany is unarmed.
- **Foreign operators**: The section 34a permit applies to anyone carrying on the business in Germany, wherever the firm is based. A provider established in another EU or EEA state that wants to serve clients in Germany temporarily must notify the authority under section 13a of the Gewerbeordnung, and the authority may check the provider's qualifications before the first service (Bewachungsverordnung, section 13). Ask any provider for its section 34a permit and each officer's IHK certificate.

Sources, checked 2026-10-07:

- [Gewerbeordnung, section 34a (text, dejure.org)](https://dejure.org/gesetze/GewO/34a.html)
- [Waffengesetz, section 28 (text, dejure.org)](https://dejure.org/gesetze/WaffG/28.html)
- [Bundesministerium für Wirtschaft und Energie, Bewacherregister](https://www.bundeswirtschaftsministerium.de/Redaktion/DE/Artikel/Mittelstand/gewerberecht-bewacherregister.html)
- [Bewachungsverordnung 2019, section 13 (text, lxgesetze.de)](https://lxgesetze.de/bewachv/13)

## Zones

Lower-risk areas:

- Continental-Plaza and the southern business district: modern corporate campus environment, low ambient crime, purpose-built for Continental AG's headquarters staff and visitors.
- List and Waldhausen: established residential districts favoured by expatriate and corporate accommodation, consistently low crime profile.

Elevated-risk areas:

- Hannover Hauptbahnhof and immediate surroundings: identified in Bundespolizei-sourced reporting as a higher-incident station, though a 2024-25 joint police and city security initiative reduced violent crime there by over 20 percent.
- Nordstadt nightlife strip after dark: elevated reported-offence volume linked to the district's concentration of late-night venues rather than to business travel.

## Emergency contacts

- Police emergency: 110
- Fire and ambulance: 112
- Medizinische Hochschule Hannover (MHH): +49 511 532 0

## Warnings

- FCDO Germany travel advice (2026): normal precautions with heightened awareness at transport hubs and large public events given the national terrorism assessment.
- Hannover Airport (HAJ) is approximately 11km north of the city centre in Langenhagen; S-Bahn line S5 connects to the Hauptbahnhof in around 17 minutes.
- Hannover Messe (typically April) brings exceptional hotel and transfer demand across the entire city. Confirm accommodation and vetted transport well in advance.
- A joint Polizeidirektion Hannover and city security initiative running through September 2025 was credited with cutting violent crime at the Hauptbahnhof by more than 20 percent; standard station vigilance remains advisable regardless.

Hannover's international profile rests on one event more than any other: Hannover Messe, organised by Deutsche Messe AG and widely described within industrial and manufacturing circles as the world's largest industrial trade fair, drawing more than 4,000 exhibiting companies from over 70 countries in a typical year. Continental AG's decision to open its new global headquarters campus, Continental-Plaza, in the city in December 2023 reinforced Hannover's standing as a genuine corporate destination rather than simply an exhibition venue that empties out between shows. CeBIT, which ran here from 1986 until its discontinuation in 2018 after 33 years, is a reminder that Hannover's fair-city identity predates the current exhibition calendar by decades.

The security environment is what corporate travellers would expect of a mid-sized German city: low ambient crime, effective policing, and the same national-level terrorism awareness that FCDO guidance applies across Germany rather than to Hannover specifically. The one area worth genuine attention is the Hauptbahnhof, which Bundespolizei-sourced reporting placed among Germany's higher-incident stations in 2025 figures, a finding that a joint police and city security initiative running through September 2025 was credited with meaningfully improving, cutting violent crime there by more than a fifth. That combination, a documented issue and a documented response, is a useful pattern to be aware of rather than a reason for alarm.

Wolfsburg, roughly 90km away and reachable by direct ICE train in about 30 minutes, adds a further practical dimension for executives whose Hannover visit connects to Volkswagen Group business. Fair-week hotel and transfer scarcity is the most consistent operational headache for anyone visiting during Hannover Messe itself, and it is worth planning around well ahead of arrival rather than assuming last-minute availability.

## Security Services in Hannover

Executive protection in Hannover centres on the exhibition grounds during Hannover Messe, with teams experienced in the venue's scale and access patterns, and on the Continental-Plaza corporate campus for the rest of the year. Vetted security drivers cover both Hannover Airport transfers and the Wolfsburg corridor for Volkswagen Group-linked visits, with routes pre-surveyed to account for fair-week congestion where relevant.

For related security services, see our [executive protection](/executive-protection/berlin/) coverage and our [security drivers](/services/security-drivers/) page, and our [Germany security briefing](/countries/germany/) for the national IHK licensing framework. For regional context, see our [Berlin](/cities/berlin/) and [Frankfurt](/cities/frankfurt/) city briefings.

Source: Deutsche Messe AG and Hannover Messe event data. Continental AG headquarters announcement (December 2023). Bundespolizei station-crime data reported via German media (2025). Polizeidirektion Hannover security initiative reporting. FCDO Germany travel advice (2026). Medizinische Hochschule Hannover (mhh.de).

## Frequently asked questions

### Is Hannover safe for executives attending Hannover Messe?

Yes. Hannover is a low-risk German city, and the practical considerations for a Hannover Messe visit are largely logistical: severe hotel and transfer scarcity during the fair itself, and standard German-wide terrorism awareness that applies to any large public event nationwide. A named, dated police initiative running through September 2025 was credited with cutting violent crime at the Hauptbahnhof by more than 20 percent, a genuine improvement in what was already a manageable risk picture for corporate visitors.

### What is the connection between Hannover and Wolfsburg for corporate visitors?

Wolfsburg, home to Volkswagen Group's global headquarters, sits roughly 90km from Hannover and is reachable by direct ICE train in around 30 minutes. For executives whose itinerary combines Hannover Messe attendance with Volkswagen Group business, this makes Hannover a practical base, with secure transport covering the corridor between the two cities as a standard part of the visit.

### Does Hannover's Continental AG headquarters affect security planning for visiting executives?

Continental AG opened its new Continental-Plaza headquarters campus in Hannover in December 2023, and the surrounding business district is a modern, low-crime corporate environment. Visiting executives typically need advance security surveys of the campus and surrounding hotel infrastructure rather than any elevated protective posture, reflecting the low ambient risk of the district itself.

### What areas of Hannover should visiting executives be most aware of?

The Hauptbahnhof and its immediate surroundings warrant standard transit vigilance, reflected in Bundespolizei-sourced reporting identifying it as a higher-incident station, though a joint police and city initiative running into 2025 delivered a genuine, documented reduction in violent crime there. Nordstadt's late-night venue strip sees a higher volume of nightlife-related incidents after dark. Neither presents a serious concern for a corporate visitor using vetted transport and standard accommodation districts.

### What medical facilities are available for visiting executives in Hannover?

Medizinische Hochschule Hannover (MHH) is one of Germany's largest university hospitals and provides comprehensive acute and specialist care. For the overwhelming majority of corporate visits, this represents an entirely adequate medical resource without needing to route to Berlin or Frankfurt.