Membership and licensing

Registration with RIA is what permits you to offer architectural services in Rwanda. This section covers who must register, how to apply, what it costs, and how to keep a licence current.

Registration is admission to the profession. You satisfy RIA that you hold the qualifications and experience the law requires, and you are entered on the register. It happens once.

Two things, not one

Registration and licensing are different

A practising licence is annual. It confirms that you remain in good standing for a particular year, and only a current licence permits you to practise.

It happens every year, and it is where people most often come unstuck: far more members lose the right to practise through a lapsed licence than through anything else.

Where to start

If you are	Start at
Practising and not yet registered	Who must register
A graduate starting your internship	Professional interns
Ready to apply	How to apply — choose the route that matches where you qualified
Registered, and it is renewal season	Renew your practising licence
Setting up or running a practice	Register an architectural firm
Based outside Rwanda, working on one	Register a single project

At a glance

Registration Admission to the profession. Happens once.

Licensing Annual confirmation of good standing.

Firms & projects Separate registration for practices and single commissions.

Good standing Certificates and letters for tenders and transfers.

What is in this section

Become a member Apply step by step: choose your class, submit documents and pay. Renew your membership Confirm your details, attach CPD evidence and pay the annual fee. Who must register Who is legally required to register before offering architectural services. Membership classes The classes of RIA membership and what each permits. Apply — Rwandan applicants What Rwandan applicants must supply to register. Apply — East African partner states The route for architects registered in Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania or Burundi. Apply — qualified outside the region The route for architects qualified outside East Africa. Register a firm How firms register and who carries responsibility for their work. Register a single project Working on one project in Rwanda rather than establishing a practice. Fees and payment Every fee RIA charges, and how to pay. Renew your licence Keep your practising licence current for the year. Examinations and professional interviews What is assessed, and how sessions and results work. Professional interns The two years between graduating and practising independently. Supervising an intern What supervising involves, and how to join the supervisor list. Certificates and letters of good standing Registration certificates, letters of good standing and duplicates.

Become a member

Become a member Renew your membership