Law & Duties
What the GISA license means for your security provider
The GISA number is the fastest way to verify a security provider's trade licence. What it means, where to find it, and what else to check before you sign.
The GISA number is the registration ID in Austria's Gewerbeinformationssystem (trade register), under which every registered trade licence in Austria — including the regulated private security trade (Bewachungsgewerbe) — is recorded. For clients, it's the fastest way to confirm a security provider actually holds the required trade licence rather than operating without proper authorization. Wächtergroup is registered under GISA number 36208869 for the security trade (private investigation and security services). Reputable providers list their GISA number in their legal notice or share it on request without hesitation; a provider who can't or won't is a warning sign.
This article offers a practical overview and does not replace legal advice. For a binding assessment of your specific situation, contact the relevant trade authority or a specialised legal advisor.
What the GISA number actually is
GISA stands for Gewerbeinformationssystem Austria — the central register in which every trade licence issued in Austria is recorded. Each GISA number is tied to one specific trade licence held by one specific company, not to the company as a whole: a business active in several fields can hold multiple GISA numbers, one per trade. The regulated private security trade (Bewachungsgewerbe) is registered exactly the same way as any other regulated trade under the Austrian Trade Act 1994 (GewO 1994).
Why this matters especially for security providers
The private security trade is a regulated trade: anyone operating in it must meet specific professional and personal requirements and may only begin trading once the licence has actually been granted. In practice, that means a security provider without a valid trade licence isn’t authorised to provide security services at all — contracts with such a provider sit in a legal grey area, and if something goes wrong, the missing licence can become a serious problem, for example if an insurer refuses to cover a claim.
How to check a provider’s GISA number
The GISA number alone doesn’t confirm it’s still active today — but it’s the starting point for checking. Ask the provider directly for their GISA number if it isn’t already listed in their legal notice, and ask to see a current trade register extract if you want to verify further. A reputable security provider won’t hesitate — in fact, their willingness to share this information openly is itself a quality signal.
Wächtergroup’s GISA number
Wächtergroup (WG Waechter Group GmbH) is registered under GISA number 36208869 for the security trade (private investigation and security services). Full company register and trade licence details are available in our legal notice.
What a GISA number doesn’t tell you
A GISA number confirms the formal trade licence — it says nothing about the actual quality of a deployment, the experience of the staff involved, or response times in an emergency. Those points are worth clarifying separately, in a direct conversation or via references. The GISA number is the baseline requirement, not a quality seal.
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