Mandatory Door Supervisor Refresher Course: Everything You Need to Know

If your SIA Door Supervisor licence is coming up for renewal, the process changed in a way that catches a lot of people out. Since 1 April 2025, the Security Industry Authority made refresher training mandatory for every door supervisor renewing their licence, and it now has to be paired with an Emergency First Aid at Work certificate too. Missing either part can mean a delayed renewal and a gap in your ability to work. Here’s exactly what’s required and how to get through it without losing time.

The Door Supervisor Refresher is a Highfield Level 2 Award designed to update the knowledge and skills of licensed door supervisors ahead of licence renewal. Unlike the full initial Door Supervisor course, which runs over six days for someone starting from scratch, the refresher is a shorter, focused update for people who already hold a valid licence and simply need to stay compliant.

Before April 2025, some door supervisors could renew their licence without retraining. The SIA closed that gap, requiring refresher training for every renewal from 1 April 2025 onward, to make sure licence holders stay current on legal changes, conflict management standards and physical intervention technique, rather than working from knowledge that’s several years out of date.

This course is for current door supervisors renewing an existing licence, not people starting out. The entry requirement is holding a valid SIA licence that is due to expire within the last 2 to 3 months. If your licence has already lapsed rather than simply approaching expiry, you’ll typically need to requalify through the full Door Supervisor course instead, so it’s worth checking your exact expiry date before booking.

This is the part that trips up a lot of renewing door supervisors. Since 1 April 2025, the SIA requires the refresher to be completed alongside an Emergency First Aid at Work certificate, not instead of it. If your EFAW has expired or won’t have enough validity left to cover your renewal, you’ll need to complete that too. The Door Supervisor Refresher and EFAW bundle covers both in one booking, which is worth checking before you assume the refresher alone is enough.

• Updated legal regulations and professional responsibilities
• Conflict management and de-escalation techniques
• Physical intervention, assessed practically, not just in theory
• Awareness of spiking and how to respond to it on site
• Terror threat awareness
• Fire and arrest procedures relevant to the door supervisor role

The course follows a blended format: online learning to complete first, followed by 1.5 days of face-to-face training and assessment at the centre. This structure means less classroom time than the original six-day course, while still covering everything needed to demonstrate current competency.

Assessment covers two parts. A multiple-choice theory exam, completed under exam conditions, and a practical physical intervention assessment, where you’ll need to demonstrate the techniques covered during training. Both elements need to be passed to receive your certification, so the practical side isn’t optional even if you’re confident on the theory.

On successful completion, you’ll receive the Highfield Level 2 Award for Door Supervisors in the Private Security Industry (Refresher), the qualification the SIA requires as part of your licence renewal application.

• Booking too early or too late. The entry requirement is a licence expiring within the last 2 to 3 months, so booking well outside that window can mean you’re not yet eligible, while waiting too long risks a lapsed licence.
• Forgetting the EFAW requirement. As covered above, the refresher alone won’t complete your renewal if your first aid certificate isn’t current.
• Assuming this is the same as the full course. If your licence has already expired rather than simply approaching renewal, the refresher route may not apply to you. For a wider look at where people commonly go wrong across SIA training generally, see our breakdown of common SIA course mistakes.
• Underestimating the practical assessment. The physical intervention component is genuinely assessed, not a formality, so it’s worth going in prepared rather than assuming the theory exam is the only thing that matters.

If you also hold a Security Guard licence, renewal rules changed for that role too. See our guide to security guard refresher training and the 2026 rules if you’re managing more than one licence renewal at once.