Working outside the UK

Working in the rest of Europe

Once you are eligible to register with ARB, if you are a national of an EEA member state or have acquired Directive rights, you may also be eligible to apply for automatic recognition of your qualifications and registration in other member states within Europe.

If you obtained your qualifications in the UK, you will need:

• ARB prescribed qualifications at Parts 1, 2 and 3,
• which you have acquired following a minimum of five years of full time study at a university or similar institution,
• with a minimum of 24 months appropriate practical experience

If you wish to apply for registration in another member state, the Competent Authority of that state will want to see confirmation that your qualifications are listed and meet the requirements of the Directive and that you are eligible to establish in the UK (in other words, that you satisfy all the requirements for registration in the UK). ARB can provide this confirmation in the form of a European Certificate for which for which there is a small charge.

Working in the rest of the world

In the UK, you must be registered to practise using the title ‘architect’, in other countries you must be registered to set up a practice there
or to undertake certain types of work. In some there is no registration process. The position varies from country to country so if you intend to practise outside the UK it is advisable to check individual requirements.

UK qualifications are well-respected in the rest of the world but there are no arrangements for the automatic recognition of UK qualifications outside Europe and you will usually be required to take additional qualifications or undergo some form of assessment for equivalence to local qualifications if you wish to register elsewhere.

Architects’ professional bodies in each country should be able to advise you on the requirements for that country or where you can find further information. Some countries require registration on a state by state basis so you may need to be very precise about where you intend to work.