Bodyguards in Thailand

Why hire bodyguards in Thailand?

With bodyguards in Thailand, your group has the night and he has the room.

A licensed Thai officer in plain clothes stays close all night, from the airport at 6am to the villa at 4am, with the car never far away.

When you hire a bodyguard in Thailand with us, we only book licensed Thai security companies, because the law requires it. A good company shows you its licence without a fuss.

The team works in Bangkok, Phuket and Pattaya, and travels with you between them. Most bookings are groups on a big trip: a bachelor party on Bangla Road, a villa party with a long guest list, a birthday with family flying in. Executives and families take the quieter version, with officers in suits. Which nights need cover? Tanner will say straight.

What does a bodyguard cost?

Bodyguards in Thailand are priced by the officer and the shift. The price grows with the officers, the hours and the cities.

Cheap online often means one unlicensed guard for a short shift.

The cars are priced on their own. See VIP transport.

Price the whole team at once, for every city on your trip.

How many officers do you need?

Two officers suit most groups of 8 to 12: one at the front, one at the back, so the group moves together through a busy club or street.

For a couple or one big evening, one officer is enough. For a villa week with a big guest list, officers work in shifts round the clock. If you're moving from Bangkok to Pattaya or Phuket, the same team travels with you, so the faces stay the same all week.

Between two sizes? Tanner sizes it to your evenings.

Tanner's pick: for 12 of you, two officers on every evening out. Match the hours to your plans; Tanner books them and names the officers before you fly.

Where does the bodyguard go?

Anywhere your group goes. A bodyguard isn't a bouncer: he moves with the group, plans the route and keeps the car close.

See yacht parties and VIP sections.

Ask Tanner which stops need cover and which don't.

Bodyguard or close protection?

Same job, two words. "Bodyguard" is the everyday one, and "close protection" the professional one.

Book a bodyguard for one evening: one club, or a walk down a busy street. Book close protection in Thailand for the whole trip: several cities, and a group moving between the villa, the boat and the club. Executive protection in Thailand is the business version, with officers in suits at meetings, hotels and launches. Either way, the officer works with the driver, so the car is always close and the route is planned before you leave.

Insider tip: keep the same officers for the whole trip. By the second evening they know every face in your group. Moving between cities? Book close protection from day one.

Is hiring a bodyguard legal?

Hiring a bodyguard is legal in Thailand from a licensed company, under the Security Business Act, as law firm Tilleke & Gibbins explains (checked October 2026).

The guards must be Thai nationals aged 18 or over, licensed by the Royal Thai Police, with a training certificate and a clean record. That means a foreign bodyguard can't work here as a licensed guard. Your check: ask to see the company's licence itself, not a logo on a brochure.

Plan it with Tanner, and your team is legal from the first shift.

What can't a bodyguard do?

A private bodyguard in Thailand has no police powers and is almost never armed. New permits to carry a gun in public are suspended for a year from 20 February 2026.

He can't arrest or hold anyone; the job is to see trouble early and move the group away. If something goes wrong, call the Tourist Police on 1155, the 24-hour hotline with help in several languages.

Pass on anyone offering an armed foreign bodyguard. For road clearance, see our police escort page.

Bangkok, Phuket or Pattaya

Bangkok is where most groups want cover, then Phuket and Pattaya for the party streets and villa parties. The price is the same in all three.

A bodyguard in Bangkok covers a late landing at Suvarnabhumi, a big evening on Sukhumvit and a busy club; the team meets you at arrivals, and the car waits outside every stop. In Phuket it's Bangla Road after midnight and the gate at the hillside villas and marinas. In Pattaya it's a villa party with a big guest list, or Walking Street late in the evening. In Koh Samui and Chiang Mai the same team travels in with you, so the faces never change.

See bodyguards in Pattaya and bodyguards in Phuket.

Keep one team for every city. Tanner lines them up before you fly.

Do you do event security in Thailand?

Yes, at the same shift price, from ฿9,000 an officer. A party with a big guest list needs two officers: one on the gate and one with the group.

At a villa party the officer on the gate checks the guest list, so only your guests get in. See villa parties.

On a yacht day the team stays at the pier and on board. At a birthday they walk the group between dinner, the club and the car. At a company evening, officers in suits keep it quiet. See corporate events.

The exit route and the cars are agreed before the party starts. The best security at a party is the kind nobody notices. Pick the dress: a polo shirt, a suit or a uniform.

Hand Tanner the guest list. The gate is taken care of.

When should you book?

A week before you fly is best. For the busiest dates, 2 to 3 weeks, because the teams go first.

The busiest are Tomorrowland Thailand, 11 to 13 December 2026 near Pattaya, New Year's Eve on 31 December in every city, and Songkran, 13 to 15 April 2027. For three days or more, book the whole team at once, so the same officers stay with you.

Your dates are set? Hold the team today, and the same officers stay with you all trip.

Bodyguards in Thailand in short

• A licensed Thai officer in plain clothes who stays close to your group all night.

• For groups on a big trip, and for executives and families who want it quieter.
• One officer on an 8-hour shift is ฿9,000, and two suit most groups of 8 to 12.
• Book a week before you fly, and 2 to 3 weeks for the busiest dates.
• Guards must be licensed Thai nationals, and private bodyguards are almost never armed.
• Checked: November 2026