Security guard refresher training keeps your SIA licence valid and has been mandatory at every renewal since 1 April 2025. Of the three refresher courses the SIA runs, this is the shortest: a one-day, one-exam unit, covering searching procedures, terror threats and the security officer’s role in responding to them, and keeping vulnerable people safe.
Use this guide to walk in prepared: what the course covers, how the exam works, what to bring on the day, and how to pass SIA refresher training first time.
Key Takeaways
- A 1-day course, from £99.99, the shortest refresher option the SIA offers.
- One exam unit: “Principles of Working in the Private Security Industry (Refresher).”
- Covers three sessions: searching procedures, terror threats, and keeping vulnerable people safe. No physical intervention training. That’s Door Supervisor refresher only.
- Mandatory at every Security Guard licence renewal since 1 April 2025.
- Replaced the old 3-year top-up cycle. How often you need it now depends on your renewal date.
- Needs a valid EFAW certificate with at least 12 months’ validity remaining when you book.
- The exam: 28 questions, 45 minutes, 71% pass mark (20 correct answers).
- Some bookings include pre-course e-learning. Check your confirmation email; it’s not guaranteed on every course.
- Bring photo ID, your EFAW certificate, and a notepad. Full checklist below.
Who Needs SIA Refresher Training?
If you’ve been asking yourself, “do I need security guard refresher training?”, here’s a quick breakdown of when you might need it:
- Your security guard licence is due for renewal. Refresher training now applies at every renewal, not on the old 3-year top-up cycle, so how often you need it depends only on your renewal date, not a fixed schedule.
- You’re returning to the industry after a break and need to meet current SIA standards.
- Your current licence is approaching its 4-month renewal window.
Quick clarification: Refresher training and top-up training aren’t the same thing — refresher training replaced top-up training on 1 April 2025 and is what you need before renewal. It’s also not the same as renewal itself: refresher training is the course and exam; renewal is the separate application you submit afterwards. See the full comparison here: SIA Top-Up vs SIA Refresher Training.
What Does the Security Guard Refresher Course Cover?
The security guard refresher training isn’t a general “catch-up” session. It’s a single exam unit built around three sessions set out in the SIA’s Knowledge and Skills Specification for Security Guarding Refresher Training.
Session 1: Searching
The legal requirements for conducting searches, the three types of search (general, random, and intelligence-based), how to use search equipment (metal detectors, mirrors, gloves, search wands), handling search refusals and recording searches correctly, and special considerations for searching minors, vulnerable individuals, and transgender individuals.
This is hands-on. If your provider only talks you through it rather than having you practise it, that’s a sign to look elsewhere.
Session 2: Terror Threat Awareness
UK terrorism threat levels and attack methodologies, recognising suspicious behaviour, the RUN, HIDE, TELL emergency response strategy, procedures for suspicious packages, and how security officers work alongside law enforcement.
Chapter 3: Protecting Vulnerable People
Understanding duty of care in security roles, recognising vulnerabilities linked to intoxication, age, disability, or mental illness, spotting signs of abuse, exploitation, and safeguarding concerns, and safe procedures for handling vulnerable individuals. This session also covers initiatives like Ask for Angela, used to help protect at-risk people on licensed premises.
One thing worth being clear on: security guard refresher training does not include physical intervention training. That session sits within the Door Supervisor refresher course only. If a provider’s syllabus for the security guard course lists physical intervention, check it carefully before booking.
Recommended Reading: Completing SIA Refresher Training
Your SIA Refresher Training Checklist
Do you need to prepare anything before refresher training? Yes, mainly logistics. Use this SIA refresher training checklist to confirm you’re ready to book and attend:
- Valid EFAW certificate, with at least 12 months’ validity remaining at the time you book, not just on the course date. If yours is close to that line, renew it before you book.
- Photo ID (passport or driving licence) to bring on the day.
- A notepad and pen for the classroom session.
- Time to review your original SIA course materials. Refresher training assumes existing knowledge, so a quick refresh of your handbook helps you place the updates in context.
- A mock test attempt, so you know the exam format before you sit it for real.
- Your renewal timeline. Know your licence expiry date so you book with enough runway before your 4-month renewal window closes.
This checklist covers the genuine SIA refresher training requirements for security guards; skip a step, and you risk delays or being turned away on the day.
What to Expect on the Day
The security guard refresher is a single classroom day covering the three sessions above, followed by the exam. Some Get Licensed bookings include pre-course e-learning you complete before you arrive; this is typical practice on many bookings, but check your specific confirmation, since it isn’t guaranteed on every course.
Bring what’s on the checklist above — turning up without your ID or EFAW certificate is one of the most common reasons candidates get turned away on the day.
Ready to lock in your date? Find an SIA security guard refresher course near you.
How to Pass SIA Refresher Training: Exam Format and Preparation Tips
The exam is a single-unit multiple-choice test: 28 questions, with 45 minutes to complete it, and a 71% pass mark. That’s 20 correct answers out of 28.
Two things worth knowing before you sit it:
What if I’ve Forgotten the Content From My Original Training?
It happens, and it’s exactly what refresher training is designed to address. Trainers expect a range of experience levels in the room; the course itself re-covers the core principles before layering on what’s changed.
Are There Practice Tests for SIA Refresher Training?
Yes. Our SIA mock exams let you run through exam-style questions before your course; the best preparation is practising the material you’ll actually be tested on, not just reading about it.
Course quality matters most for search technique: a provider who has you practise real searches, not just describe them, is worth more than one with a slightly lower price.
After Your Course: Renewing Your Licence
Once you’ve passed, you’ll receive your certificate, then submit it with your renewal application. You can start the renewal process up to 4 months before your current licence expires, and processing typically takes 4-6 weeks, though many renewals go through faster.
The current SIA renewal fee is £204. If you hold two licences and renew both on the same day using the same form, you get 50% off the second licence (£102) from 1 June 2026. For the full renewal process, see our SIA licence renewal checklist.
Stay Compliant with SIA Security Guard Refresher Training
The security guard refresher takes one day, costs from £99.99, and covers searching, terror threat awareness, and protecting vulnerable people, not physical intervention. Get your EFAW certificate sorted, work through the checklist above, and you’ll walk in ready.
Book your SIA security guard refresher course today and prepare for future security opportunities.
FAQs
Yes. Since 1 April 2025, it’s a legal requirement for Door Supervisor and Security Guard licence renewal, it replaced the old one-off top-up rule, and it now applies at every renewal rather than a fixed 3-year cycle.
One day. It’s the shortest of the three SIA refresher courses.
One exam unit split into three chapters: searching procedures, keeping vulnerable people safe, and terror threats and the role of the security officer. It does not include physical intervention training, that’s part of the Door Supervisor refresher only.
No. It’s shorter and assumes existing knowledge. It reinforces and updates what you already learned in your original SIA training rather than teaching it from the beginning.
A single-unit multiple-choice test with 28 questions, 45 minutes, and a 71% pass mark (20 correct answers needed).
Yes. You need a valid EFAW certificate with at least 12 months’ validity remaining at the time of booking.
From £99.99. If you’re weighing that against what you could earn once licensed, our salary calculator gives you a realistic picture.
Yes, but do it as soon as possible. SIA licences don’t renew automatically, and you can’t legally work in a licensable role during the gap.
