If you’re an SIA licence holder planning to renew your licence, it’s crucial to understand the latest updates to top-up training and emergency first aid requirements. As the security industry evolves, the Security Industry Authority (SIA) has introduced new modules, extended course durations, and made first aid training a firm prerequisite.
Most security professionals still call it “top-up training,” but that course hasn’t existed since January 2025. The SIA replaced it with refresher training, and paired it with a specific rule: you need a valid first aid certificate before a provider will even let you book. That prerequisite is what catches most people out at renewal time.
This guide covers what refresher training and the first aid (FAW and EFAW) requirements actually involve, roughly what each course costs in 2026, and what’s genuinely changed since the original 2025 update.
Key Takeaways
- Top-up training stopped counting for SIA renewals from 31 January 2025.
- Refresher training now applies at every Door Supervisor, Security Guard, and Close Protection renewal.
- Door Supervisor and Security Guard need an EFAW certificate (roughly £90–£100, half a day).
- Close Protection needs a Level 3 FAW certificate instead (roughly £160–£170, 2 days).
- Door Supervisor refresher: 2 days, roughly £140–£150.
- Security Guard refresher: 1 day, roughly £110–£120.
- Close Protection refresher: 3–5 days, roughly £350–£390, mandatory from 1 April 2026.
- SIA renewal itself costs £204, plus a dual-licence discount if you apply for both on the same day and form.
This comprehensive SIA top-up refresher training equips you with the latest tools and knowledge to remain compliant and capable in your role.
What Is SIA Top-Up Training and What Replaced It?
SIA top-up training was the modernisation course introduced in 2021: a one-off requirement, unrelated to your renewal date. It stopped counting toward renewals from 1 April 2025, when refresher training took over, and it’s now required before every Door Supervisor, Security Guard, or Close Protection renewal, not just once.
The name hasn’t caught up with the change. Most people still call it “top-up training” or a “top-up course,” but the course you’ll actually book now is refresher training — same purpose, different structure, and recurring instead of one-off.
Our SIA top-up vs SIA refresher training guide breaks down the full comparison and why the terminology changed.
What Does SIA Refresher Training Cover?
The content differs by licence:
- Door Supervisor refresher (2 days + e-learning): terror threat awareness, vulnerability awareness (recognising spiking and related risks), and physical intervention.
- Security Guard refresher (1 day + e-learning): delivered across three sessions in the SIA’s official training specification, searching procedures, keeping vulnerable people safe, and terror threat awareness. It doesn’t include physical intervention — that stays a Door Supervisor-only module.
- Close Protection refresher (3–5 days): a longer course covering the skills and legal updates specific to close protection work, mandatory for CP renewals from 1 April 2026.
Our blog on preparing for your security guard refresher training walks through the exam format and each session in detail.
The First Aid Requirement, Explained
Which first aid certificate you need depends on which licence you’re renewing; it isn’t one qualification for everyone.
Door Supervisor and Security Guard refresher: you need a valid Emergency First Aid at Work (EFAW) certificate, or an equivalent (First Aid at Work, First Person on Scene, or First Response Emergency Care).
Close Protection refresher: EFAW on its own doesn’t satisfy this one. You need a first aid qualification at Level 3 or above — First Aid at Work (FAW), First Person on Scene (FPOS), or First Response Emergency Care (FREC).
You can’t book Door Supervisor, Security Guard, or Close Protection refresher training without the right certificate already in hand. It’s a prerequisite, not something you complete alongside it.
The 12-Month Rule
Whichever certificate applies to your licence, it needs at least 12 months’ validity remaining at the time you book refresher training, not the day you attend it. These certificates are valid for 3 years in total, so if yours is close to that 12-month cut-off, renew it first.
What EFAW Training Actually Covers
The Level 3 Award in Emergency First Aid at Work (RQF) is delivered in a single half-day session, in person. You’ll cover CPR and using an AED, responding to choking, managing bleeding and shock, and treating minor injuries — not a box-ticking exercise.
The Level 3 FAW course goes further and takes longer — a 2-day course, roughly £160–£170 — in line with the higher-risk nature of the role.
If your first aid certificate has lapsed, get it sorted well before you try to book your refresher training.
What Each Refresher Course Costs in 2026
| Course | Duration | Price |
| Door Supervisor refresher | 2 days + e-learning | roughly £140–£150 |
| Security Guard refresher | 1 day + e-learning | roughly £110–£120 |
| Close Protection refresher | 3–5 days | roughly £350–£390 |
| EFAW (Emergency First Aid at Work) | Half-day session | roughly £90–£100 |
| FAW (First Aid at Work) | 2-day course | roughly £160–£170 |
Prices vary by location and provider and shift fairly often. These are current ranges rather than fixed figures, so check the exact price at checkout before you book. You can typically combine refresher training and EFAW into a single booking rather than arranging them separately.
SIA Renewal Fees and Processing Times
Refresher training and the right first aid certificate get you ready to renew, but the renewal application itself is a separate £204 fee. If you’re renewing two licences and apply for both on the same day using the same form, you get 50% off the second licence, a £102 saving. From 1 June 2026, that same-day, same-form condition is required to qualify. Applying separately on different days no longer counts.
Processing typically takes 4–6 weeks, though straightforward renewals sometimes clear faster. You can start your application up to 4 months before your current licence expires.
Our SIA licence renewal checklist covers the full renewal process step by step.
What’s Changed Since the 2025 Update
A few genuine developments since the original 1 April 2025 changes, worth knowing if you last checked this blog in 2025:
- Close Protection refresher training became available from 1 October 2025 and is now mandatory for CP licence renewals from 1 April 2026.
- The dual-licence renewal discount tightened from 1 June 2026: same-day, same-form applications only.
- The Terrorism (Protection of Premises) Act 2025 (Martyn’s Law) received Section 27 guidance in April 2026, though the law itself isn’t in force yet. It doesn’t change refresher training content directly, but it’s relevant if you work in venues that will eventually fall under it.
- Course prices for SIA refresher training, EFAW, and FAW have all moved since 2025. Use the ranges above rather than older figures you may have seen elsewhere.
Recommended Read: Can I Renew My SIA Licence Online?
Book Your SIA Top-Up Refresher and First Aid Course Today
If your SIA licence is expiring soon, don’t wait to get caught out by the new rules. Refresher training and a valid first aid certificate are both non-negotiable for renewal; there’s no way around either one. The earlier you book, the more course dates and locations you’ll have to choose from.
Secure your top-up refresher and first aid training today to stay ahead, avoid delays, and ensure you’re legally eligible to work in the security industry.
FAQs
Top-up training was a one-off modernisation course introduced in 2021. It stopped counting toward renewals from 31 January 2025 and was replaced by refresher training, now required before every Door Supervisor, Security Guard, and Close Protection renewal.
Top-up training was a one-time requirement, unrelated to your renewal date. Refresher training is recurring — you complete it before every licence renewal — and the content is more current. SIA top-up vs SIA refresher training has the full comparison.
Separate, but required first. Door Supervisor and Security Guard refresher need an EFAW certificate; Close Protection needs a Level 3 FAW, FPOS, or FREC certificate. Whichever applies to you, it needs at least 12 months’ validity remaining before a provider will let you book refresher training — it’s a prerequisite, not part of the same course.
It depends on your licence. Door Supervisor and Security Guard refresher need an EFAW certificate (or equivalent: FAW, FPOS, FREC). Close Protection refresher needs a first aid qualification at Level 3 or above — EFAW alone isn’t accepted; you need FAW, FPOS, or FREC. Whichever applies, it’s valid for 3 years from the date you pass, but you need at least 12 months of that validity left at the time you book your refresher training.
Door Supervisor refresher runs roughly £140–£150, Security Guard refresher around £110–£120, Close Protection refresher £350–£390, a standalone EFAW course (for Door Supervisor/Security Guard) £90–£100, and a Level 3 FAW course (for Close Protection) roughly £160–£170.
No. None of the accepted qualifications — EFAW, FAW, FPOS, or FREC — can be completed online. They’re practical, hands-on courses covering CPR, AED use, and treating injuries, so they have to be done in person.
Your renewal application won’t be accepted without it. You can’t legally work in a licensable security role without a valid licence, so it’s worth booking refresher training and the required first aid training well before.
Door Supervisor and Security Guard refresher training have been mandatory for their respective licence renewals since 1 April 2025. Since 1 April 2026, refresher training has been mandatory for Close Protection licence renewal as well.
