The NCARB "Certificate"

The NCARB "Certificate" can be obtained after you have been licensed in Illinois if you have a professional degree in architecture. The NCARB Certificate will enable you to be licensed in any other state quickly, simply by transferring your Council Record to the state in which you want to be registered, and by paying the applicable state and NCARB fees. Many states require that you have an NCARB Certificate in order to be registered in that state through reciprocity.

If you have established an NCARB Record through the AXP program, there is no fee for filing for NCARB Certification after you have been licensed in Illinois. There is an annual $225.00 fee from NCARB fee to maintain a Certificate after the first year.

If you are licensed in one state but have not established an NCARB Record, there is a $1,100.00 fee for the NCARB Certificate application.

Note that 25 states require that you have an NCARB Certificate for reciprocal registration. Having a Certificate allows for easy procurement of a license in any other state.

A candidate for an NCARB Certificate must either have a professional degree in architecture (either a B. Arch. or an M. Arch.) from an NAAB-accredited program, or must satisfy NCARB's Education Alternative requirements as described below.

 

Education Alternative (formerly called The “Broadly Experienced Architect" program)
If an architect wishes to be registered in a state that requires NCARB Certification but does not have a professional degree in architecture, it is possible to become registered in that state through NCARB’s “Education Alternative” process. In order to qualify for the this program, the architect must have a pre-professional degree in architecture (B. A. or B. S. in Architectural Studies, for example), must be registered in one of the states of the United States for minimum of three years and must complete 2 times the AXP program experience hours, or complete an NCARB "Certificate Portfolio." See the NCARB web page at https://www.ncarb.org/advance-your-career/ncarb-certificate/get-certified/education-alternative

 

Foreign Architect NCARB Certification (formerly called The "Broadly Experienced Foreign Architect" program)

If an architect wishes to be registered in Illinois (or any other state in the United States), and holds a license to practice in a foreign country, he or she must do the following:

1. Submit a transcript from the educational institution.

2. Complete the AXP.

3 . Pass all divisions of the ARE.

See the NCARB web page at https://www.ncarb.org/advance-your-career/ncarb-certificate/get-certified/foreign-architects