How much does the 34a certificate (34a-Schein) cost?

The 34a certificate – colloquially also called the security licence (Security-Schein) – usually costs 150–250 € in IHK fees for the Sachkundeprüfung (IHK Berlin: 200 €, as at October 2026); the 40-hour Unterrichtung costs 370 € in Berlin. A preparation course comes on top – with an approved Bildungsgutschein (education voucher) from the Agentur für Arbeit, jobseekers pay 0 € at IHQ Akademie for the course and the IHK exam fee for the first attempt. Exactly how much you pay depends on which proof of qualification you need and on whether you are paying yourself or being funded; this overview separates the individual cost items.

Unterrichtung or Sachkundeprüfung – which one do I need?

In everyday speech people often talk about the “small” and the “big” 34a-Schein. These terms are colloquial; in law, § 34a GewO distinguishes two forms of proof:

• Unterrichtungsbescheinigung (“small 34a-Schein”): a 40-hour Unterrichtung at the IHK without a final exam; you need German at B1 level or higher. Under § 34a Abs. 1a GewO it is sufficient for simple security duties (for example object and plant protection, or reception).
• Sachkundeprüfung (“big 34a-Schein”): an examination passed before the IHK. It is required for more demanding duties such as door supervisor at discotheques, store detective or city patrol, and for self-employment in the Bewachungsgewerbe (private security industry).

An overview of the costs

The price is made up of the following items, depending on the route you take – Unterrichtung or Sachkundeprüfung, not both. IHK fees are set under chamber law and differ from region to region – where stated, the figures refer to the IHK Berlin (as at October 2026):

What can you earn with the 34a certificate? Pay and collective agreement 2026

In Berlin and Brandenburg, the collectively agreed wage in 2026 is at least 15.15 € gross per hour – for example for security guards and security staff in object protection. If you have passed the Sachkundeprüfung, the rate is 15.55 €, but only if the client or the law expressly requires the Sachkunde, for example for city patrol (City-Streife) or store detective work. The basis is the pay agreement for security services in Berlin and Brandenburg (Entgelttarifvertrag für Sicherheitsdienstleistungen) of 18 November 2025. Retroactively since 1 January 2026, it has been generally binding (allgemeinverbindlich) for security companies based in Berlin or Brandenburg that provide security services for third parties, and for their employees (Federal Gazette, Bundesanzeiger: BAnz AT 02.07.2026 B8; press release of the Berlin Senate Department of 22.07.2026). Generally binding means that these wages also apply at such companies if they are not bound by a collective agreement. Supplements, for example for night, Sunday and public holiday work, come on top.

The monthly figures are an example calculation, not a collectively agreed rate: 40 hours a week × 52 weeks ÷ 12 gives roughly 173.3 hours a month, calculated gross and excluding supplements. How much you take home net depends on your tax class and social security contributions. This collective agreement does not cover cash-in-transit and valuables transport or cash processing, security measures at commercial airports under the Aviation Security Act (Luftsicherheitsgesetz) or assignments on DB Netz AG facilities with access to the railway network to protect against the hazards of railway operations. Security and public-order services in public transport, by contrast, are covered. Other federal states have their own collective agreements, so the figures for Berlin and Brandenburg cannot be applied to Germany as a whole. As at October 2026.

For the duties that require the Sachkunde, such as city patrol or store detective work, you need to have passed the IHK Sachkundeprüfung. IHQ Akademie prepares you for it. If you are registered with the Jobcenter, the preparation is free of charge for you with a Bildungsgutschein – the next section explains how.

Free of charge with a Bildungsgutschein

For jobseekers there is one decisive difference: with a Bildungsgutschein (education voucher) from the Agentur für Arbeit, the preparation course and the IHK exam fee are free of charge as part of a funded, AZAV-approved programme. This also applies if you are registered with the Jobcenter and receive Grundsicherungsgeld (basic income support, formerly Bürgergeld): since 1 January 2025, the Agentur für Arbeit has also issued the Bildungsgutschein for Jobcenter customers; go to your Jobcenter first (it determines the need for further training). In legal terms, exam fees are part of the course costs that can be covered under § 84 SGB III. The condition is that the provider and the programme are AZAV-approved and that a Bildungsgutschein has been granted; the Agentur für Arbeit decides on this case by case.

A word of warning: “buy a 34a-Schein without an exam”

Offers promising a 34a certificate “without an exam” keep appearing. The certificate cannot be bought: for the duties that require proof of competence, § 34a Abs. 1a GewO calls for evidence of a Sachkundeprüfung successfully passed before the IHK. Exceptions exist only in cases regulated by law, for example for holders of certain qualifications under § 12 BewachV – such as Fachkraft für Schutz und Sicherheit (protection and security specialist) or the Laufbahnprüfung (career exam) for the police enforcement service – or of recognised foreign qualifications under § 13c GewO. Before a guard is first deployed, the competent authority uses the Bewacherregister to check both the reliability and the qualification of every security worker – forged documents come to light in the process. Anyone who has neither passed the exam nor obtained a recognised qualification is limited to the Unterrichtung for simple duties.