Apply to Be a Professional Engineer in BC
This page describes how to apply for registration as a professional engineer (P.Eng.) in BC. It applies to you if this is your first time applying for the P.Eng. designation in Canada.
You must meet the following eligibility criteria, which are described in detail below:
- Academic requirements
- Experience requirements
- Legal and ethical requirements
- English language competency
- Good character requirement
Learn about the criteria you need to meet to apply for your P.Eng. if you are already:
- A licensed P.Eng. with another Canadian regulator;
- Registered as a professional or chartered engineer in Australia, Hong Kong, or Ireland; or
- A professional licensee engineering (P.L.Eng.).
There are designations other than the P.Eng. that might apply to your situation, including:
- Engineer-in training (EIT), if you meet the academic requirements but do not yet have the work experience required to apply for the P.Eng.;
- Professional licensee engineering (P.L.Eng.), if you have academic qualifications other than a university degree in engineering and you have at least eight years of experience in a defined area of Reserved Practice; or
- Designated structural engineer (Struct.Eng.), if you are a P.Eng. who meets the requirements to create and manage the design of a building’s primary structural system.
Professional engineers who wish to be recognized on the International Professional Engineers and Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation Engineers Agreement Registers can learn more about this process on our National Registers - IPER/APEC EA page.
Academic Requirements
To apply for registration as a professional engineer, you must have graduated from a university-level bachelor degree program in applied science or engineering or a four-year, full-time post-secondary degree program in geoscience, science, or technology.
To meet our academic requirements, you may be required to complete academic examinations. We will let you know if this applies to you after we review your application.
Generally, you may not need to take academic examinations if one of the following applies:
- Your engineering degree is from a university program accredited by Engineers Canada.
- You have an engineering degree from another country recognized by an accreditation body that has a mutual recognition agreement with Engineers and Geoscientists BC, such as the:
- You have an undergraduate engineering degree and a postgraduate engineering degree in the same discipline, from an institution whose corresponding undergraduate program is accredited.
- You have an undergraduate engineering degree and at least five years of work experience, as defined in the Looking to Exempt (Engineering) policy, gained under the direct supervision of a professional registrant (or equivalent).
Experience Requirements
To register as a P.Eng., you must have a minimum of four years of satisfactory engineering work experience. This work experience must demonstrate both the application of theory in your discipline as well as practical experience. Your work experience should include the management, communication, and social implications of engineering.
We assess your work experience using a competency-based approach to assess your skills across seven key categories, including technical competence; communication; project and financial management; team effectiveness; professional accountability; social, economic, environmental and sustainability; and personal continuing professional development. To learn more, visit competencyassessment.ca.
You will share details of your work experience using the Competency Assessment System. Before you begin, review the Engineering Competency Assessment Guide. You will then:
- Complete the Employment History section;
- Complete the Competency Self-Assessment using examples from your work experience to show how you have achieved each key competency;
- Include names of at least four validators who can confirm your work experience.
Canadian Environment Competencies
You must also show that you have experience that is equivalent to working in a Canadian environment. This experience may be gained in Canada or internationally and is assessed through eight competencies that demonstrate your knowledge and experience of Canadian regulations, codes, standards, quality control, safety awareness, professional accountability, and communication.
We will automatically assess your Canadian environment competencies when you complete your Competency Assessment.
Pre-Graduation Experience and Postgraduate Education
Up to a maximum of one year of pre-graduation or co-op experience may be counted towards your four years of work experience if it was supervised by an appropriate professional and if it satisfies the experience criteria detailed by Engineers and Geoscientists BC.
If you have a postgraduate degree, you may be given credit for engineering experience you acquired as part of your postgraduate studies.
Legal and Ethical Requirements
You can meet our legal and ethical requirements by:
- Successfully writing the National Professional Practice Examination; and
- Completing the Professional Engineering and Geoscience Practice in BC Online Seminar.
English Language Competency
We assess your English language competency by reviewing:
- Your oral, written, and reading and comprehension skills in the communication category of the Competency Assessment;
- The comments of your referees/validators; and
- The comments of interviewers (if an interview is required).
We may ask you to submit the results of an approved English language test (IELTS, CAEL, or Duolingo English Test) after reviewing your submission to the competency assessment system. Do not register for an English language test or submit the results of a test unless we specifically ask you to.
See our guide on the Assessment of English Language Competence for more information.
Good Character Requirement
All applicants must show that they are of good character and good repute. Engineers and Geoscientists BC will review the information provided in your application to ensure you meet these standards. See Character Requirement and Hearings for more information.
Registration and Reinstatement Policies
Engineers and Geoscientists BC has developed a collection of registration and reinstatement policies intended to establish clear standards and consistency for the application process with Engineers and Geoscientists BC. View the policies.
Starting Your Application
Before starting your application, be prepared to:
- Upload a certified copy of two government-issued IDs (valid, full legal name; one with photo; uploaded as one PDF).
- Ask your post-secondary institution(s) to send official copies of your transcripts to [email protected] (or request an NCEES Record if you’re a US State Board PE).
- If your degree is non-accredited:
- Complete a Self-Evaluation Checklist.
- Obtain course descriptions.
- Provide thesis abstracts (if applicable).
Information you must provide:
- Personal information (legal name, date of birth, mailing address, email, phone)
- Post-secondary education
- Employment history
- Regulatory history
- Debit/credit card for fee payment
Fees
- See the Fees page for application, National Professional Practice Examination (NPPE), and BC Professional Practice Seminar fees.
Application Review
We will review your application once we have received all of your required documents. Due to the volume of applications we receive, it may take approximately six months for us to review your application.
If we approve your application, we will send you a notification email along with a seal* and your certificate* of registration.
*Important mail and shipping information: Effective September 1, 2025, Engineers and Geoscientists BC will temporarily stop mailing packages to the United States. This includes certificates of registration, professional seals, and official document authentication stamps. Read more in our FAQ.
For further inquiries, please contact us at [email protected] or 604.412.4856.