Engineering Council
I am a UK engineer working internationally
On this page you will find information about:
European recognition and European agreements ↓
International recognition and international agreements ↓
Education accords ↓
European Recognition
UK professionals seeking recognition in EU/EEA countries are now treated as third country nationals and recognition is based on the applicable rules of each individual EU/EEA country. The scope of regulation and details of activities which may require registration can found in the EU Single Market Regulated Professions Database.
In many EU/EEA countries, registration is not compulsory in order to work as an engineer, although some areas of work may be restricted and there may be legislation on the use of professional titles. Rules concerning travel, visas and residency may have changed and the professionals providing services should check with the relevant government websites.
Previous recognition decisions concerning UK professionals, that were made when the UK was a member of the EU, continue to be valid. This means that engineers who were awarded an EU/EEA professional title before 1 January 2021 are still entitled to use that title.
The Engineering Council has been working to understand and establish the potential consequences of Brexit on the recognition of professional registration in the EU and more details are available on our Brexit transition page.
As we are the United Kingdom National Member of ENGINEERS EUROPE (formerly FEANI), we can submit accredited engineering education programmes to the European Engineering Education Database (EEED, previously the FEANI INDEX) and receive applications from individuals seeking European Engineer registration. The Engineering Council is also an authorised agency of the European Network for the Accreditation of Engineering Education (ENAEE), which confirms that our accreditation standards are aligned to the EUR-ACE® Framework. Engineering Council accredited programmes are eligible for award of the EUR-ACE® label, which is increasingly recognised within and beyond Europe.
The Engineering Council have also signed a number of agreements with EU/EEA countries to facilitate the mobility of engineering professionals throughout the continent. Read more about the Engineering Council’s mutual recognition agreements with:
EUR ING
ENGINEERS EUROPE (formerly FEANI) operates the European Engineer (EUR ING) Register. Candidates can apply for EUR ING registration via the application tool on ENGINEERS EUROPE website. This is for first-time applications only.
International recognition outside Europe
UK academic courses accredited by the Engineering Council are widely recognised by the rest of the world through a number of engineering education accords. To find out if your degree programme is accredited look it up on our Accredited Course Database. Degrees that pre-date the Accord are not automatically recognised. However, Accord signatories may, at their own discretion, give exemption from some of their requirements to a holder of a UK degree accredited before 1989.
Competence Agreements
The Engineering Council is a member of the International Engineering Alliance (IEA). The IEA is an umbrella group that oversees six international agreements relating to the recognition of standards for the accreditation and approval of engineering education and professional engineering competence. There are four agreements relating to competence standards for practising engineers. These aim to promote mobility by minimising the assessment required for a person who is recognised in one country as reaching the agreed international standard of competence when seeking registration in another signatory country.
The Engineering Council is a signatory to three of these agreements:
• The International Professional Engineers Agreement (signed in 2001)
• The International Engineering Technologists Agreement (signed in 2003)
• The Agreement for International Engineering Technicians (signed in 2016)
These agreements are the basis for the International Registers of Professional Engineers (IntPE), Engineering Technologists (IntET) and Engineering Technicians (IntETn).
The fourth, and longest-standing, agreement is the APEC Engineer Agreement, whose members represent countries in the Asia-Pacific region.
The Engineering Council has also signed mutual agreements with other countries to facilitate the mobility of UK engineering professionals internationally. The Engineering Council has mutual recognition agreements or mutual exemptions agreements with:
International Engineering Education Accords
Washington Accord
The Washington Accord was first signed in 1989. It recognises that professional engineering education programmes accredited by the signatories deliver outcomes that are substantially equivalent to the Washington Accord Graduate Attributes (learning outcomes). In the UK Washington Accord programmes are ones accredited for the purpose of Chartered Engineer (CEng) registration*. Since 1999 these have been:
- an accredited Bachelors in Engineering with Honours (BEng(Hons)) degree plus an accredited Masters degree or an accredited Engineering Doctorate (EngD)
- an accredited integrated Masters in Engineering (MEng) degree
The Washington Accord applies to accreditation by a signatory of programmes delivered by higher education institutions within the national or territorial jurisdiction of that signatory. In the case of the Engineering Council, this recognition applies to programmes accredited at universities in England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland only. These accredited programmes are listed in our Accredited Course Search.
Sydney Accord
The Sydney Accord was first signed in 2001. It recognises that engineering technologist education programmes accredited by the signatories deliver outcomes that are substantially equivalent to the Sydney Accord Graduate Attributes exemplar which has been developed collaboratively by the signatories. In UK terms the Accord recognises programmes accredited for Incorporated Engineer registration. The Sydney Accord applies to accreditation by a signatory of programmes delivered by higher education institutions within the national or territorial jurisdiction of that signatory. In the case of the Engineering Council, this recognition applies to programmes accredited at universities in England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland only.
In the UK Sydney Accord programmes are ones accredited for the purpose of Incorporated Engineer (IEng) registration, usually an accredited Bachelors or Bachelors with Honours degree in engineering or technology (eg BSc, BEng, BSc(Hons)).
Dublin Accord
The Dublin Accord was first signed in 2002. It recognises that the educational base for Engineering Technicians approved or accredited by the signatories delivers outcomes that are substantially equivalent to the Dublin Accord Graduate Attributes. In the UK Dublin Accord programmes are ones approved for the purpose of Engineering Technician (EngTEch) or ICT Technician (ICTTech) registration, usually one of the following:
- An Advanced/Modern Apprenticeship or other work-based learning programme approved by a licensed professional engineering institution
- A qualification, approved by a licensed professional engineering institution, in engineering or construction set at level 3 (or above) in the Qualifications and Credit Framework/National Qualifications Framework for England and Northern Ireland; or at level 6 (or above) in the Scottish Credit and Qualifications Framework; or at level 3 (or above) in the Credit and Qualifications Framework for Wales
The Dublin Accord applies to approval or accreditation by a signatory of qualifications or programmes delivered by higher education institutions within the national or territorial jurisdiction of that signatory. In the case of the Engineering Council, this recognition applies to apprenticeships and qualifications approved for delivery by providers in England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland only.
Notes on Education accords
*Students starting Washington Accord programmes from July 2015 onwards will be required to demonstrate learning to European Masters level when applying for Chartered Engineer registration.
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