SIA Licence Exams 2026: Door Supervisor and Security Officer Pass Marks

Before you apply for a front line door supervisor or security guard licence from the Security Industry Authority (SIA), you need the relevant licence-linked qualification. For a door supervisor licence that is the Level 2 Award for Working as a Door Supervisor in the Private Security Industry; for a security guard licence it is the Level 2 Award for Working as a Security Officer in the Private Security Industry. In Scotland the SIA lists the Award at SCQF Level 6. Each qualification is made of units, and each knowledge unit ends in a multiple-choice exam. This guide sets out what the SIA and the awarding body publish about those exams and the route to a licence.

ProSyllabus is an independent study site. It is not the Security Industry Authority (SIA) or an awarding organisation, and nothing here is an official exam. This guide summarises the official sources listed at the foot of the page.

The multiple-choice unit exams

The SIA’s Get Training document says all awarding organisations have agreed the test specification for each assessment, and that the multiple-choice questions must have at least four options. Pearson’s specifications give the same counts and times, and the pass score for each unit. Each exam is externally set and externally marked.

Which units you sit

The practical assessments

Several units also have a practical part, set externally and assessed internally by the training centre, and video-recorded unless you are under 18. Pearson’s specifications list them: for the common unit, an evidential statement; for the door supervisor and security officer units, an observed search and the use of communication devices; for conflict management, one practical scenario; and for physical intervention, every technique demonstrated and a question and answer session. Each practical part has a pass mark of 100%, and you must pass both the exam and the practical part of a unit to pass that unit.

Before the course: first aid, age and English

The SIA consulted in 2026 on changes to the first aid and English requirements as part of its review; the rules above are those in force when this page was checked.

How long the course is

Get Training sets minimum delivery hours. The level 2 award for door supervisors needs at least 52 hours over at least 7 days, or 44 hours over 6 days if the centre uses self-study in line with Get Training’s requirements. The level 2 award for security officers needs at least 38 hours over 5 days, or 30 hours over 4 days with self-study. Get Training says each day should not involve more than 8 hours of contact time.

From the exam to the licence

Renewing a licence: the refresher route

Since 1 April 2025 the SIA has required a refresher qualification before you can renew a door supervisor or security guard licence. GOV.UK says that if you are renewing, or you held that licence within the last 3 years, you must hold both a full licence-linked qualification and the refresher for that licence: the Level 2 Award for Door Supervisors in the Private Security Industry (Refresher), or the Level 2 Award for Security Officers in the Private Security Industry (Refresher). The refresher is a separate qualification, not a repeat of the full course.

The full qualification can be one of the current ones, introduced in 2021, or one of the older qualifications GOV.UK lists by the period in which they were awarded. GOV.UK accepts an older qualification only if both of these are true: it has been less than 3 years since you last held that licence, and you also hold the matching refresher qualification. If it has been more than 3 years since your old licence was active, you need a new qualification.

As for the full course, you must have a first aid qualification before the refresher training, and GOV.UK says it must be valid for at least another 12 months. The SIA asks you to show it to your training provider when you register for the course.

Switching between door supervisor and security guard

GOV.UK says that if you hold a door supervisor licence you can either take the door supervisor refresher training and renew your door supervisor licence, or take the security guard refresher training and switch to a security guard licence.

Awarding organisations

GOV.UK lists the awarding organisations whose current door supervisor and security officer qualifications the SIA accepts, including Highfield Qualifications, Pearson, Qualifications Network (QNUK), SFJ Awards, NOCN and Laser Learning Awards. GOV.UK says the SIA will not accept qualifications granted by BIIAB on or after 11 August 2026, but still accepts those granted before that date.

Changes coming in 2027

On 28 August 2026 the SIA launched a public consultation on new qualification content, including recording incidents and preserving crime scenes, awareness of Martyn’s Law, responding to drug use, spiking awareness for security guards, searching wheelchairs and other mobility devices, and new counter-terrorism content. It also proposed an additional independent English test and a security-specific first aid qualification. The SIA gave 23 October 2026 as the consultation’s closing date. The SIA says final specifications will be published in winter 2026 and new qualifications will launch later in 2027.