Membership - FAQs

Members of CIBSE are entitled to a wide range of benefits. These include unlimited free downloads on the Knowledge Portal, a subscription to the CIBSE Journal, discounts on training and events, access to our mentoring service and CPD Directory, professional recognition of your qualifications, and countless networking opportunities. You can also contribute to global consultations and share your expertise to influence the future of the industry.

You can join today as an Affiliate member of CIBSE, and then upgrade your membership. 

You can find out more about all our grades of membership on our How to Join page. Or have a look at our Membership Wizard to find out which grade of membership is the most suitable for you.

The CIBSE Student membership is free for full-time students for the duration of their course, but subscription fees apply to all other grades. For our full list of subscription fees please visit our Subscription Fees page.

The main difference between these grades is experience. For someone at the Associate grade, we expect them to be maintaining and managing applications of current and developing technology, solving problems in developed technologies using well-proven analytical techniques.

For someone at the Member grade, we would expect to see them developing solutions using new and existing technologies through innovation, creativity and change, solving problems with new technologies and developing new analytical techniques.

The best way to determine which grade is right for you is to compare your experience against the competence criteria for Associate (ACIBSE) and Member (MCIBSE). For example, if you find that you can confidently meet the MCIBSE competence criteria, then that grade is for you.

Yes! Anyone can join CIBSE as an Affiliate member. There are no entry requirements for this grade and you get access to all the membership benefits.

CIBSE provides a range of services to assist applicants including:

• Workshops
• Webinars
• Report Reviews
• Practice Engineering Report samples

These services, which are free or discounted for current members, will allow you to improve your report and prepare for your interview.

To read more about the support provided to applicants please visit our Applicant support page.

There is no minimum number of hours of CPD you are required to undertake. Instead, you should focus on the outputs of CPD activity for the maintenance and enhancement of competence, appropriate to your role showcasing examples in your Engineering Practice Report. However, from January 2024, all  CIBSE Licentiates, Associates, Members and Fellows will be required to undertake and reflect on two mandatory semi-structured activities, one on sustainability and one on building safety.

As each membership grade has its own competence criteria, applications cannot be converted. In the case that you would like to change the grade you are applying to, you would need to start a new application for the relevant grade.

We recommend that you check in your local CIBSE region in the first instance but if you are still unable to find a suitable sponsor CIBSE can attempt to put you in touch with someone with relevant experience.

Please keep in mind that the sponsor must have known you for a year before you can begin your application, regardless of whether we recommended them.

Get in touch with your local CIBSE region.

CIBSE no longer issue membership cards however, proof of membership can still be obtained in the form of a membership certificate (LCIBSE, ACIBSE, MCIBSE and FCIBSE only) and for corporate members with Engineering Council registration a membership letter. Please either contact CIBSE at 020 8772 3650 or email [email protected] to request proof of your CIBSE membership.

If you have recently moved home, changed job or have any other type of personal contact information you would like to update, please log into your MyCIBSE account to update your details, or contact the Membership Department at 020 8772 3650 or email [email protected].

If you hold a Licentiate, Associate, Member or Fellow CIBSE membership, you can apply for the PQP (Professionally Qualified Person) CSCS card via SKILLcard.

You may be required to provide a current proof of membership letter when you apply. Contact us at +44 (0)20 8772 3650 or email [email protected] to request a letter. If your membership fees for the current calendar year have not been paid, we won't issue your letter.

No, CIBSE does not issue engineering council certificates. These will come directly from the Engineering Council.

It allows you to stand out from your unregistered peers, demonstrating a level of experience, knowledge and contribution to the engineering industry. Professional registration is also key to improving earnings potential and further professional development.

For a full list of member benefits visit our Membership Benefits page.

The grade of membership you apply for will depend on your competences. Find out more about our grades of memberships or use our Membership Wizard.

Yes, you need to have an active CIBSE membership at Member grade (MCIBSE) to become a Chartered Engineer (CEng).

To obtain MCIBSE you will need to demonstrate the required 17 competences both in your written Engineering Practice Report and during your interview. You can gain Professional Registration at Chartered Engineer (CEng) level with the Engineering Council with this level of CIBSE membership.

Find out more about the CIBSE Member grade of membership.

There is not strict requirement on years of experience, we would however recommend you evaluate your career progression against the criteria for the grade you wish to apply for.

The timeline of your application depends on the route you take and the time you spend on your application. For most applications following our standard route, we expect them to take roughly six months.

The application process can be broken down into these stages:

• Once you've submitted your online application, you can start preparing your interview presentation.
• The CIBSE Membership team can take up to eight weeks to review your online application and will contact you if it's incomplete.
• Your interview date will be confirmed via email two weeks in advance. Find out more on our Application Deadlines page.
• Interviews are held, virtually via Microsoft Teams.
• After your interview, your application is submitted for final review to CIBSE’s Membership and Registration Panel.
• You will be notified of the outcome via email.
• Successful applicants will be sent welcome packs via post.
• We will notify the Engineering Council of your result if you have applied for professional registration. The Engineering Council will issue your Chartered, Incorporated or Engineering Technician certificate separately.

The membership interview takes place remotely over Microsoft Teams and lasts approximately one hour. It starts with a five-minute introduction, followed by a 15-20 minute presentation from the applicant, and then finishes with a 30-35 minute Q&A with two interviewers.

If your sponsor is registered with CIBSE then they need only to hold membership to the same grade as the one you are applying to, in this instance Member (MCIBSE) grade. If your sponsor is not registered with CIBSE then they will need to hold Chartered Engineer (CEng) professional registration with another Professional Engineering Institution.

They would need to be approved by the Membership and Registration Panel prior to your application. Email [email protected] for more information.

As a licensed body of the Engineering Council, CIBSE facilitates the Professional Registration process. We may nominate those who are appropriately qualified and professionally competent for EngTech, IEng, and CEng registration. Each of these levels of registration is aligned with one of our Membership Grades. Find out more about applying for Professional Registration.

A reduced subscription rate is available for members who are retired, on a career break, or not in work. You can apply now. If you do not meet the criteria but are having trouble paying please apply including a summary of your situation and we will review it on a case-by-case basis.

If you were a member of CIBSE at any grade of membership and your membership has lapsed, you can reinstate it by paying your membership fees for the current calendar year. You can do so, by logging into your MyCIBSE account or via another method of payment. If your membership has lapsed more than a calendar year ago, please contact us at 020 8772 3650 or [email protected].

You can keep your CIBSE Graduate membership for up to 10 years.  To be eligible for the Graduate membership, you should be a recent graduate (graduated within the last five years) and have completed a Science, Technology, Engineering or Mathematics degree (UK or International equivalent). This can be a Bachelor’s or Master’s level degree.