Device for the protection of an electrical load. A branch (4) connects an input terminal (1) to an output terminal (2). The branch includes in series:a channel of a first transistor (10) of the "normally on" type anda channel of a second transistor (20) of the "normally on" type of a second conductivity type. A gate (10g) of the first transistor (10) is connected to the output terminal (2) and a gate (20g) of the second transistor (20) is connected to the input terminal (1) by means of a third "normally on" transistor (30) of the first conductivity type. A gate (30g) is connected to a node (6) between the channels of the first and second transistors. The device has application to the protection of electronic components.