Board of Architects Portal Launch 2026

The Board of Architects (BOA) launched a new BOA Portal in August 2026 as the primary platform for applications, submissions and transactions with the Board. BOA's launch notice is dated 24 August 2026 and says the portal will progressively receive additional features (BOA, portal launch, accessed 9 September 2026).

Verification deadline for existing users

BOA invited registered architects and architectural firms to log in during the launch window and verify or update their registered particulars by 30 September 2026. The notice says administrative charges are waived for eligible updates during the waiver period. A payment button may still appear because of system configuration, but BOA says no payment is required for those eligible updates. This is an account and register-maintenance instruction for existing registered professionals and firms; it is not a new architectural qualification or a general registration waiver (BOA, portal launch, accessed 9 September 2026).

During the trial period, users cannot download a revised practising certificate or licence for the current year through the portal. BOA directs users who need that revised document to complete a separate practising-certificate/licence request form. This is a temporary document-access limitation, not evidence that a current certificate has been cancelled or that an architect must requalify (BOA, portal launch, accessed 9 September 2026).

Scope and interpretation

The portal is described as the primary digital channel for BOA applications, submissions and transactions. The launch notice does not itself change the statutory requirements for registration, practising architecture or professional conduct, and it does not establish that every service or user category has identical transition steps. Users should follow the portal’s current instructions for the relevant transaction (BOA, portal launch, accessed 9 September 2026).

The immediate instructions are aimed at registered architects and architectural firms, while the later milestones specifically address practising certificates and licences for licensed corporations and limited liability partnerships. BOA says other applications will be rolled out progressively in the coming months. The presence of a portal account therefore does not mean that every applicant, firm type or transaction has the same workflow or deadline (BOA, portal launch, accessed 9 September 2026).

Practising certificates and licensed-firm applications

The portal launch notice sets separate future milestones. Applications for 2027 practising certificates open on 1 November 2026, and the annual submission deadline is 1 December 2026; late applications are subject to a late-payment fee. From 1 January 2027, applications for licences by licensed corporations and licensed limited liability partnerships must be submitted through the new portal when the relevant licences expire from 1 February 2027 onwards. BOA reminds firms that renewal applications must be filed at least one month before the existing licence expires (BOA, portal launch, accessed 9 September 2026).

These milestones are transaction-routing and filing deadlines, not a general change to who may practise architecture. The portal is the channel for submitting the application, while the Architects Act, Architects Rules and BOA’s professional requirements continue to define registration, practising-certificate and firm-licence obligations. BOA also says other portal features will be rolled out progressively, so users should not assume that every future transaction was available at the initial launch (BOA, portal launch, accessed 9 September 2026).