NCARB Certificate holders can expand their practice through our longstanding relationship with Canada. NCARB and the Canadian Architectural Licensing Authorities (CALA) have a Mutual Recognition Agreement that enables architects to pursue reciprocal licensure between the two countries.
Qualifications
To be eligible for reciprocal licensure under this agreement, you must:
- Be a U.S. or Canadian citizen or permanent resident
- Be licensed and in good standing in a United States or Canadian jurisdiction
- Hold an active NCARB Certificate
- Maintain your principal place of practice in a signatory jurisdiction
- Have at least 2,000 hours of post-licensure experience in your home country
Note: Architects who are licensed in their home country through another foreign reciprocal licensing agreement (or the previous Broadly Experienced Foreign Architect Program) are not eligible under this agreement.
Pursuing a License Through the Agreement
After confirming you meet the agreement’s requirements, follow these steps to begin the process:
- Review the list of signatory jurisdictions to confirm that both your current jurisdiction (principal place of practice) and the jurisdiction you would like to be licensed in are participants.
- Contact the board where you would like to be licensed to ensure that you meet their specific requirements. You can find contact information for each Canadian provincial association through CALA.
- Contact NCARB’s Customer Relations team to start the process. NCARB will request a “Letter of Good Standing” from the board, and then we will forward you the “Attestation” for your records.
- Once NCARB has these documents, we will be able to complete the evaluation and provide you with further instructions.
- Log in to your NCARB Record and select “Request Transmittal of your NCARB Record.”
To learn more about this agreement and the requirements for NCARB certification, read the Certification Guidelines.
