Key points at a glance
- You have the right to refuse entry (Hausrecht), but not because of origin, skin colour, religion or other protected characteristics. Write down your door policy and make it public.
- In Germany, external security needs a licence under § 34a GewO (plus a competence exam at club entrances); in Austria, a trade licence for the Bewachungsgewerbe (security trade).
- An awareness team with visible contact persons looks after guests who feel harassed or unwell and follows a fixed procedure for incidents.
- Code words like “Ist Luisa hier?” (Is Luisa here?) only work if the whole team is trained. The campaign runs in Germany and parts of Austria.
- Youth protection and a written emergency plan with escape routes, maximum capacity and first aid belong to every club night.
This post is general information and does not replace legal or tax advice. Rules change and some differ between federal states: check the details with your chamber of commerce (WKO) or IHK, the competent authority or your tax adviser.
Door policy: clear, fair and public
Every club has a door policy, even if it is not written anywhere. The problem with unwritten rules: guests experience them as arbitrary, the team interprets them differently every night, and rejected guests vent their frustration in a Google review. So write down what your night stands for and which reasons lead to refusal: visibly very drunk, aggressive, already banned, breaking the house rules, capacity reached or too young for the event.
As the operator you have Hausrecht, the right to decide who comes in. But you must not discriminate. In Germany, the Allgemeines Gleichbehandlungsgesetz (AGG, General Equal Treatment Act) prohibits discrimination in everyday business with the public on grounds such as ethnic origin, sex, religion, disability, age or sexual identity (§ 19 AGG); those affected can claim compensation. In Austria, refusing someone entry because of skin colour, origin, religion or disability is an administrative offence under the EGVG, and the Gleichbehandlungsgesetz (Equal Treatment Act) also protects against discrimination based on ethnicity and sex. Important: you are liable too if you instruct your door staff to turn away certain groups.
How to get it right
- Put the entry rules in writing and go through them with the door team before each season
- Announce the dress code or theme of an event on your website and social media in advance
- Explain refusals calmly and briefly, without arguing in front of the queue
- On a sold-out night, say clearly that capacity has been reached
Better not
- Sort guests by looks, origin or assumed religion
- Say “regulars only” when you really mean something else
- Change the door policy on a whim depending on the mood of the night
- Humiliate or touch rejected guests in front of others
Security: your own team or a security company
Whether you work with your own staff at the door or hire a security company depends on size, music and crowd. A small bar with regulars often gets by with one experienced person at the entrance; a club with several hundred guests needs a team for entry, cloakroom, floor and emergency exits. Anyone guarding for others on a commercial basis needs a licence in both countries:
| Question | Germany | Austria |
|---|---|---|
| Licence for the security company | Licence under § 34a GewO from the competent authority | Regulated Sicherheitsgewerbe (Bewachungsgewerbe) under § 129 GewO 1994 |
| Staff at the club entrance | Sachkundeprüfung (competence exam) at the IHK for the entrance area of discos | Staff must be reliable; details are set by the Trade Regulation Act |
| Where to ask | IHK (Chamber of Commerce), public order or trade office | WKO (Economic Chamber), district authority or Magistrat |
| What to ask to see | Licence and certificates of the staff deployed | Trade licence of the company (GISA extract) |
Whether and which requirements apply to your own employees at the door is something to clarify with the IHK or WKO or the trade authority. Regardless of the law: security is the face of your club. Brief the team before every night on line-up, crowd, capacity and the awareness procedure, decide who has the final say, and agree in the contract that security implements your door policy and awareness concept. Physical force is only allowed within self-defence and defence of others, never as a way to enforce house rules.
Awareness team and contact persons
Awareness means someone feels responsible when a guest is harassed, pressured, discriminated against or simply cannot cope any more. It is not required by law, but for many guests it is a reason to choose your club over others. An awareness team consists of trained people who are recognisable (shirt, vest or wristband), move around the floor and listen to those affected without judging. For smaller events, two fixed contact persons from the team who do this alongside their main job are enough.
Set principles
Write in one or two sentences what your club stands for, for example: here, those affected decide what they experience as abusive, and we believe them.
Train the team
Have awareness staff, door and bar trained by a specialist organisation or an experienced awareness collective. Ask women's counselling centres or your city about courses.
Define the procedure
Approach, take the person somewhere quiet, ask what they need, arrange company to a taxi or to friends, and call security, an ambulance or the police if needed.
Set up a safe space
A quiet, well-lit room or corner away from the dance floor with water, seating and a phone charger.
Debrief
Discuss incidents briefly after the night and document only what is necessary, without unnecessary personal data. Enforce bans consistently.
Code words like “Ist Luisa hier?”
The best-known initiative in German-speaking countries is “Luisa ist hier!” (Luisa is here): anyone who feels harassed or threatened asks staff “Ist Luisa hier?” and gets discreet help, such as a quiet room, a taxi or support in contacting friends or the police. The campaign was launched in 2016 by Frauen-Notruf Münster, a counselling centre for women, and venues in many German cities now take part. Participating venues are trained and receive posters and stickers; information and regional contacts are on luisa-ist-hier.de.
In Austria, Tyrol was the first federal state to roll the campaign out statewide, led by the Club Commission Innsbruck together with anti-violence organisations. Other cities have their own projects, some under a different name. Ask your city, a women's counselling centre or a local club initiative what exists in your area instead of inventing your own code word: a known phrase works better because guests already know it.
Youth protection at the door and the bar
The door is the first filter for youth protection. Germany has one nationwide Jugendschutzgesetz (Youth Protection Act); in Austria each federal state has its own youth protection law, but the age limits for alcohol are the same nationwide. The details for your country are in our guides to opening a bar in Austria and in Germany.
| Rule | Germany | Austria |
|---|---|---|
| No alcohol | under 16 (exception from 14 with a person with parental custody for beer, wine, sparkling wine, abolition planned) | under 16 |
| No spirits, not even mixed | under 18 | under 18 (distilled alcohol) |
| Dance events without an adult | from 16 until midnight (§ 5 JuSchG) | curfew times vary by federal state |
| Legal basis | Jugendschutzgesetz (JuSchG) | Youth protection laws of the federal states |
In practice: check IDs consistently, not by gut feeling. Many clubs use wristbands or stamps for guests aged 18 and over, so the bar sees at a glance who may be served spirits. In Germany, teenagers sometimes bring a parental authorisation form (colloquially “Muttizettel”); decide in advance whether and under what conditions you accept it, and state the age limit of each event already at ticket presale.
Emergency plan for the club night
When things get serious, there is no time to think. A one-page emergency plan helps the team act correctly in the first minutes: a collapse, a fight, suspected drink spiking, fire or a power cut. The basis is the conditions of your permit: maximum capacity, escape routes and emergency lighting. In Germany, depending on size, this is set by the building permit or your state's Versammlungsstättenverordnung (places of assembly regulation); in Austria by the Betriebsanlagengenehmigung (operating facility permit) and the event law of the federal state. Plan your nights together with your event concept so that line-up, capacity and staff fit together.
Emergency plan: what goes in
- Maximum capacity under the permit and how entry is counted
- Escape routes and emergency exits kept clear, emergency lighting tested, assembly point set
- Who stops the music, turns on the lights and makes announcements
- Emergency numbers on display: 112 in both countries, ambulance 144 and police 133 in Austria, police 110 in Germany
- First aiders named for each shift, first aid kit and, if available, defibrillator clearly marked
- Procedure for suspected drink spiking: do not leave the person alone, call an ambulance, secure the drink
- Contact for the owner or shift lead who can be reached at any time
- Short debrief and documentation after every incident
Practise the plan at least once a season with the whole team, including temporary staff and external security. Post the key points backstage and at the till.
Show your door policy and awareness online
Guests often decide at home whether they will feel comfortable at your place. A dedicated page on your website with house rules, door policy and awareness concept removes uncertainty, saves arguments at the door and shows that you take the topic seriously. What else a club website needs is covered in our guide to website content; see examples of our club websites.
- House rules and door policy in clear sentences: age, dress code, reasons for refusal
- Awareness: how to recognise the team, where the safe space is and whether you take part in “Luisa ist hier!”
- Accessibility and getting there: steps, toilets, night bus, taxi
- Contact after the night for feedback or incidents guests only want to report later
Your club online, with a clear door
Free preview of your club website with events, house rules, door policy and an awareness page.
A free preview of your venue website, designed by us.
