The SIA no longer accepts top-up qualifications.[1] To renew a door supervisor or security guard licence, or to apply again within three years of holding one, you need a full licence-linked qualification and the refresher qualification for that licence.[2][3]
If more than three years have passed since your licence was last active, a refresher is not enough. You need one of the current full qualifications.[4][5]
The SIA licensing guidance quoted here applies across the UK.
What happened to the top-up
The SIA’s training guidance on GOV.UK used to include a section on top-up qualifications. Its update history records that section being taken out, and gives the reason in five words: we no longer accept these.[1]
The same history records the door supervisor and security guarding sections being rewritten, with references to top-up qualifications removed and references to refresher qualifications added.[6]
The section on top-up qualifications has been removed because we no longer accept these.
Course listings do not always keep up. If a provider sells you a top-up, ask for the exact title of the qualification you will receive and compare it with the titles on the SIA’s GOV.UK page before you pay anything.
Which licences name a refresher
The SIA’s guidance names a refresher for three licences. In each case the refresher sits beside a full licence-linked qualification. It does not replace it.[2][3][7]
- Door supervisor: the Level 2 Award for Door Supervisors in the Private Security Industry (Refresher).[2]
- Security guard: the Level 2 Award for Security Officers in the Private Security Industry (Refresher). The licence is called security guard and the qualification is called security officer, so expect both names.[3]
- Close protection: the Level 2 Award for Close Protection Operatives in the Private Security Industry (Refresher).[7]
The public space surveillance (CCTV) licence works differently, and its section of the guidance names no refresher. If you have held that licence before, the SIA may accept an older qualification, but only when your old licence became inactive less than three years ago. After three years you need a new, current qualification.[8]
The three-year line
For a door supervisor or security guard licence, the current full qualification is required in two situations: you are applying for the first time with a qualification gained less than three years ago, or more than three years have passed since you last held an active licence.[4][5]
Inside the three years, the full qualification you already hold can be one of the older ones. The SIA will accept an older qualification if you last held the licence less than three years ago and you also hold the refresher.[9][10]
The current door supervisor and security officer qualifications were introduced in 2021. The guidance lists the older ones it still accepts beneath them.[11]
Check these before you book
- First aid. You must have a first aid qualification before you take the training for a full qualification or a refresher, and it must be valid for at least another 12 months.[12]
- The provider. Training has to come from an approved training provider, meaning one approved by an awarding organisation that offers SIA licence-linked qualifications.[13]
- The awarding organisation. Ask who awards the qualification before you pay, because of the BIIAB cut-off set out below.[14]
Once you pass, the awarding organisation notifies the SIA. You cannot submit your licence application until the SIA has that notification.[15]
The rules may not stay as they are. When we checked on 12 September 2026, the SIA’s GOV.UK page listed a consultation on proposed changes to its licence-linked qualifications and its training policies.[16]
What the door supervisor refresher covers
Our source store holds passages from the first unit of Pearson’s door supervisor refresher specification. Those passages cover four topics.[17][18][19][20]
- Searching, including the right to search and what to do when somebody refuses.[17][21]
- Protecting vulnerable people, starting from the duty of care.[18]
- Terror threat awareness, including the UK threat levels.[19]
- Spiking: the methods used and how to manage an incident.[20][22]
If customers do not give consent for a search then they should be denied entry
This site has no separate refresher paper yet. The Door Supervisor and Security Guard question banks both cover vulnerable people and terror threat awareness, and Door Supervisor covers searching, so the mock tests and topic practice are the nearest match. Each answer names the passage it rests on, as this page does.
Questions people ask
Is a top-up the same thing as a refresher?
No. The SIA no longer accepts top-up qualifications, and its door supervisor and security guarding guidance now refers to refresher qualifications where it used to refer to top-ups.[1][6]
I passed a top-up years ago. Can I still use it?
The SIA’s guidance says it no longer accepts top-up qualifications.[1] It does not say how that applies to a certificate you already hold, so ask the SIA before you rely on one.
Do I need a refresher to renew a CCTV licence?
The CCTV section of the guidance does not name one. It says an older qualification may be accepted if your old licence became inactive less than three years ago, and that after three years you need a new, current qualification.[8]
Can I take the refresher before I have a first aid certificate?
No. The guidance requires a first aid qualification before the training for a full qualification or a refresher, valid for at least another 12 months.[12]
What this guide does not cover
- The rest of Pearson’s door supervisor refresher specification. We hold its first unit only, so this page does not describe any other unit or how the refresher is assessed.
- What the security officer refresher covers. Its specification is not in our source store.
- Close protection, beyond naming its refresher. This site does not cover that licence.
- Course fees, course length and licence processing times. None of the pages we cite states them.
Where to go next
New licence or renewal
Start from your own situation: a first licence, a renewal, or a return after a gap.
Door Supervisor mock test
A timed paper that includes searching, vulnerable people and terror threat awareness.
SIA documents
The GOV.UK guidance and the Pearson specifications this page quotes, linked to each publisher.
Sources
Each passage below is quoted from the copy of the document we checked on the date shown. Follow the link to read it in full on the publisher’s site.
The section on top-up qualifications has been removed because we no longer accept these.
1. Security Industry AuthorityCheck what training you need to get an SIA licence (opens in a new tab)Update historyUK wide · Checked 12 Sept 2026If you are renewing your door supervisor licence or you held a door supervisor licence within the last 3 years, then you must hold both of the following: a full licence-linked qualification the ‘Level 2 Award for Door Supervisors in the Private Security Industry (Refresher)’ qualification
2. Security Industry AuthorityCheck what training you need to get an SIA licence (opens in a new tab)Qualification for a door supervisor licenceUK wide · Checked 12 Sept 2026If you are renewing your security guard licence or you held a security guard licence within the last 3 years, then you must hold both of the following: a full licence-linked qualification the ‘Level 2 Award for Security Officers in the Private Security Industry (Refresher)’ qualification
3. Security Industry AuthorityCheck what training you need to get an SIA licence (opens in a new tab)Qualification for a security guard licenceUK wide · Checked 12 Sept 2026You must hold one of the current, full, licence-linked qualifications listed below if you are applying for a door supervisor licence and either of the following points apply: you are applying for the first time and you got your qualification less than 3 years ago it has been more than 3 years since you previously held an active door supervisor licence
4. Security Industry AuthorityCheck what training you need to get an SIA licence (opens in a new tab)Qualification for a door supervisor licenceUK wide · Checked 12 Sept 2026You must hold one of the current, full, licence-linked qualifications listed below if you are applying for a security guard licence and either of the following points apply: you are applying for the first time and you got your qualification less than 3 years ago it has been more than 3 years since you previously held an active security guard licence
5. Security Industry AuthorityCheck what training you need to get an SIA licence (opens in a new tab)Qualification for a security guard licenceUK wide · Checked 12 Sept 2026Updated the 'Qualification for a door supervisor licence' and 'Qualification for a security guarding licence' sections. The updates remove references to top-up qualifications and add references to refresher qualifications.
6. Security Industry AuthorityCheck what training you need to get an SIA licence (opens in a new tab)Update historyUK wide · Checked 12 Sept 2026If you are renewing your close protection licence or you held a close protection licence within the last 3 years, then you must hold both of the following: a full licence-linked qualification the ‘Level 2 Award for Close Protection Operatives in the Private Security Industry (Refresher)’ qualification
7. Security Industry AuthorityCheck what training you need to get an SIA licence (opens in a new tab)Qualification for a close protection licenceUK wide · Checked 12 Sept 2026If you are applying for a public space surveillance licence and you have held it before, we may accept an older qualification. We only do this if it has been less than 3 years since your old licence became inactive. If it has been longer than 3 years since your old licence became inactive, you need to get a new, current qualification before you can apply for a new licence.
8. Security Industry AuthorityCheck what training you need to get an SIA licence (opens in a new tab)Qualification for a public space surveillance (CCTV) licenceUK wide · Checked 12 Sept 2026it has been less than 3 years since you last held a door supervisor licence you also hold the ‘Level 2 Award for Door Supervisors in the Private Security Industry (Refresher)’ qualification
9. Security Industry AuthorityCheck what training you need to get an SIA licence (opens in a new tab)Qualification for a door supervisor licenceUK wide · Checked 12 Sept 2026it has been less than 3 years since you last held a security guard licence you also hold the ‘Level 2 Award for Security Officers in the Private Security Industry (Refresher)’ qualification
10. Security Industry AuthorityCheck what training you need to get an SIA licence (opens in a new tab)Qualification for a security guard licenceUK wide · Checked 12 Sept 2026The full licence-linked qualification can be one of the current qualifications (introduced in 2021). It can also be one of the older qualifications listed below
11. Security Industry AuthorityCheck what training you need to get an SIA licence (opens in a new tab)Qualification for a door supervisor licenceUK wide · Checked 12 Sept 2026You must have a first aid qualification before you can take the training required for a full qualification or the refresher qualification. Your first aid qualification must be valid for at least another 12 months.
12. Security Industry AuthorityCheck what training you need to get an SIA licence (opens in a new tab)Qualification for a door supervisor licenceUK wide · Checked 12 Sept 2026You must get your training from an approved training provider. These are providers that have been approved by awarding organisations that offer SIA-licence-linked qualifications.
13. Security Industry AuthorityCheck what training you need to get an SIA licence (opens in a new tab)Search for a training providerUK wide · Checked 12 Sept 2026We will not accept qualifications granted by BIIAB on or after 11 August 2026. We will still accept qualifications granted prior to that.
14. Security Industry AuthorityCheck what training you need to get an SIA licence (opens in a new tab)Qualification for a door supervisor licenceUK wide · Checked 12 Sept 2026Once you have successfully got the qualification you need for a front line licence, the awarding organisation will tell us. We must get this notification before you can submit your licence application.
15. Security Industry AuthorityCheck what training you need to get an SIA licence (opens in a new tab)IntroductionUK wide · Checked 12 Sept 2026Proposed changes to SIA licence-linked qualifications The SIA is consulting on proposed changes to its licence-linked qualifications and its policies on training.
16. Security Industry AuthoritySecurity Industry Authority (organisation page on GOV.UK) (opens in a new tab)Latest from the Security Industry AuthorityUK wide · Checked 12 Sept 2026Identify a door supervisor’s right to search; Only with the permission from the person prior to the search; As a part of the admissions policy; As a condition of entry
17. Pearson Education LimitedBTEC Level 2 Award for Door Supervisors in the Private Security Industry (Refresher): Specification (opens in a new tab)Unit 1, criterion 1.2, page 32UK wide · Checked 5 Sept 2026Recognise duty of care with regard to vulnerable people
18. Pearson Education LimitedBTEC Level 2 Award for Door Supervisors in the Private Security Industry (Refresher): Specification (opens in a new tab)Unit 1, criterion 2.1, page 38UK wide · Checked 5 Sept 2026Identify the different threat levels
19. Pearson Education LimitedBTEC Level 2 Award for Door Supervisors in the Private Security Industry (Refresher): Specification (opens in a new tab)Unit 1, criterion 3.1, page 42UK wide · Checked 5 Sept 2026State methods of spiking
20. Pearson Education LimitedBTEC Level 2 Award for Door Supervisors in the Private Security Industry (Refresher): Specification (opens in a new tab)Unit 1, criterion 4.1, page 48UK wide · Checked 5 Sept 2026If customers do not give consent for a search then they should be denied entry
21. Pearson Education LimitedBTEC Level 2 Award for Door Supervisors in the Private Security Industry (Refresher): Specification (opens in a new tab)Unit 1, criterion 1.9, page 36UK wide · Checked 5 Sept 2026State how to manage a spiking incident; Prioritise the welfare of the potential victim
22. Pearson Education LimitedBTEC Level 2 Award for Door Supervisors in the Private Security Industry (Refresher): Specification (opens in a new tab)Unit 1, criterion 4.8, page 53UK wide · Checked 5 Sept 2026
SIA Mock Test UK is an independent study resource. It is not affiliated with, endorsed by or approved by the Security Industry Authority, GOV.UK or any awarding organisation. Practice questions are original and are not live exam questions. This service does not replace mandatory licence-linked training, practical assessment or first-aid requirements. Always confirm current requirements with GOV.UK, your approved training provider and your awarding organisation.
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