Scheme policy
A credential is current, or it is history
Every Council credential is valid for two years from issue. That is not an administrative convenience — it is the claim itself: in a field moving this fast, a lifetime certificate would misrepresent current competence.
- Reference
- AIAC/REV/2026/01
- Issue
- 1.0
- Effective
- 27 August 2026
- Next review
- Before first issuance
- Status
- Full requirements publish at least 12 months before first expiries
§ 1 — The term
Two years, from your issue date
The term runs from the date the credential is issued to the holder — not from a cohort date, so no candidate loses part of a term to scheduling. The issue and expiry dates are on the certificate and on the public register, which anyone can check.
An expired credential does not vanish: the register entry remains, with status expired, permanently. Presenting an expired credential as current is a breach of the Code of Professional Conduct.
An active individual membership is what keeps a credential in force between revalidations. The first year is included with any paid examination; if membership lapses, the credential expires with it. The membership ladder.
§ 2 — Revalidation
What revalidation will involve
The full requirements are not yet published, and this page will not pretend otherwise. What is fixed: revalidation will assess that competence is current — through continuing professional development, evidence of practice, assessment, or a combination — and it will never be a fee alone. Paying to stay certified without demonstrating anything is the model this scheme exists to displace.
The requirements are published at least twelve months before the first credentials can expire, so no holder meets a rule they could not have planned for. Membership CPD recognition — where activity logged as a member counts toward revalidation — is part of that publication.
§ 3 — Grades
Each grade revalidates on its own
The Fundamentals and Professional grades are separate credentials with separate terms. Holding the Professional grade does not extend the Fundamentals grade, and revalidating one does not revalidate the other. A holder of both keeps two entries on the register and two revalidation dates.
The Certified Applied AI Associate does not expire and carries no revalidation requirement. Questions: hello@aiassurancecouncil.org.