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SIA consultation · published 28 August 2026

SIA licence training
is changing in 2027

The SIA has proposed its biggest overhaul of security licence qualifications since 2019. New courses launch in 2027, with more content, tougher checks and new first aid rules. Here is exactly what is on the table, and what to do before it lands.

Train on the current courses See what’s changing
Your licence stays validNothing changes before 2027
Current courses run as normalBook and train today as usual
These are proposalsFinal rules confirmed winter 2026
Top-up only at renewalExisting holders bridge the gap later

The proposals

9 changes the SIA has put on the table

The consultation covers every licence-linked qualification: door supervision, security guarding, close protection, CCTV and cash in transit. Some proposals are firm, others are open questions the industry gets to vote on before 23 October 2026.

01
Direction set

A bigger shared core for every operative

The common security industry knowledge unit grows to 13 sessions. Spiking awareness, incident recording, crime scene preservation, protection systems and Martyn's Law content move in for all roles, plus new sessions on equality, diversity and inclusion and on operative welfare.

02
Proposed

First aid becomes a licence condition

Door supervisors, security guards and close protection operatives would need a valid first aid certificate at all times during the 3-year licence, not just at training. Working without one could mean enforcement action.

03
Proposed

A security-specific first aid qualification

A new first aid qualification built around the incidents security operatives actually face, potentially delivered and assessed inside the licence-linked course. Designed partly to stamp out fake certificates: around 250 allegations since August 2024.

04
Proposed

An independent English test

The required level stays at B2, but every learner would sit an additional third-party spoken English assessment before training, taken once, at around £40. Video-recorded practical assessments continue.

05
Proposed

Trainers would need an SIA licence

Anyone delivering licence-linked training would have to hold a current SIA licence for the sectors they teach, on top of existing requirements for frontline experience and teaching qualifications.

06
Proposed

Close protection takes the common unit

Close protection learners would complete the common security industry knowledge content for the first time, adding an estimated 1 to 2 days to an 18-day course. The SIA is also asking whether CP licence holders should keep the right to work as door supervisors and security guards.

07
Direction set

One counter-terror e-learning package

The two ACT e-learning courses merge into a single package built with counter-terrorism policing, reflecting current threats. The formal exam on counter-terror knowledge stays.

08
Open question

Physical intervention for security guards?

With retail crime up around 50% since 2019, the SIA is asking whether physical intervention training should be mandatory for security guarding. If it is, the course grows from 4 days to 6. A separate voluntary standard for advanced restraint skills is also proposed.

09
Direction set

Top-up training at renewal

Existing licence holders would take a short top-up, expected to be around a day and partly self-study, when they renew after the new qualifications launch. Refresher training continues for DS, SG and CP, and may extend to CCTV for the first time.

Your licence type

What changes for your licence

Door supervisor

~365,000 licence holders
  • Law and incident-recording content moves into the shared common unit
  • New searching content covering non-standard searches and individual needs
  • Drugs awareness extended to safeguarding people under the influence
  • Queue and crowd safety updated for e-ticketing and RFID technology
  • The stairs escort technique may move out of entry training into an advanced standard

Security guard

~57,000 licence holders
  • Two new sessions: drugs awareness and queue and crowd safety
  • Expanded common unit adds spiking, incident recording and crime scene content
  • Open question: mandatory physical intervention (course would go from 4 to 6 days)
  • Top-up training expected at renewal to cover the new content

Close protection

~11,800 licence holders
  • Common security industry knowledge unit added: an estimated 1 to 2 extra days
  • Licence integration with door supervision and security guarding under review
  • First aid level under review: First Aid at Work vs FREC or FPOS only
  • Duplicated content consolidated; surveillance awareness updated

CCTV and cash in transit

Public space surveillance · CViT
  • CCTV gains ICO and National Security Act 2023 legislation content
  • New objective on communicating a potential threat to teams on the ground
  • Refresher training may apply to CCTV at renewal for the first time
  • CViT course consolidated into a single streamlined session

The road to 2027

4 steps from proposal to new qualifications

1

Now · Aug 2026

Consultation open

The SIA publishes 8 draft specifications marking every addition and removal, plus new research from 1,442 licence holders.

2

23 Oct 2026

Consultation closes

Anyone can respond online: operatives, employers, trainers and buyers. The SIA publishes a summary of responses afterwards.

3

Winter 2026

Final specifications

The SIA confirms what made the cut. Awarding organisations then build the new qualifications and assessments from them.

4

2027

New courses launch

New learners take the new qualifications. Existing licence holders bridge the gap with top-up training when they renew.

Our advice

What should you do now?

Thinking about a security career?

Train now, under the current courses. The qualifications launching in 2027 are expected to carry more content, more checks and in some cases more days in the classroom.

  • A licence earned today is valid for 3 years
  • Current course lengths and prices apply
  • You renew later with refresher and top-up training, not a full re-take
Find a course near you

Already hold a licence?

Nothing to do today. Your licence and your
qualification stay valid.

  • Expect a short top-up when you renew after the new courses launch
  • Keep your first aid certificate in date: it is proposed as a standing licence condition
  • Watch for the SIA’s final specifications in winter 2026

Employ or buy security?

The consultation shapes your training costs, course lengths and workforce planning for the next 5 years. Have your say before it closes.

  • Respond online by 23 October 2026
  • Key open questions: guard physical intervention, first aid rules, trainer licensing
Respond to the SIA

SIA licence changes:
your questions answered

Yes. Nothing in the consultation cancels existing licences or qualifications. Your licence runs its normal 3-year term. When you renew after the new qualifications launch in 2027, you are expected to complete a short top-up covering the new content, alongside the refresher training that already applies to door supervision, security guarding and close protection.

No. Existing licence holders will not re-take the full course. The SIA plans top-up training, expected to be around one day with some of it self-study, to bring existing holders up to the new standard at renewal.

The consultation closes on 23 October 2026, final specifications are due in winter 2026, and the new qualifications launch in 2027. Until then, the current courses remain the route to an SIA licence.

Some will. Close protection is expected to gain 1 to 2 days from the common knowledge unit. Security guarding would grow from 4 days to 6 if physical intervention becomes mandatory, which is an open question in the consultation. A proposed independent English test would add around £40 for new learners. Final costs depend on what survives the consultation.

Undecided. The SIA presents evidence both ways and asks the industry to vote. Most retail security already works on a door supervision licence, which includes physical intervention. If it becomes mandatory, the security guarding course goes from 4 days to 6.

Two proposals: a security-specific first aid qualification reflecting the incidents operatives actually deal with, and a new licence condition requiring door supervisors, security guards and close protection operatives to hold a valid first aid certificate throughout the 3-year licence, not just when they train.

The level stays at B2. What would change is how it is proven: the SIA proposes an additional independent spoken English test for all new learners, taken once before training, at a cost of around £40, alongside tighter checks by training providers and awarding organisations.

Yes. The consultation is open to everyone, including licence holders, employers, trainers and the public. Respond online at the SIA's SmartSurvey questionnaire before 11:59pm on 23 October 2026.

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This page summarises proposals in the SIA’s consultation on licence-linked qualifications, published 28 August 2026 and open until 23 October 2026. Proposals may change before final specifications are published. Source: GOV.UK consultation. Get Licensed facilitates SIA training delivered by approved training providers; licences are issued by the Security Industry Authority.

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