Registering with EEA EFTA Qualifications

Making your application

Having checked that you meet the eligibility requirements, you can submit your completed ARB application form and supporting documents to us at info@arb.org.uk. We will contact you to collect the fee of £2600.00 which applies to EEA EFTA applications after you have submitted your initial application. Payment is by credit or debit card. .

Once your EEA EFTA application has been successfully completed, you will be invited to apply to join the Register by completing an application on the MyARB portal. Fees for joining the Register can be found here.

If you are deemed ineligible for the EEA EFTA route following your initial application, we will deduct a fee of £650 for reviewing your application and will refund the remaining £1950 of your application fee.

If you are eligible for the EEA EFTA route, but are unsuccessful following the assessment process, you will be required to pay a further £750.00 for a reassessment.

Together with your application form, you will need to include:

1. Evidence of your master’s-level equivalent EEA EFTA qualification: a copy of your certificate issued by your university, school of architecture or other relevant body.

2. Proof of identity and nationality: a copy of your passport, or a copy of your national ID card.

3. A statement issued by a competent authority in the relevant EEA EFTA State to confirm you have obtained a professional qualification in architecture entitling you to practise as an architect in that country.

4. A completed mapping template to demonstrate that you meet the UK-specific requirements for practice (the Practice Outcomes), set out in ARB’s Competency Outcomes. This must include no more than 5000 words of your own words describing how your EEA EFTA qualifications and professional experience demonstrate that you have met the Practice Outcomes.

The mapping template is available to download here.

What happens next

1. We will confirm receipt of your application in writing within one month. If a document is missing from your application or we require more information, we will inform you within one month of that application being submitted. You will be allowed adequate time to submit the missing document or additional information, and the processing time described below will not start to run until the missing document or additional information has been provided.

2. We will review the information provided by you and confirm whether we have accepted your professional qualification obtained in an EEA EFTA State as equivalent to an accredited academic qualification (that is, a qualification that is accredited by ARB and that meets the Academic Outcomes set out in the Competency Outcomes for Architects).

3. When we have confirmed that your qualification has been accepted as equivalent to an ARB accredited academic qualification, we will notify you of this and issue your completed mapping template to two application reviewers for their assessment.

Where the application reviewers require further information to make a decision, this information will be requested from you, and you will be allowed adequate time to provide this further information.    

You will be informed of the application reviewers’ decision and will be provided with written feedback.

Reviewers’ recommendations

There are three potential outcomes, and the reviewers may recommend: 

1. That you meet ARB’s Practice Outcomes and that you are eligible to apply for registration on that basis.

2. That your professional qualification is not comparable to those required to access and pursue the profession of architect in the UK.

3. That you have not demonstrated through the mapping template that you hold all of the competencies required to join the Register.

In this case we will require that you participate in an ‘adaptation period’ to address differences in your knowledge or skills as identified by the application reviewers. It will be for you to determine when your additional experience has prepared you sufficiently to make a further application, which will require an updated mapping template. During the adaptation period, please ensure you do not use the title ‘architect’.

If you fail or refuse to complete the recommended adaptation period, we may subsequently refuse to recognise your professional qualification. If the differences identified by the application reviewers are so significant that the adaptation period would amount to requiring you to re-qualify, we may also refuse to recognise your professional qualification.

Applicants who are notified that they have not met ARB’s Practice Outcomes may request a feedback meeting with the application reviewers.

Where the application reviewers identify:

1.  a substantial difference between your professional qualifications and the competencies required to practise as an architect in the UK; and/or   

2. that the ARB Practice Outcomes comprise one or more professional activities that cover substantially different matters from those covered by your professional qualifications; 

ARB will recognise the professional qualifications of an applicant who successfully passes an aptitude test and/or satisfactorily completes an adaptation period. 

Decision and appeal

You will be provided with a decision on your application in writing within four months of the submission of your complete application. There are two decisions: 

1. Application successful – a successful applicant will be informed that they may now apply to join the UK Register of Architects.

2. Application unsuccessful – an unsuccessful applicant will be advised that they are permitted to re-apply, using the feedback they have received from the application reviewers to assist them in understanding how they can work “on updating their knowledge and/or securing additional professional experience” in order to be successful in a subsequent application.  

Where a decision on an application is not notified to an applicant in writing within four months of the submission of their complete application, the applicant may appeal by making a request in writing by email or post.

If you have any questions about this application route, please contact us at info@arb.org.uk