How the dates are worked out
API recertifies you every three years. Your application opens 90 days before the expiration date and stays open for a 90-day grace period after it, with late fees after the expiration date. The calculator counts those days on the calendar from the date you enter. The expiration date on your certificate is the one that counts: the calculator does not work it out from a certification date.
Each renewal needs the same three things: your application, proof that at least 20% of your time in the cycle went to inspection of your program's equipment, and 24 hours of continuing professional development. Every sixth year you also pass an online, open-book quiz of 25 questions with a four-hour limit. The quiz opens 90 days before expiration and runs through the grace period, and you can take it before or after you submit the application.
What the quiz adds
Every renewal is the application, the work and the CPD. The quiz comes every sixth year, so it falls on every second renewal, and the ICP Portal shows which one yours is. You can fail it once and retake it. A second failure means a new application and the full exam. If you hold more than one of 510, 570 and 653, each has its own cycle, so run each expiration date through the calculator separately.
Worked example: an expiration date of March 15, 2027
With API 510 and an expiration date of March 15, 2027, the application opens December 15, 2026, 90 days earlier. The certification expires March 15, 2027, and the grace period ends June 13, 2027. Nothing submitted by then means the certification expires and a full exam is needed. Filing early in the window leaves time for API to verify your hours with your supervisor.
Recertification window questions
How early can I apply, and what if I am a few weeks late?
You can apply from 90 days before the expiration date. If you miss the date, the 90-day grace period lets you still apply, but late fees apply after the expiration date. If you are past the grace period, API's 510, 570 and 653 pages say you need a new application, fees and the full exam.
Do I take the quiz every time I renew?
No. The quiz is every six years, so every second renewal. Sign in to the ICP Portal to see whether yours is due. If it is, a notice shows at the top of your certification page.
Can I take the quiz before I submit my application?
Yes. API lets you take the quiz either before or after you submit the recertification application, as long as you are inside the window or the grace period. Once the certification has expired the quiz is no longer available.
If a quiz is due, the API 510 recertification quiz guide covers the format, and the recertification requirements article goes through the work and CPD rules.