Engineer First Time Applying in Canada
This category is for engineers-in-training (EIT) or other individuals who are applying for Professional Engineer status for the first time in Canada. If you are not a citizen or permanent resident of Canada, you will be applying for a Non-Resident Licence (NRL P.Eng.).
To apply for Professional Engineer status with Engineers and Geoscientists BC you must meet academic, experience, law and ethics, language, and good character requirements.
A free webinar titled Tips On Improving Your Professional Engineer's Application is available in the Online Store. It is recommended that anyone applying for membership to become a professional engineer view this webinar to learn about the application requirements and how best to present one's qualifications.
To apply for registration as a professional engineer, you are required to have the equivalent of graduation from a 4-year full-time bachelors program in applied science, engineering, geoscience, science, or technology. If you do not have an undergraduate degree in engineering from an accredited university program, you may be assigned academic examinations and/or an interview.
To obtain your Professional Engineer status you must demonstrate that you have met the minimum academic requirements for registration. You are required to have the equivalent of graduation from a 4-year full-time bachelors program in applied science, engineering, geoscience, science, or technology.
This normally means that you have a bachelor's degree in engineering from an accredited university program. If you do not have an undergraduate degree in engineering from an accredited university program, your academic background will be assessed against the syllabus for the specific discipline of engineering you are applying for. If you are missing required elements, you may be assigned academic examinations.
Please note that until all assessed deficiencies have been cleared, either by successfully completing the examinations or by passing approved equivalent courses, some of your experience prior to completing the assigned topics may not be credited towards the required four years of satisfactory experience.
Credit is typically given for up to 1 year of experience gained prior to completion of academic requirements if it meets the Competency Framework or Satisfactory Experience Guidelines of Engineers and Geoscientists BC and is supervised by an appropriate professional. This is examined on a case-by-case basis.
You may be granted exemption from examinations if:
- You have an undergraduate engineering degree recognized by an engineering accreditation body that has a Mutual Recognition Agreement with Engineers Canada—see:
- You have an undergraduate engineering degree and an approved postgraduate engineering degree in the same discipline.
- You have a university level engineering degree of at least 4 years' duration that is not accredited by the Canadian Engineering Accreditation Board or an engineering accreditation body recognized through a Mutual Recognition Agreement, but you have acquired at least 5 years of engineering experience in professional charge. The decision to grant a reduction or an exemption may require you to attend a 1-hour interview held at our office.
- You have an undergraduate degree or equivalent in applied science, engineering, geoscience, science, computer science, or technology; and have written and passed the U.S. Fundamentals of Engineering and the Principles and Practice of Engineering exams in the discipline of registration for which you are applying, and
- You have an undergraduate or post graduate engineering degree from a program on Engineers and Geoscientists BC's List of Non-Accredited Reputable International Programs and Degrees.
Applicants who do not fulfill the syllabus requirements and are generally recognized to be an expert in a discipline of engineering or who are particularly well qualified in a discipline of engineering with the required depth and breadth of academic background and competencies will be interviewed to assess whether they can be considered to have met the academic requirements for registration.
To become registered as a professional engineer or to obtain a Non-Resident Licence, you must demonstrate that you have a minimum of 4 years of satisfactory engineering work experience. At least one of these years must be gained in a Canadian Environment. If you gain experience in a different discipline from your academic degree, you will need to undergo an academic review and possible interview and/or examinations.
Acceptable engineering work experience must include the application of theory and should provide exposure to, or experience in, the following broad areas: practical experience, management, communication, and the social implications of engineering.
For more information, please refer to the Competency Assessment Guide.
Up to a maximum of 1 year of pre-graduation or co-op experience may be accepted if it is supervised by the appropriate professional and if it otherwise satisfies all experience criteria detailed by Engineers and Geoscientists BC.
Applicants with post-graduate degrees may be given credit for engineering experience gained as part of their post-graduate studies.
There are additional requirements if you are applying for registration in computer engineering, environmental engineering, forest engineering, integrated engineering, marine engineering, naval architectural engineering, software engineering, or structural engineering.
The following guidelines should be used by those gaining experience in the following areas of practice. The intent is to provide information on the types of activities that should be reported as experience.
The Competency Experience Reporting System replaced the traditional template for submitting work experience information to Engineers and Geoscientists BC as of June 1, 2015.
You will not be required to use the Competency Experience Reporting System if you are:
- Currently registered or licensed as a professional engineer with another jurisdiction in Canada,
- A Professional Engineer registered in the United States who holds a current state board license and can provide a current NCEES Record to Engineers and Geoscientists BC, or
- Currently registered as a professional or chartered engineer with Engineers Australia (C.P.Eng.), the Hong Kong Institution of Engineers (MHKIE), or Engineers Ireland (CEng MIEI).
Applicants who wish to apply for registration through the software discipline can refer to the detailed information provided to determine whether they are required to be registered or licensed by the association.
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English Language Competence for Practice is evaluated through:
- An essay written as part of the Professional Practice Examination,
- Comments of referees/validators, and
- Comments of interviewers (if an interview is required).
All applicants must prove that they are of good character and good repute. Engineers and Geoscientists BC will review the information provided in your application to ensure that you meet these standards. To learn more about these requirements, see the page for Good Character Requirement and Registration Hearings.
Applications are made through the Engineers and Geoscientists BC Online Membership Application.
Documents Required Using the Competency Online Experience Reporting System
- *Certified Proof of Citizenship (e.g., birth certificate, photo page of current passport, or Permanent Resident Card. EITs are exempt if already submitted. Applicants are required to upload this document through their applicant dashboard.
- Official transcripts, sent directly to the offices of Engineers and Geoscientists BC from your educational institutions (EITs are exempt if already submitted). If required, a transcript request letter is available to send to your academic institution(s).
- Completed experience report using the Competency Experience Reporting System,
- Thesis abstracts for masters or PhD if applicable (submitted through the Competency Online Experience Reporting System), and
- Confirmation of membership from other professional engineering regulatory and certification organizations outside of Canada if applicable.
In lieu of 2, 3, 4, and 5, US-Licensed Professional Engineers may submit an NCEES Record.
The Traditional Experience Reporting format was phased out on January 1, 2019. All incomplete applications were converted to the Competency Experience Reporting System on January 2, 2019.
To have a copy certified, make a photocopy of your document (citizenship card, birth certificate or current passport) and ask a P.Eng., P.Geo., P.E., or Notary Public to sign and stamp it as a "true copy of the original".
| What |
When |
Amount |
| Application Fee - Professional Registration (Canadian Citizens and Permanent Residents of Canada) |
With application |
$498.75 |
| Application Fee - Non-Resident Licence |
With application |
$498.75 |
Applicant who is currently an EIT with Engineers and Geoscientists BC
(EIT application fee was waived) |
With application |
$341.25 |
Applicant who is currently an EIT with Engineers and Geoscientists BC
(paid an application fee for EIT application) |
With application |
$0.00 |
| Professional Practice Examination |
With examination application |
$325.50 |
Professional Practice Examination Study Kit (optional) – picked up in person
Professional Practice Examination Study Kit (optional) – mailed from Engineers and Geoscientists BC |
When ordered |
$238.00
$262.00 |
| Professional Engineering and Geoscience Practice in BC Online Seminar |
When ordered |
$288.75
|
| Licensing Fee |
After registration/licensure |
$283.50 |
| Annual Fee – Professional Registrants P.Eng. or P.Geo. |
Prorated, paid after registration |
$472.50 |
It takes approximately 2–4 months to review your application after we have received all of the required documents.
For information about checking the status of your application please see Application Status.
Initially, an academic review is done to determine if you meet the minimum academic requirements for professional engineer status set by Engineers and Geoscientists BC. If these requirements are not met, academic examinations may be assigned. Next, your experience will be reviewed to determine whether it meets minimum experience requirements. An interview may be required as part of the experience review process.
If you have an engineering degree that requires some additional exams to be assigned, but have more than 5 years of satisfactory engineering experience, you may be granted an interview in order to determine if all or some of the academic exams can be waived on the basis of your experience. There is no guarantee that an interview will result in the waiving of academic examinations.
All applicants for professional membership are required to sit and pass the Professional Practice Examination, complete the Professional Engineering and Geoscience Practice in BC Online Seminar, and fulfill the English Language Competency and Good Character requirements.
Once registered or licensed, you will be sent a notification email along with a stamp and your certificate of registration/licensure.