Notes to Applicants

Registration of Registered Professional Engineer (Discipline)
Notes to Applicants

1.0 Eligibility for Registration
To help you to check if you are eligible for registration, please consider the following:
1. Do you hold a professional qualification acceptable for registration and have held it for one year?
(Refer to Section 1.1)
2. Have you practised in Hong Kong for one year after having acquired the professional qualification acceptable for registration? (Refer to Section 1.2)
3. Are you ordinarily resident in Hong Kong? (Refer to Section 1.3)
 
1.1 Qualification for Registration 
The following are acceptable qualifications for registration: 
a) a professionally qualified engineer with Corporate Membership of the Hong Kong Institution of Engineers (the HKIE) within a discipline or
b) a qualified Member of a professional body recognized by the Engineers Registration Board (ERB) as having a standard not less than that of a Corporate Member of the HKIE within a discipline.
 
Qualifications acceptable for registration by the ERB include Professional Membership of the following:
 
The Chartered Institution of Building Services The Institution of Structural Engineers
Engineers (Note I) The Federation of Engineering Societies of China
The Institution of Chemical Engineers Association for Science & Technology (Note C)
The Institution of Civil Engineers The Institution of Professional Engineers,
The Institution of Electrical Engineers (Note D) New Zealand (Note E)
The Institution of Engineers, Australia (Note A) The British Computer Society (Note G)
The Institution of Engineers of Ireland (Note F) The Institute of Measurement and Control (Note H)
The Institute of Marine Engineering, Science & Hong Kong Computer Society (Note K)
Technology (Note L) Institution of Gas Engineers & Managers (Note M)
The Institute of Materials* (Note B) The Royal Institution of Naval Architects (Note N)
The Institution of Mechanical Engineers  
The Institution of Mining & Metallurgy* (Note J)  
 

The ERB recognises Professional Membership of the above professional bodies based upon the reciprocal recognition agreements between the HKIE and these institutions. The following conditions apply to applicants who would like to make use of Membership of these institutions as qualification for registration.

 
General Conditions
(i)

Professional Members of the above institutions must have undergone a Professional Assessment/Review which includes an interview by the parent institution. For the Institutions in the United Kingdom, Professional Assessment/Review mentioned in this paragraph must be conducted at the level which would enable the applicants to satisfy the registration requirements for Chartered Engineer.

   
(ii)

Applicants for registration who had obtained their professional qualification of the above institutions (with the exception of the Institution of Civil Engineers) by mature route are not considered as having acceptable qualification for registration.

 
(iii) Applies only to Professional Members of the above institutions who have been admitted via normal procedures and do not apply to Professional Members of the above institutions who joined via their own reciprocal recognition agreements.
 
(iv)

The ERB may, at its discretion, require an applicant to undergo an interview and/or undertake a written examination of his knowledge of engineering within a discipline.

 
(v) The eligibility for holders of above professional qualifications to a particular discipline shall be assessed and allocated by the Engineers Registration Board.
 
Additional Conditions
Notes:
A i) All applications made on and after 15 July 2003 shall be subject to the following terms and conditions.
   
ii) Applies only to Chartered Professional Engineers (Current Year) of the IEAust.
   
iii) Under the reciprocal recognition agreement between the HKIE and the IEAust, applicants who have obtained their substantive training and experience in a particular jurisdiction are normally expected to apply for Member of the HKIE/Chartered Professional Engineer (Current Year) of the IEAust in that jurisdiction first. If these applicants wish to apply for Member of the HKIE/Chartered Professional Engineer (Current Year) of the IEAust in the other jurisdiction first, their submissions under the Agreement shall be subject to a review which may comprise any or all of the following :
 
(a) Submission of a training and experience report and a project report;
(b) Interview;
(c) Essay test;
(d) Submission of record of continuing professional development.
  When applicants from Chartered Professional Engineers (Current Year) of the IEAust wish to apply for registration, the ERB has the discretion to determine the extent and scope of the review based upon the above.
   
iv) Applicants under this Agreement shall identify a Discipline in which they consider it would be appropriate for them to be registered. In matching the Discipline of the applicant, the ERB may use an assessment consisting of an interview based upon appropriate submissions as required by the ERB.
   
v) All applicants for registration in the Structural Discipline must pass either Part III examinations jointly organized by the HKIE and the IStructE of the United Kingdom or other equivalent examinations. Furthermore, applicants for registration in certain disciplines must satisfy minimum site experience as required by the ERB.
 
  vi) Applies only to Chartered Professional Engineer (Current Year) of the IEAust who have been admitted to the IEAust via the normal admission procedures and does not apply to Chartered Professional Engineers (Current Year) of the IEAust who joined via RRAs with other Institutions.
 
B Applies only to materials engineers who are assessed for Chartered Engineer (CEng) registration and are registered CEng with the Engineering Council by the IMMM.
   
C

Repealed as at 29 May 2007.

 
D

Corporate Members of the IEE may apply for Electrical, Electronics, Manufacturing & Industrial, Information, Control Automation & Instrumentation Disciplines, subject to providing satisfactory proof to the ERB that they do possess the necessary experience and are competent to practice in the discipline(s).

The HKIE Council at its meeting held on 16 March 2006 resolved that the Reciprocal Recognition Agreement between the HKIE and the Institution of Electrical Engineers (IEE) will come to an end after 31 March 2006 as the signing party of the Agreement will cease to exist after the said date following the merger of the IEE and the Institution of Incorporated Engineers (IIE) to become Institution of Engineering and Technology (IET).

Members of the IEE who had been qualified on or before 31 March 2006 and apply for registration as R.P.E. on and after 1 April 2006 would be assessed under sec12(1)(a)(iii) of the Engineers Registration Ordinance (Cap. 409), taking into consideration the previous conditions that applied in the previous reciprocal recognition agreement between the HKIE and the IEE.

 
E

Applies to Corporate Members of IPENZ who have been qualified through supervised training and have not less than four years experience; or those who have been qualified through having practical experience of not less than six years. Applicants for Registered Professional Engineers shall identify a Discipline in which they consider it would be relevant for them to be registered. Acceptance to a Discipline, however, be assessed by the ERB. Corporate Members of the IPENZ are not eligible for registration in Structural Discipline.

 
F i)

Applicants who have obtained their substantive training and experience in a jurisdiction shall apply for Professional Membership in that jurisdiction first. If these applicants wish to apply for Professional Membership in other jurisdiction first, they must possess relevant working experience in that jurisdiction of not less than 6 months at the time of submitting their applications in order to be eligible to make submissions under this Agreement.

 
ii)

Applicants for Registered Professional Engineer shall identify a Discipline in which they consider it would be relevant for them to be registered. Acceptance to a Discipline shall, however, be assessed by the ERB. The assessment will normally include an interview based upon education, training and experience reports for matching of Discipline.

 
G
i) Applies to Members of the BCS who are Chartered Engineers (The Chartered Engineers status must be obtained through Membership of the BCS).
 
  ii) Applicants who have obtained their substantive training and experience in a jurisdiction should normally apply for Membership in that jurisdiction first. If these applicants wish to apply for Membership in the other jurisdiction first, their submission under this Agreement within 12 months after successful granting of Membership by the other jurisdiction may be subject to a review which would consist of any or all of the following:
 
(a) Submission of a training and experience report;
(b) Interview;
(c) Essay test;
(d) Submission of record of continuing professional development.
  The ERB has the discretion to determine the extent and scope of the review.
 
H
i) Applicants who have obtained their substantive training and experience in a jurisdiction shall apply for Members in that jurisdiction first. If these applicants wish to apply for Members in other jurisdiction first, their submissions under this Agreement shall be subject to a review which may comprise any or all of the following:
   
(a) Submission of a training and experience report;
(b) Interview;
(c) Essay test;
(d) Submission of record of continuing professional development.
    The ERB has the discretion to determine the extent and scope of the review.
     
I
i) All applications made on or after 5 October 2004 shall be subject to the following terms and conditions.
     
  ii) Applies to Members of the CIBSE who are registered Chartered Engineers.
     
  iii) Applicants who have obtained their substantive training and experience in a jurisdiction shall apply for Members in that jurisdiction first. If these applicants wish to apply for Members in other jurisdiction first, their submissions under this Agreement shall be subject to a review which may comprise any or all of the following:
   
(a) Submission of a training and experience report;
(b) Interview;
(c) Essay test;
(d) Submission of record of continuing professional development.
   
    The ERB has the discretion to determine the extent and scope of the review.
     
J
i) All applications made on or after 20 December 2004 shall be subject to the following terms and conditions.
     
  ii) Applies to Members of the IMMM in Geotechnical Engineering who are Chartered Engineers (Chartered Engineer status must be obtained through professional assessment by the IMMM.)
     
  iii) Applicants who have obtained their substantive training and experience in a jurisdiction shall apply for Members in that jurisdiction first. If these applicants wish to apply for Members in the other jurisdiction first, their submissions under this Agreement shall be subject to a review which may comprise any or all of the following:
   
(a) Submission of a training and experience report;
(b) Interview;
(c) Essay test;
(d) Submission of record of continuing professional development.
    The ERB has the discretion to determine the extent and scope of the review.
     
  iv) Applicants who are Members of the Institute in the jurisdiction where they have obtained their substantive training and experience may be required to submit a report on training and experience and record of continuing professional development for review, and to attend an interview. All applications shall be assessed on an individual basis.
     
K
i) All applications made on or after 26 September 2005 shall be subject to the following terms and conditions.
     
  ii) Applies to Full Members of the HKCS (including Fellows).
     
  iii) Applicants are required to possess all of the following professional formation.
     
   
(a) An engineering/computing degree in a relevant subject accredited/recognized by the HKIE and the HKCS.
(b) One of the following experience formation in Information and Communication Technologies/Information System (ICT/IS) work:
  1) A minimum of 8 years post graduation experience for applicants who had been Full Members of HKCS for less than 2 years, or
  2) A minimum of 6 years post graduation experience for applicants who had been Full Members of HKCS for not less than 2 years, or
  3) A minimum of 4 years post graduation experience for applicants who had been Full Members of HKCS for not less than 4 years.
(c) A period of responsible experience in ICT/IS work for not less than 2 years. This period of experience can be achieved through the period of post graduation experience required in (b).
     
  iv) The ERB shall retain full discretion as to the Registration of any applicants for Registered Professional Engineers. The ERB shall assess each applicant in accordance with his/her individual merits and in cases necessary, conduct an interview in assessing a particular applicant.
     
  v) An applicant from HKCS shall submit a certificate issued by the HKCS to assist the assessment of the application.
     
L
i) All applications made on or after 2 June 2006 shall be subject to the following terms and conditions.
     
  ii) Applies to Members of the IMarEST who are Marine Engineers or Naval Architects and Chartered Engineers (CEng), or Chartered Marine Engineers (CMarEng) (The Chartered Engineer status must be obtained through Membership of the IMarEST).
     
  iii) Applicants who have obtained their substantive training and experience in a jurisdiction shall apply for Members in that jurisdiction first. If these applicants wish to apply for Members in the other jurisdiction first, their submissions under this Agreement could be subject to a review which may comprise any or all of the following:
     
   
(a) Submission of a training and experience report;
(b) Interview;
(c) Essay test;
(d) Submission of record of continuing professional development.
     
    The ERB has the discretion to determine the extent and scope of the review.
     
M
i) All applications made on or after 30 May 2007 shall be subject to the following terms and conditions.
     
  ii) Applies to Corporate Members (Chartered Engineer) of IGEM.
     
  iii) Applicants who have obtained their substantive training and experience in a jurisdiction shall apply for Membership/corresponding Corporate Membership (Chartered Engineer) in that jurisdiction first. If instead, an applicant who obtained his/her substantive training and experience in a region has obtained Membership/corresponding Corporate Membership (Chartered Engineer) (as the case may be) with the Institution of the other region and wishes to apply under this Agreement for Membership/corresponding Corporate Membership (Chartered Engineer) (as the case may be) with the Institution of the first mentioned region, his/her submission shall be subject to a paper assessment to determine the need of a further review, if any, which may comprise any or all of the following:
     
   
(a) Submission of a training and experience report;
(b) Interview;
(c) Essay test;
(d) Submission of record of continuing professional development
     
    The ERB has the discretion to determine the extent and scope of the review.
     
N
i) All applications made on or after 26 May 2008 shall be subject to the following terms and conditions.
     
  ii) Applies to Members of the RINA who are Chartered Engineers (CEng) (The Chartered Engineer status must be obtained through Professional Review by the RINA).
     
  iii) Applicants who have obtained their substantive training and experience in a jurisdiction shall apply for Membership in that jurisdiction first. If these applicants wish to apply for Membership in another jurisdiction first, their submissions under this Agreement could be subject to a review which may comprise any or all of the following:
     
   
(a) Submission of a training and experience report;
(b) Interview;
(c) Essay test;
(d) Submission of record of continuing professional development.
     
    The ERB has the discretion to determine the extent and scope of the review.
     

* The Institute of Materials and the Institution of Mining & Metallurgy have merged and formed the Institute of Materials, Minerals and Mining on 10 July 2002.

 
Disciplines

With the appropriate professional qualification, you may apply to register in the following disciplines:

Biomedical Building
Building Services Chemical
Civil Control, Automation & Instrumentation
Electrical Electronics
Environmental Fire
Gas Geotechnical
Information Manufacturing & Industrial
Marine & Naval Architecture Materials
Mechanical Structural
 
Note: Registration is only available in a relevant discipline
 
1.2 One Year Relevant Post-qualification Professional Experience in Hong Kong 
In order to be eligible for registration, you must hold a qualification acceptable for registration and with one-year relevant post-qualification professional experience in Hong Kong.
 
1.3 Residence in Hong Kong

To be eligible to register you are required to be ordinarily resident in Hong Kong. A person is ordinarily resident in Hong Kong if he remains in Hong Kong legally, voluntarily and for a settled purpose (such as for education, business, employment or residence), whether of short or long duration.

 
The following guidelines are used for those who have returned to Hong Kong after a period of residence outside Hong Kong: -

1.

Temporary absence of up to 6 months may not affect registration.
 

2.

Engineers returning to Hong Kong who were either registered previously or who were qualified to be registered at the time they left Hong Kong may apply for registration on their return. In general they will qualify for registration, but the Board will exercise discretion on a case-by-case basis taking account of the requirements of particular disciplines and the time spent away from Hong Kong.

 
1.4 Declarations and Undertaking
You must complete and sign the Declaration and Undertaking and should note that the Ordinance provides for heavy penalties for giving false information.
 
2.0 Application Information
 
2.1 How to apply ?

If you are able to comply with the requirements, please complete and submit the application form together with the appropriate fee.

 

If you are not a Member of the HKIE, you are required to present certified true copies of professional qualification certificates (verified by Registered Professional Engineers, HKIE Members or employers) and reference letters from current and previous employers (past five years only) stating the date of attainment of professional qualifications, your positions, employment dates and detailed job descriptions.

 
2.2 How long will it take ?

You should expect the process to take a few months. The process has 3 stages: secretariat checking, review by the Registration Committee and formal approval by the Engineers Registration Board. You will be notified of the outcome by mail. If your application is successful, you will be sent a Registration Certificate valid for one year. All registrations commence on the first day of the month following the Board's approval. Annual renewal is essential to maintain registration. After renewal, a new registration certificate in the form of a card will be sent to a R.P.E.

 
2.3 Payment
All applicants for R.P.E. should attach a cheque for the application fee and the first annual registration fee. Details of the fees are enclosed in the attached sheet.
 
2.4 Can another discipline be added later ?

If you want to apply for registration in an additional discipline, you will need to apply again and pay the fee. Following approval a new registration certificate showing the additional discipline with the current registered discipline(s) will be issued and the new certificate will be valid for one year from the date of registration of the additional discipline.

 
2.5 How to renew ?

Three months before your registration is due for renewal, notification of renewal will be mailed to your registered address. Normally, no renewal notices will be sent to R.P.E. with overseas addresses.

 

If you fail to renew your registration by the due date, you will cease to be a Registered Professional Engineer. However, if late renewal is received within three months of the due date for renewal, your registration will be reinstated for the remainder of the original renewal period following receipt of payment of the renewal fee. If the registration has expired for more than three months, a fresh application for registration will have to be submitted.

 
If you require further information, please contact the ERB (Tel: 2895 4446, Fax: 2882 8402, Email at erb@hkie.org.hk).
 
3.0 Engineers Registration Ordinance 1990

The Engineers Registration Ordinance was enacted into law on 2 May 1990 to establish the professional status of engineers practising in various disciplines, and to safeguard the rights of the consumer public. You are advised to familiarize yourself with the contents of the Ordinance as ignorance is not an acceptable defence in a case of failure to comply with the law.

 

Under the Ordinance the registration of engineers is undertaken by the Engineers Registration Board. The Board acts independently and is primarily responsible to the public at large. The Government appoints one member to the Board and liaison between the Board and the Government is through the Development Bureau. All other appointments to the Board are made by the HKIE, which also provides the administration services under the direction of the Board.

 

The concept of registration is to confer on suitable applicants a title, which demonstrates - both to professional engineers and to the public - a high standard of professional training, competence to practise, and a relevant background for working in Hong Kong.

 

A person who is on the register may use the title "Registered Professional Engineer", or "R.P.E.", with reference to the discipline(s). It is an offence for a person to use this title if one is not on the register.

 

Under the Ordinance, the qualification for registration is closely linked with the qualification standard for membership of the HKIE. However, HKIE membership is not a prerequisite for registration. Membership of an engineering body which is accepted by the Board as being of a standard not less than that of a Member of the HKIE within a discipline may also be acceptable, provided that all the conditions stipulated thereon are also met.

 

To qualify for registration an applicant must be ordinarily resident in Hong Kong and must have at least one year relevant post-qualification professional experience in Hong Kong.

 

Registration is required to be renewed annually and all registrants are required to make a written declaration of their current competence to practise, both at first registration and at each renewal of registration.

 

Registration is entirely voluntary. It is emphasized that the register is primarily for the use of the public, to permit them to identify appropriately qualified engineers, either with reference to the register, or by selecting engineers who use the protected title, "R.P.E.".

 

In certain circumstances, the Government, with the safety or well being of the public in mind, may require (by law or other means), or recommend, that certain duties be carried out only by Registered Professional Engineers in appropriate disciplines.

 

In connection with the Personal Data (Privacy) Ordinance, all Registered Professional Engineers should be aware that their names, addresses, disciplines and qualifications are recorded on the register and are made available to the public on request in accordance with the provisions in the Engineers Registration Ordinance.

REGISTERED PROFESSIONAL ENGINEERS


FEES

 

1.

Members of the HKIE   HK$
  Application Fee (including first Registration) in one or More disciplines   1000
       
  Registration in additional discipline/s (at a later date)   1000
       
  Annual Renewal of Registration**   500
       
  Assessment fee (including full or partial assessment) (Note 1)   2200
       
       

2.

Applicants who are not members of the HKIE    
  Application Fee (including search fee)   800
       
  First Registration   1000
       
  Registration in additional discipline/s (at a later date)