Pathway finder

The most common pathway to registration as an architect is to complete an Australian accredited architecture qualification and undertake relevant practical experience. A list of currently accredited Australian architecture qualification is available here.

Architectural Practice Examination (APE)

To be eligible for the APE you should hold a recognised architecture qualification and have the required practical experience, including a minimum of two (2) years’ (or 3,300 hours) practical experience, of which at least 12 months’ (or 1,650 hours) should have been gained post-graduation and in Australia.

The APE is delivered by the NSW ARB. For more information and to apply, please visit the APE webpage here.

Upon successful completion of the APE, you can apply to the NSW ARB for initial registration as an architect in NSW by completing Form 01.

Experienced Practitioner Assessment - LOCAL (EPA - L)

The EPA - L is a registration pathway for practitioners with significant, relevant professional experience. To be eligible for the EPA you should hold a recognised architecture qualification and have a minimum of ten (10) years’ post-graduate practical experience as a principal decision maker working on complex projects.

The EPA is administered by the Architects Accreditation Council of Australia (AACA). For more information and to apply, please visit the AACA website here.

Upon successful completion of the EPA, you can apply to the NSW ARB for initial registration as an architect in NSW by completing Form 01.

There are two ways for interstate architects to lawfully work in NSW, through:

1. Mutual Recognition (MR), and
2. Automatic Mutual Recognition - Automatic Deemed Registration (ADR).

Both MR and ADR allow an individual architect who is registered in another Australian State or Territory to work as an architect in NSW without completing a formal assessment or examination.

Mutual Recognition (MR)

MR enables an architect registered in another Australian State or Territory to obtain full registration in NSW. The architect must pay a registration fee as part of the notification process and meet the registration requirements.

For more information, please consult the Factsheet for Interstate Architects Working in NSW here.

You can apply to the NSW ARB for registration as an architect in NSW under Mutual Recognition by completing Form 02.

Automatic Mutual Recognition – Automatic Deemed Registration (ADR)

ADR enables an architect registered in one Australian State or Territory to work in NSW without the payment of a registration fee. ADR allows an architect to work in NSW because they are registered in the architect's home State. If you work in NSW under ADR you must maintain your architect registration in your home State at all times because if that registration lapses, your entitlement to work in NSW under ADR will immediately cease.

ADR does not apply to architects who are registered in Queensland (because ADR has not been adopted in that State) or New Zealand, or who are relying on registration in another country.

For more information consult the Factsheet for Interstate Architects Working in NSW here.

To be eligible to work in NSW under ADR you must, before commencing work as an architect in NSW, notify the NSW ARB via the Service NSW platform here.

Overseas Qualifications Assessment (OQA)

If you completed your architectural qualification overseas (other than in New Zealand, the United Kingdom, Hong Kong, or Singapore) you will need to have that qualification recognised.

The OQA process determines whether an overseas academic qualification compares with a current Australian accredited qualification in architecture. It is administered by the Architects Accreditation Council of Australia (AACA). For more information and to apply, please visit the AACA website here.

Once your overseas qualification has been deemed comparable to an Australian qualification, you will be eligible to apply for the Architectural Practice Examination (APE), subject to eligibility criteria (including practical experience).

Upon successful completion of the APE, you can apply to the NSW ARB for initial registration as an architect in NSW by completing Form 01.

Experienced Practitioner Assessment - OVERSEAS (EPA - O)

The EPA - O is a registration pathway for practitioners with significant, relevant professional experience and who hold overseas professional qualifications in architecture that allow them to practice as an architect in their country of origin. To be eligible for the EPA you should have a minimum of ten (10) years’ post-graduate practical experience as a principal decision maker working on complex projects.

The EPA is administered by the Architects Accreditation Council of Australia (AACA). For more information and to apply, please visit the AACA website here.

Upon successful completion of the EPA, you can apply to the NSW ARB for initial registration as an architect in NSW by completing Form 01.

New Zealand, Hong Kong, Singapore architecture qualifications

You are eligible for the Architectural Practice Examination (APE) if you hold a recognised qualification in architecture from New Zealand (NZ), Hong Kong or Singapore and have the required practical experience, including a minimum of two (2) years’ (or 3,300 hours) practical experience, of which at least 12 months’ (or 1,650 hours) should have been gained post-graduation and in Australia.

The APE is delivered by the NSW ARB. For more information and to apply, please visit the APE webpage here.

Upon successful completion of the APE, you can apply to the NSW ARB for initial registration as an architect in NSW by completing Form 01.

United Kingdom architecture qualifications

If you completed your architectural qualification in the United Kingdom (UK) the Mutual Recognition Arrangement in place between the UK and Australia enables your UK qualification in architecture to be recognised in Australia.

The UK qualifications recognition process is administered by the Architects Accreditation Council of Australia (AACA). For more information and to apply, please visit the AACA website here.

After receiving your AACA Statement of Recognition you will be eligible to apply to the NSW ARB for the Architectural Practice Examination (APE), subject to eligibility criteria (including practical experience).

Upon successful completion of the APE, you can apply to the NSW ARB for initial registration as an architect in NSW by completing Form 01.

The Trans-Tasman Mutual Recognition Agreement (TTMRA) in place between New Zealand (NZ) and Australia enables NZ registered architects to apply for registration as an architect in NSW without additional experience or examinations.

You can apply to the NSW ARB for registration as an architect in NSW under the TTMRA by completing Form 02.

With your application you must upload a finalised Form 02B - TTMRA Confirmation Request completed by the New Zealand Registered Architects Board to confirm your registration status in NZ, together with a copy of your academic qualification and current NZ Practising Certificate.

The Mutual Recognition Arrangement in place between the United Kingdom (UK) and Australia enables UK registered architects to apply for registration as an architect in NSW without additional experience or examinations.

The first step is to complete the UK eligibility process administered by the Architects Accreditation Council of Australia (AACA). For more information and to apply, please visit the AACA website here.

After receiving your AACA Statement of Recognition you can apply to the NSW ARB for registration as an architect in NSW by completing Form 02.

The Mutual Recognition Arrangement in place between the United States of America (US) and Australia enables US architects registered in 30 US jurisdictions to apply for registration as an architect in NSW without additional experience or examinations.

US signatories include Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Iowa, Kansas, Louisiana, Maryland, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, New Hampshire, New Mexico, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Puerto Rico, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, West Virginia, and Wisconsin.

The first step is to complete the US eligibility process administered by the Architects Accreditation Council of Australia (AACA). For more information and to apply, please visit the AACA website here.

After receiving your AACA Statement of Recognition you can apply to the NSW ARB for registration as an architect in NSW by completing Form 02.

The Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) is a cooperative association between 21 regional economies, founded to promote economic and technical cooperation in the Asia-Pacific region. Australia participates in the APEC Architect framework to facilitate the access of APEC Architects to independent practice within the region.

Australia has APEC Architect recognition agreements in place with Canada, Japan and Singapore.

The first step is to complete the APEC Supplementary Assessment process administered by the Architects Accreditation Council of Australia (AACA). For more information and to apply, please visit the AACA website here.

After receiving your AACA Statement of Recognition you can apply to the NSW ARB for registration as an architect in NSW by completing Form 02.

If you are an architect from overseas who intends to practice in NSW for a limited period and you are not normally a resident of NSW, you may be eligible for temporary registration.

Your application must include evidence of your architectural qualifications and practical experience in another country to demonstrate that you are capable of practising architecture in NSW with the same level of competence and skills expected of architects with full registration.

You can apply to the NSW ARB for temporary registration as an architect in NSW by completing Form 03.

Note that temporary registration is not designed for those seeking recognition of their overseas qualifications or for immigration purposes. For more information and to apply for the Overseas Qualifications Assessment (OQA), please visit the Architects Accreditation Council of Australia (AACA) website here.

There are two alternative pathways to registration as an architect in NSW for those without an approved qualification in architecture:

1. National Program of Assessment (NPrA), and
2. NSW Portfolio Program of Assessment.

National Program of Assessment (NPrA)

The NPrA is a competency based 'assessment by project' process and is administered by the Architects Accreditation Council of Australia (AACA) and recognised by the architect registration boards in all Australian States and Territories.

For more information and to apply, please visit the AACA website here.

After successfully completing the NPrA you will be eligible to apply to the NSW ARB for the Architectural Practice Examination (APE).

Upon successful completion of the APE, you can apply to the NSW ARB for initial registration as an architect in NSW by completing Form 01.

NSW Portfolio Program of Assessment (NSW PPA)

The NSW PPA is a competency based 'assessment by portfolio' process and is administered by the NSW ARB. The NSW PPA is only recognised in NSW.

For more information consult the Factsheet for the NSW PPA here.

After successfully completing the NSW PPA you will be eligible to apply to the NSW ARB for the Architectural Practice Examination (APE).

Upon successful completion of the APE, you can apply to the NSW ARB for initial registration as an architect in NSW by completing Form 01.