Any person who desires to be registered as a Professional Engineer
may lodge an application form with ECSA, which must be complete in all respects
to obviate unnecessary delays in the processing of the application.
Applications from persons holding accredited qualifications or
qualifications recognised by ECSA in terms of the Washington Accord, will not
be subjected to a detailed evaluation of their qualifications. It is a
prerequisite, however, that they should at least have had three years of
post-qualification training and experience before their applications will be
considered. For more information about ECSA’s requirements refer to Policy Statement R2/1A and
the relevant Discipline Specific guidelines documents for applying using the Legacy System Application(old
registration system) or assessment against ECSA Competency Standards for
Professional Engineers Document R-02-PE (New Registration System
application).
Applicants who do not hold accredited or recognised
qualifications should consult the Criteria and Processes for recognition of
Educational Qualifications for Professional Categories document form E-17-P
An application is administratively checked for completeness. If
incomplete the applicant is advised of the deficiency which must be rectified
as soon as possible. Our experience shows that incomplete and badly prepared
applications cause serious delays in the processing and finalisation of
applications. It is strongly advised that applicants carefully read the
information sheets in the application form and meticulously follow the
instructions. Applicants will be expected to have consulted Policy Statement
R2/1A and the relevant Discipline Specific Guidelines Documents for the Legacy
System Application and the ECSA Competency Standards for Professional Engineers
R-02-PE for the New Registration System, and to have completed their application
forms strictly in accordance with the requirements. Applications that do not
comply with all the requirements will no doubt cause a delay and will reduce an
applicant’s chances of being registered. It should be noted that the quality of
persons’ applications reflect on their professionalism.
Assuming that an applicant’s qualification is recognised, the
process of evaluating the applicant’s training and experience starts. Copies
are distributed amongst the members of the relevant Professional Advisory
Committees (PAC).
ECSA has established nine PACs, one for each discipline of engineering, and
their members are drawn from the various professional engineering institutes.
The application is diarised for the next meeting. The PACs meet at regular
intervals depending on the number of applications being received for each
discipline. This ranges between bi-monthly meetings to once every six months.
Since January 2001 all applicants are required to sit for a
compulsory "Professional Review". This entails an interview with the
applicant, which is done in collaboration with the Voluntary Associations. The
process for Civil Engineering differs from the other disciplines in that all
applicants are required to write two essays under examination conditions.
Important Notice
The Engineering Council of South Africa in 2023 launched the online self-service portal for Candidate applications, and in 2024 it was made available for applications in the Professional and Specified Categories.
Candidate Applications:
Persons wishing to apply for registration in the candidate category may do so throughout the year on the online self-service portal
ECSA Portal.
Professional or Specified Category Applications:
Applications for registration in the Professional or Specified Categories are only open during two window cycles in a year through the online self-service portal
The Application Cycle Calendar is communicated on the Engineering Councils official communication platforms including the website and on social media.
Unfortunately, applications sent by courier or email will not be accepted or processed by the Council.