Every Door Supervisor licence expires after three years, and since 1 April 2025 you cannot renew one without the Refresher qualification. Some people still call it the "top-up", and our calendar does too, but the qualification the SIA now requires is the Level 2 Award for Door Supervisors in the Private Security Industry (Refresher). This guide explains the rule, what the two days cover, how you are assessed and how to time it so you never have a gap in work. Dates and current prices are on the calendar.
The renewal rule since April 2025
The SIA's renewal guidance says that to renew a door supervisor licence you must hold the Level 2 Award for Door Supervisors in the Private Security Industry (Refresher) as well as the licence-linked qualification you already have. This replaced the earlier "top-up" arrangement from 2021 and it applies to every door supervisor renewal, whenever you originally qualified. You do not repeat the full six-day course.
Two further rules come with it:
- First aid before the refresher. You must hold an Emergency First Aid at Work qualification, or an equivalent meeting Health and Safety Executive guidance, with at least 12 months left on it, before you take the refresher training, and you show it to your training provider when you register. Our two-day course includes the Highfield Level 3 Emergency First Aid at Work course, completed first, for anyone whose certificate has expired or is close to it.
- Renew early, never late. You can apply to renew up to four months before expiry, any time left on your current licence is added to the new one, and a licence that has already expired cannot be renewed; you would have to apply for a new one and stop working until it arrives.
If you hold a door supervisor licence and want to switch to security guarding, the SIA lets you take the Security Guard Refresher and renew as a security guard instead. Ask us if that is your plan.
Security guards can book this course too. The SIA has confirmed to us that a security guard licence holder can renew by taking the two-day Door Supervisor Refresher, so we accept security guard bookings on every Refresher date. You attend both days, the same as door supervisors, and the course is the same.
One limit to know before you book. The Door Supervisor Refresher renews the licence you already hold. A security guard who completes it renews their security guard licence; it does not let them apply for a new door supervisor licence. To move from security guard to door supervisor you need the full Door Supervisor course, including the physical intervention qualification. Ask us before booking if that is what you want.
What the Refresher qualification contains
The qualification is the Highfield Level 2 Award for Door Supervisors in the Private Security Industry (Refresher), qualification number 610/4810/0, with 21 guided learning hours and a minimum of 11 hours 15 minutes of classroom contact where supported self-study is used for part of the first unit. It has two units, each with an exam and a practical, and every part must be passed.
| Unit | What it covers | How it is assessed |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Principles of working as a door supervisor (Refresher) | Updates to the law and your responsibilities, search procedures, drugs awareness, terror threats and the door supervisor's role, keeping vulnerable people safe, communication, recording and post-incident management | 35-question exam, 55 minutes, pass mark 71 per cent, plus a filmed search and communications practical |
| 2. Application of physical intervention skills (Refresher) | The law and risks of physical intervention, positional asphyxia, acute behavioural disturbance, prolonged intervention, ground interventions, monitoring safety, and every technique from stance to escorting and disengaging | 30-question exam, 45 minutes, pass mark 80 per cent, plus a filmed demonstration of every technique and a question-and-answer session |
The detail is in the Refresher exam guide and the Refresher practical guide.
Why the refresher is worth doing properly
Three years on the door is long enough to pick up habits. The law around searches and safeguarding, the SIA's expectations on vulnerability, counter-terrorism awareness since the Manchester Arena Inquiry and the current standard for physical intervention have all moved on. The refresher is not a formality: the physical intervention unit has an 80 per cent pass mark and the practical requires every technique to be demonstrated correctly. Treat it as training, not as a certificate collection exercise, and you will come out sharper than most of the people you work alongside.
The two days
Both days run at Yeading Community Centre, 2 Ditchfield Road, Hayes, UB4 9BH, with free parking. Where the first aid course is included it is completed before the practical security training, as the specification requires. Each intake on the calendar has a "View full schedule" button with times and breaks. Wear clothes you can move in for the physical intervention sessions.
Before Day 1
- E-learning. A Highfield learner login is sent after you book. Complete the refresher e-learning and download the certificates; the e-learning page walks through it.
- ID. An in-date passport or UK driving licence (provisional accepted) and two proofs of address from two different organisations, each dated within the last three months, with matching names and addresses.
- Your current licence, your original certificate and your first aid certificate if it has 12 months left.
Without the required documents you cannot join. The information page has the full checklist.
Timing: work backwards from your expiry date
- Find the expiry date on your licence.
- Count back four months. That is when the SIA will accept your renewal, and the best time to submit it.
- Book the refresher so that your certificate is issued before that window opens. The awarding body processes results in a few working days after the course.
- Apply through your SIA online account as soon as the qualification shows on it. Our guides to creating an SIA account and contacting the SIA cover the application and what to do if the qualification does not appear.
The renewal planner on our home page works backwards from your expiry date for you.
Results and the Exam Warranty
Exams are marked on the day and the practicals are assessed in the room. Run through the free mock exams for the door supervisor and physical intervention units beforehand. If you do not pass an exam first time, the ASA Exam Warranty covers your next two attempts at no extra cost, provided you attend, take part and book your retake promptly. Tell us your expiry date when you book so any resit is scheduled in time.
FAQ
Do I need the refresher to renew my Door Supervisor licence?
Yes. Since 1 April 2025 the SIA requires the Level 2 Award for Door Supervisors in the Private Security Industry (Refresher) for every door supervisor renewal, plus a valid first aid qualification before you take it.
Can I keep working while my renewal is processed?
Only while your current licence is still valid. Apply up to four months before expiry so there is no gap, and remember an expired licence cannot be renewed.
Does the refresher include first aid?
Our course includes the Level 3 Emergency First Aid at Work course, completed first, for anyone who needs it. If you already hold a first aid certificate with at least 12 months left, bring it.
I have a Security Guard licence. Can I do the Door Supervisor Refresher?
Yes, to renew your security guard licence. It does not give you a door supervisor licence: for that you need the full Door Supervisor course.
Is the "top-up" the same as the Refresher?
Yes. "Top-up" was the name used for the training introduced in 2021. The qualification the SIA requires now is the Refresher, and that is what we deliver under the top-up name on the calendar.
Ready to book your course?
Current prices and dates are on our calendar. Everything about A Security Academy, the SIA-approved training centre in Hayes, West London, is on the home page.