Visiting Tbilisi for business, investment, or HNWI travel? Request a licensed CPO briefing covering the South Caucasus environment.
This page is about the people who provide close protection in Tbilisi: who they are, how they are vetted, and what credentials to verify before they deploy. Every operator in our Tbilisi network works for a licensed company, and is assessed for local competence within a reasonably well-developed sector. It covers standard team configuration and the credential checks a buyer should insist on before engaging any officer.
Licensed operators with South Caucasus experience deliver close protection calibrated to these specific factors and to the growing volume of senior executive and HNWI visitors attracted by Georgia’s improving business environment.
For the full Tbilisi security picture, see our Tbilisi city briefing. For principals requiring vetted transport as the primary security measure for Tbilisi and South Caucasus movements, security drivers in Tbilisi covers the licensed chauffeur programme.
To arrange short-term cover for a specific trip, see bodyguard hire in Tbilisi. For organisational, duty-of-care protection around a corporate visit, see executive protection in Tbilisi.
What does this cover in Tbilisi?
Georgia Private Security Licensing
Private security in Georgia is governed by the Law on Private Security Activities, with licences issued by the Public Safety Command Center '112', a legal entity under the Ministry of Internal Affairs. Security companies must hold its licence, and security guards need its certificate, valid for up to one year. The Georgian regulatory framework has developed significantly following post-Rose Revolution institutional reforms and is more structured than comparable South Caucasus jurisdictions. All our Tbilisi partners hold current licences; documentation is provided to clients before deployment.
Russian-Occupied Territory Exclusion Protocol
South Ossetia and Abkhazia are Russian-occupied territories with no Georgian government control. The FCDO advises against all travel to South Ossetia and against all travel to Abkhazia. The administrative boundary lines (ABLs) with both territories are the absolute exclusion limits for all principal itineraries in Georgia. South Ossetia's ABL runs approximately 100 kilometres north of Tbilisi on the Gori corridor; Abkhazia's ABL is on the north-western Inguri River approach. CPO operations in Georgia explicitly map ABL locations. Any itinerary element approaching the Gori or Zugdidi corridors is assessed against current ABL mapping before confirmation. Source: FCDO Georgia travel advisory, April 2026.
Political Protest and Civil Unrest Management
Georgia has experienced significant political demonstrations since the 2024 elections and the government's suspension of EU accession negotiations. Large demonstrations, including confrontations with police involving tear gas, have occurred on Rustaveli Avenue and around parliament. The political tensions around EU integration and the government's direction have not resolved and further significant demonstrations are plausible. CPO protest protocol: Rustaveli Avenue and the parliament area are monitored for demonstration activity. On demonstration days, alternate routing using Freedom Square and Agmashenebeli Avenue is applied. A contingency extraction route from Old Town and Mtatsminda hotel zones is pre-planned for each engagement.
Intelligence Security for High-Profile Principals
Tbilisi has become a significant hub for Russian nationals and businesses relocating following 2022 sanctions. This has created an environment where Russian, Western, and regional intelligence services operate with heightened activity. For principals involved in Ukraine support, sanctions compliance, defence sector activity, or any work where Russian intelligence services would have an operational interest, CPO Tbilisi operations include counter-intelligence awareness: surveillance detection, information security protocols, and specific guidance on public statement and digital communication discipline. This is relevant for a growing proportion of Tbilisi's international business visitors. Source: FCDO Georgia travel advisory, April 2026.
South Caucasus Regional Coverage
Tbilisi is the logistical hub for the South Caucasus, with connections to Yerevan (Armenia) and Baku (Azerbaijan). CPO teams covering Tbilisi assignments can extend to multi-country South Caucasus itineraries through our regional partner network. The Georgia-Armenia land crossing at Sadakhlo and the Georgia-Azerbaijan crossing at Red Bridge are the standard overland routes. Each crossing has documentary requirements and specific timing considerations that the CPO brief addresses before each cross-border movement.
Sources for this page
Licensing, firearms and foreign-operator rules for Tbilisi, checked : Law of Georgia on Private Security Activities, Legislative Herald of Georgia (consolidated 9 December 2025). The full rules are on our Tbilisi security overview.
Travel advice quoted on this page: FCDO travel advice: Georgia. Advice changes; read the current version before travel.
Frequently Asked Questions
What are the South Ossetia and Abkhazia exclusion rules for CPO principals in Georgia?
How are political protests managed in the Tbilisi CPO brief?
What licensing governs Tbilisi CPO operators?
Does CPO coverage extend across the South Caucasus from a Tbilisi base?
This page is published by CloseProtectionHire.com and written to editorial standards overseen by James Calloway, Senior Security Consultant (regulation, licensing, vetting and risk frameworks) and Marcus Webb, Security Operations Adviser (operational close protection, secure transport and city-specific safety).
Threat, regulatory and emergency information is sourced to named, dated authorities such as the FCDO, the US State Department and national licensing bodies. Last updated . See how we verify.