Frequently asked questions

The fee rose to £204 on 1 April 2026 when the SIA stopped applying a £20 rebate from historic reserves. It is not refundable, including when an application is cancelled or refused. Since 1 June 2026 the half price additional licence applies only when the licences are applied for together. A vehicle immobiliser licence always costs the full fee.

A single old offence that ended in a fine may still be granted. A prison sentence, recent offences, or several offences over years make refusal much more likely. Sexual offences and offences against children get special consideration whatever their age, and anyone on the sex offenders register is refused. The SIA publishes a criminal record indicator that follows the same process its licensing team does.

Group A includes a current signed passport, a current UK photocard driving licence, a UK birth certificate issued within 12 months of birth, a UK adoption certificate, an HM Armed Forces Veteran Card, and some biometric residence permit cards. Group B includes recent bank, credit card or utility statements, council tax or mortgage statements, letters from HMRC, DWP or a local authority, and P45 or P60 statements. Two documents of the same type are not accepted, and documents printed from the internet are refused.

The SIA requires it before door supervisor training and before the refresher. Emergency First Aid at Work, or an equivalent, is accepted, and our one day course provides it. You show us the certificate when you register, not the SIA.

Your own accuracy makes the biggest difference. Delays usually come from incomplete forms, slow responses to further information requests, address history that triggers overseas checks, a criminal record that needs assessment, outstanding court charges, or a right to work check. The application moves through next steps, checks in progress, and decision made, all visible in your SIA account.

The right comes from the Consumer Contracts Regulations 2013 and applies to a contract made without meeting in person. Someone booking for their trade or business is not a consumer and does not get it. If the course starts inside those 14 days at your request, you keep the right to cancel but pay for what has already been delivered. Our own terms set out how to tell us, and what happens if you cancel later than that or do not attend.

Refresher training became mandatory for door supervisors and security guards on 1 April 2025, and for close protection operatives on 1 April 2026. Top up qualifications are no longer accepted, and the section covering them was removed from SIA guidance on 1 April 2026. You must hold a valid first aid qualification before taking the refresher, at level 3 for close protection. A door supervisor can also switch to a security guard licence by taking the security guard refresher instead.

The SIA runs its checks after you apply, and the fee is not refundable if you fail them, so it is worth checking each one first. For a front line licence the awarding organisation must tell the SIA you hold the qualification before you can even submit the application. A key holding or non front line licence does not need a licence linked qualification.