An engineer reviewing plans on a construction site

Membership and licensing

Who must register with RIA

If you offer architectural services in Rwanda — as an individual or through a firm — you must be registered with RIA and hold a current licence. This is a legal requirement, not a professional courtesy.

The requirement

Architectural practice in Rwanda is governed by Law n° 023/2025 of 01/09/2025, which covers the professions of architecture, engineering and quantity surveying and replaced the 2012 law under which the Institute was established.

RIA registers six professional chapters: architects, urban designers, interior designers, landscape architects, sustainable building designers and BIM experts. If your work falls in any of them, registration and an annual practising licence are required before you offer that service to a client.

This applies to you if

You design buildingsFor other people, whether or not you call yourself an architect.

You supervise building workAs the designer responsible for what is built.

You sign or stamp drawingsOr submit them for approval on someone's behalf.

You own or run a firmOffering architectural services to clients.

You are based outside RwandaAnd are working on a project here.

Practising without registration

Offering architectural services without registration is unlawful. The law establishing the Institute provides sanctions for persons who practise the profession without being members, and RIA acts on reports of unregistered practice through the Board of Registration.

Already practising without registration?

If your qualifications or experience are unusual — a degree from a country RIA rarely sees, years of practice without formal supervision, a long gap — write to the Registrar before you apply rather than after. A short exchange at the start is faster than a refused application.

FAQ

I am a foreign architect visiting for one project.

You must register, but project registration may be the appropriate route rather than full individual registration.

I am registered as an engineer. Does that cover architectural work?

No. Registration is discipline-specific.

Apply for registration

Unusual qualifications or a long gap in practice? Write to architectsofrwanda@gmail.com before you apply.

Apply for registration Ask the Registrar first