RIBA tells members to re-key 2026 CPD into MyARB after ruling out database link

The Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) has decided not to link its continuing professional development (CPD) database with the Architects Registration Board's (ARB) for this registration cycle, telling chartered members on 22 October to type their 2026 CPD into MyARB by hand.

RIBA said its technical team had spent the past few months working with ARB to see whether the two bodies' systems could be connected so that RIBA CPD records transferred to the regulator automatically.

The institute said the two systems work differently and will remain separate this year. It cited the need to meet data protection law fully and a guarantee that no automated AI software or machine text-parsers will be used to check, evaluate or score members' private RIBA CPD records.

"We remain committed to working alongside ARB to support professional standards, and make CPD recording as easy as possible," RIBA said in its notice to members.

What members have been told

RIBA said ARB is about to open its annual registration renewal portal. Members who want to renew their registration will need to log into MyARB and enter their 2026 CPD activities manually, the institute said.

To reduce the work involved, RIBA pointed members to an export facility on the member dashboard. The route is 'Record my CPD', then the screen for viewing or editing CPD records, then an 'Export to Excel' button in the top right corner, with the correct year selected. Members can use the spreadsheet as a guide or copy and paste details into the ARB portal.

RIBA's own rules require chartered members to carry out at least 35 hours of relevant learning each year, with at least 20 of those hours on its ten mandatory Core Curriculum topics. The institute's deadline for recording 2026 CPD is 31 December 2026.

What ARB's pages say

ARB's published guidance describes a different route for RIBA members. Its CPD page says members who record CPD with RIBA are required to declare that when paying their retention fee, and its renewal page says such members only have to upload their RIBA record to MyARB if selected for annual review.

ARB's renewal page, as currently published, refers to the deadline of 31 December 2025 for renewing to use the title in 2026. The retention fee is listed as £225, payable through the MyARB profile, and architects must make a professional declaration about their mandatory CPD as part of renewal. ARB's deadline for completing a CPD record is 31 December each year.

The regulator says it has a statutory responsibility under the Building Safety Act 2022 to monitor architects' ongoing competence.

ARB said in July 2026 that it had introduced new technology to improve the efficiency of reviewing CPD submissions, while all regulatory decisions still receive human assessment.

The scale of the 2025 cycle

ARB's report on the 2025 cycle, published on 29 September 2026, set out the scheme's figures. More than 38,000 architects made CPD declarations, and more than 85% initially complied with the mandatory scheme, the regulator said.

2025 CPD cycle (ARB)	Records
Records reviewed on MyARB	21,003
MyARB records achieving final compliance	20,661
RIBA records reviewed as a 5% sample	802

ARB removed 270 architects from the register for non-compliance with the CPD scheme in 2025.

Alan Kershaw, ARB Chair, said: "The high level of compliance matters, but compliance is not the ultimate purpose of CPD."

RIBA said members with questions about the process should contact the institute. Its notice applies to this ARB registration cycle only, and ARB's deadline for completing CPD records falls on 31 December.