API 510 Recertification Requirements: Work, CPD and Quiz

The three requirements

1. Work, every three years. API asks you to demonstrate that at least 20% of your time over the most recent three-year certification period was spent performing or supervising pressure vessel inspection activities as described in the API 510 inspection code. API also says inspectors who have not been actively engaged in pressure vessel inspection practices must take the full examination.

2. Continuing professional development, every three years. You need 24 CPD hours within each three-year cycle. The activities must be relevant to inspection and mechanical integrity assurance in the petroleum and petrochemical industry. API says the activities should vary between categories, with a minimum across two. You upload proof on the CPD Tracking page of your ICP Portal account with your recertification application. API publishes a CPD guidance document and a CPD FAQ, so read both before you count an activity.

3. The web quiz, every six years. The quiz is online and open book, with 25 questions that address changes in the relevant API codes over the past six years. You have four hours in total, and it may be paused or interrupted up to three times. Our companion article, how to prepare for the API 510 recertification quiz, covers the study side.

Failure to meet one or more requirements in your cycle precludes recertification, per API's page.

The timeline: 90 days before, 90 days after

Here is how the windows work, with an invented expiration date of 15 March 2027:

• 15 December 2026: the application opens, 90 days before expiration.
• 15 March 2027: the certification expires. Late fees apply after this date.
• 13 June 2027: the 90-day grace period ends. Nothing submitted by this date means the certification expires for good.

Enter your own date in the API recertification window calculator to get your opening date, expiration and the end of the grace period.

API says a heavy schedule, work in other countries or remote locations do not relieve you of the duty to file on time. File early in the window instead of the day before the deadline, because a verification request to your supervisor can take time.

The quiz follows the same windows: it is available 90 days before expiration and for the grace period after, and it is not available once the certification has expired. You may take it before or after you submit the application. To find out whether a quiz is due on your cycle, sign in to the ICP Portal. If a quiz is required, the portal shows a notice at the top of your 510 page. Quiz questions are written to API's recertification publications sheet; see our effectivity sheet guide for how to read one.

Fees

API's Schedules and Fees page lists recertification in the same row as 510, 570 and 653. The 2027 fees read $760 for members and $870 for non-members, and a late application adds $200. Fees change by year, so confirm them on API's page before you pay. The API 510 schedule and fees guide has the full table.

A worked example: tracking your 20% and 24 hours

Say your three-year cycle runs from March 2024 to March 2027. A full-time year is about 2,080 hours, so three years is about 6,240 work hours. If 20% is your floor, that is roughly 1,250 hours of vessel inspection or supervision, or about 8 hours a week. Invented log:

• Year 1: 520 hours on turnaround inspections and reports
• Year 2: 610 hours on routine vessel inspection and supervising contractors
• Year 3: 480 hours on inspection plus review of repair packages
• Total: 1,610 hours, which is 25.8% of 6,240 work hours

That clears 20% in the illustration. How API counts and verifies the hours is on its page and in the portal, so use this as a personal tracker and not as proof. For CPD, keep a running sheet: date, activity, hours and category. If your invented total is 9 hours of a training course, 8 hours at an industry meeting and 7 hours of internal technical training, that is 24 hours across three kinds of activity, which would meet the "at least two categories" idea. API decides what counts, so check its CPD guidance document.

What can go wrong

• No supervisor contact. API verifies employment with your supervisor. If they do not respond, your recertification may be delayed or API may be unable to recertify you. Give accurate contact details and tell them to expect the request.
• Not enough inspection time. If you have not been actively engaged in vessel inspection, the full exam is required.
• A second quiz failure. After one failure you may retake the quiz. After a second you cannot recertify and must submit a new application and take the full exam.

If you hold both 510 and 570, each has its own cycle and quiz. The three-way comparison explains how the recertification rules line up, and our API 570 vs API 510 article covers holding both.

Next step

Take the free 10-question check at /api-510-recert#q1 to find the sections you have not used lately. Then see the plans at /api-510-recert/offer#plans, and ask the study buddy at /study-assistant for a plan built around your exam date.

FAQ

How often do I renew API 510?

Every three years, by applying online in the ICP Portal. Every second renewal, which is every sixth year, also includes the 25-question open-book web quiz.

When can I apply for API 510 recertification?

API says you may apply 90 days before the expiration date and for a 90-day grace period after it. Late fees apply after expiration.

What happens if I let my API 510 certification lapse?

If no application is in by the end of the 90-day grace period, the certification expires. You then submit a new application and fees and pass the full examination.

How many CPD hours do I need?

24 hours within each three-year cycle, spread across at least two activity categories, with proof uploaded in the ICP Portal.

Do I take the quiz every renewal?

No. API requires it every six years, so every second renewal. Sign in to the ICP Portal to see whether your cycle needs one.