There is no fixed rate for a bodyguard. The cost of close protection depends on what the protection has to do: how serious the threat is, how many officers that needs, for how many hours and days, where you are going, and what else comes with it, such as a vehicle and a security driver. Two bookings that both say “one bodyguard for a day” can be very different pieces of work, which is why any serious provider quotes each one individually.
This guide explains the factors that decide the cost, how to compare quotes like for like, and what a cheap quote usually leaves out. If you already know the dates and the occasion, you can ask about hiring a bodyguard in London directly.
Why There Is No Standard Price
A bodyguard is not a product with a list price. The same officer might spend one day walking a client through a busy launch and the next sitting quietly outside a meeting room. What you are paying for is not a person’s time alone but the planning behind it, the judgement of the people doing it, and the backup if something goes wrong.
So the useful question is not “what does one officer cost?” but “what will it take to protect this person, in these places, for this long?” The answer to that question sets the cost.
The Factors That Decide the Cost
The Threat Level and the Risk Assessment
Everything starts here. A well-known person attending a public event faces different risks from a family dealing with a specific threat, a stalker or a dispute. The assessment of the threat decides how many officers are needed, how experienced they must be, and how much planning goes in before the first day.
For ongoing protection, a proper security risk assessment is usually the first piece of work. It is also what makes a quote meaningful: without it, a provider is guessing.
Number of Officers and the Shift Pattern
One officer can look after one person for part of a day. Protection that runs for longer, covers several people or has to be in two places at once needs more officers, working in shifts so that nobody is on duty for too long to stay sharp. A team leader may be needed to plan and coordinate. The number of officers and the shift pattern are usually the largest part of any quote.
Hours and Duration
A single evening event costs less than a full day, and a week costs less per day than a run of separate bookings, because the planning is done once. Long-term protection is planned differently again, around the family’s routine rather than a single itinerary.
Travel and Overseas Work
Travel adds the officer’s own travel and accommodation, time spent checking routes and venues in advance, and, abroad, the cost of local knowledge: partners on the ground, local transport and an understanding of the place. Protection that crosses borders takes more planning than protection in one city.
Vehicles and Drivers
Many bookings include a vehicle and a trained security driver, because the moments of getting in and out of a car are among the most exposed. The cost depends on the vehicle, from the client’s own car to an armoured one where the threat calls for it, and on whether the driver is also part of the protection plan.
Residential Cover
Protection on the move often comes with protection at home. If the house needs a team while the family is in residence, or while it stands empty when they travel, that is a separate part of the cost. It is often planned together with close protection so the two teams work as one.
Vetting and Specialist Skills
Some assignments need particular skills: medical training beyond first aid, languages, experience with children, or experience of the country you are travelling to. Officers with specialist skills, and the time it takes to vet them properly, are reflected in the price.
Short Notice
Protection needed tomorrow costs more to put together than protection planned a month ahead, because the right people have to be found, briefed and moved at once. Where you can, give as much notice as possible.
How to Compare Quotes Like for Like
Quotes for protection are hard to compare because they often describe different things. Before you compare two, make sure each one answers the same questions:
- How many officers, for how many hours, on what shift pattern? A quote for one officer working a long day and a quote for two officers sharing it are not the same service.
- What planning is included? Ask whether routes and venues are checked in advance, and by whom.
- Is a risk assessment included, or assumed?
- Are travel, accommodation and expenses included or extra?
- Is a vehicle included, and is the driver part of the protection team?
- Who stands in if an officer is ill?
- What licences and vetting do the officers have? Anyone supplied under contract as a close protection officer in the UK needs an SIA licence; you can check any licence on the SIA’s public register.
- What insurance does the company hold?
Put the answers side by side and the difference between the quotes usually becomes clear.
What a Cheap Quote Usually Leaves Out
A low quote is not always a bad one, but it is worth asking what it is not paying for. Most often:
- Planning. No advance check of routes, venues or exits, so the officer arrives on the day knowing no more than you do.
- Enough people. One officer covering hours that need two, with no one to rest, eat or cover a gap.
- Licensing and vetting. Working without an SIA licence in a licensable role is an offence under section 3 of the Private Security Industry Act 2001, punishable by up to six months in prison, a fine, or both. A low quote can sometimes be explained by people who should not be doing the work.
- Backup. No supervisor, no replacement and no plan if something goes wrong.
- Insurance. Cover that is missing or does not match the work.
Our guide on how to choose a close protection company goes through the checks in more detail.
A Short Booking or Ongoing Protection?
The way protection is arranged also changes what it costs. A short booking for an event, a visit or a few difficult days is planned around one itinerary. Ongoing close protection is planned around a family’s life: it starts with a risk assessment, builds a team that learns the routines, and usually brings in drivers and residential security. Our article on whether you need a bodyguard or a close protection officer explains the difference.
FAQs
How much does a bodyguard cost in the UK?
There is no fixed rate. The cost depends on the level of threat, the number of officers needed and the shift pattern, the hours and the number of days, any travel, whether a vehicle and driver are included, and how much notice there is. A reputable provider quotes each booking individually once it understands the requirement.
Why do bodyguard quotes vary so much?
Because they often describe different services. One quote may include advance planning, a team leader, a vehicle and a replacement if an officer is ill; another may be one officer turning up on the day. Compare the number of officers, the hours, the planning, the vetting and what is included before you compare the totals.
Is it cheaper to hire a bodyguard for one day?
A single day costs less in total than a longer booking, but planning has to be done whatever the length, so a longer booking often works out at less per day. For a risk that does not go away, ongoing close protection, planned around your routine, is usually better value than a series of separate bookings.
Does a bodyguard need an SIA licence?
Yes, if they are supplied under contract. Anyone working under contract as a close protection officer in the UK needs an SIA close protection licence, which lasts three years. Since 1 April 2026, close protection officers have had to complete refresher training to renew. You can check any licence free on the SIA’s public register at GOV.UK.
What should a bodyguard quote include?
The number of officers and the shift pattern, the hours and dates, the planning to be done in advance, whether a risk assessment is included, travel and expenses, any vehicle and driver, the licences and vetting of the officers, insurance, and who covers if an officer cannot.
What to Do Next
For an event, a visit or a few days, find out how to book a bodyguard in London. If the risk is part of everyday life, talk to us about close protection for you and your family, starting with a risk assessment.