The below information outlines the assessment process for joining RICS in Hong Kong, Macau and Taiwan. It provides details on the types of assessments, application procedures, and key deadlines. Additionally, it highlights resources and guidance for candidates pursuing RICS qualifications to advance their professional development.

Assessment dates and process

The following information is for candidates in Hong Kong, Macau and Taiwan.

Chartered Assessments:

The following information is for APC, Senior Professional, Academic and Specialist candidates.

RICS run three submission windows every year for final assessment.

Intent to submit

From 14 October 2025, all eligible candidates in Hong Kong, Macau and Taiwan be emailed so they can register their intent to submit via the Assessment Platform.

APC Structured Training candidates
- To submit your Intent to Submit, you must first complete 11 months of training (for APC12 candidates) or 23 months of training (for APC24 candidates). You won’t be able to submit your intent until this requirement is fulfilled.

Important: When providing your Intent to submit, ensure your pathway, route and counsellor details are all correct, once you have given your Intent to Submit these cannot be changed.

If you do not provide your intent to submit, you will not be able to apply for the coming assessment, the Assessment window will not appear on your Assessment Platform and you will need to wait for the next assessment session.

 

 

Submission windows

From Session 1 – 2026 onwards, eligible submissions must be received via the Assessment Platform on or before 5:00 PM HKT on the final day of submission deadline. This is to maximise the RICS support during working hours, or any technical issues or questions that may arise.

 

Session

Intent to Submit Deadline within the Assessment Platform

Submission window within the Assessment Platform

 

Assessment Dates*

Session 1 - 2026

14 – 31 October 2025

17 – 24 November 2025

06 – 08 March 2026

13 – 15 March 2026

Session 2 - 2026

27 January – 13 February 2026

02 – 09 March 2026

04 – 08 June 2026

12 – 14 June 2026

Session 3 - 2026

30 June – 17 July 2026

03 – 10 August 2026

05 – 09 November 2026

13 – 15 November 2026

Session 1 - 2027

06 - 23 October 2026

09 – 16 November 2026

11 – 15 March 2027

19 – 21 March 2027

 

*We aim to ensure that all eligible candidates are assessed within the above timeframes. However, our ability to deliver assessments in a timely manner is driven exclusively by assessor availability. There may be, from time to time, situations where you will not be interviewed during these specific windows and we ask for your flexibility in being interviewed later.

APC Preliminary Review

From Session 1 – 2026 onwards, eligible submissions must be received via the Assessment Platform on or before 5:00 PM HKT on the final day of submission deadline.

These dates below are for the review stage only.  If you have been successful in your Preliminary Review and need to proceed to the assessment interview stage, please see the Chartered Assessment dates above.

RICS run three preliminary review sessions each year. The sessions for the year are:

 

Session

 

Submission window within the Assessment Platform

 

Preliminary Review result due*

 

Intent to Submit Deadline if successful at Preliminary Review

Final Assessment Submission window within the Assessment Platform

Session 3 – 2025

18 – 25 August 2025

06 October 2025

14 – 31 October 2025

17 – 24 November 2025

Session 1 – 2026

03 – 10 November 2025

29 December 2026

27 January – 13 February 2026

02 – 09 March 2026

Session 2 - 2026

13 – 20 April 2026

01 June 2026

30 June – 17 July 2026

03 – 10 August 2026

Session 3 - 2026

13 – 20 July 2026

31 August 2026

06 - 23 October 2026

09 – 16 November 2026

Session 1 - 2027

20 – 27 October 2026

08 December 2026

January 2027

March 2027

 

*We aim to provide you with a result within 6 weeks of receiving your submission, but we cannot guarantee this. If your result is to be delayed, you will be notified and alternate arrangements made accordingly.

Associate Assessment

From Session 1 – 2026 onwards, eligible submissions must be received via the Assessment Platform on or before 5:00 PM HKT on the final day of submission deadline.

RICS run three associate assessment sessions each year. The sessions for the year are:

 

Session

Submission window within the Assessment Platform

Assessment result due*

Session 1 - 2026

17 – 24 November 2025

12 January 2026

Session 2 - 2026

02 – 09 March 2026

27 April 2026

Session 3 - 2026

03 – 10 August 2026

28 September 2026

Session 1 - 2027

09 – 16 November 2026

18 January 2027

 

*We aim to provide you with a result within 6 weeks of receiving your submission, but we cannot guarantee this. If your result is to be delayed, you will be notified accordingly.

 

At the RICS APC assessor engagement event on March 27th,  RICS announced that the Qualifications and Assessment Committee (QAC) has approved a new policy and framework that will allow for a pilot delivery of in-person APC/SPA final assessments.

As part of this new policy, Hong Kong has been selected as the region to conduct an in-person assessment pilot. Starting with the October 2025 session, all final assessments in Hong Kong will be conducted exclusively in person.

As part of our continuous improvements to the Assessment Platform, we will be introducing the following updates from mid July 2025 to assist candidates at the submission stage:

  • Clear guidance on the minimum employment history required for all candidates, based on the specific requirements of their application route.
  • Clarification of the Summary of Experience (for APC and Associate routes only) and Case Study sections, outlining what applicants are required to provide.
  • Streamlined status banners for the Final Assessment stage.
  • Improved navigation on the Final Assessment page to enhance user experience.

Candidates are required to apply for the RICS assessment in the country they are primarily based and working in. They must be assessed within the context of the law and legislation in the country/jurisdiction of the assessment.

There may be instances where a candidate enrols in one country, begins work towards their assessment, and then relocates to another country. For their submission, if the candidate chooses to include experience gained prior to moving, their assessment must reflect the law and legislation of both countries.

There is no minimum period that a candidate must be practising in the country they have moved to before they can apply for assessment.

It is for you as the candidate, with the support of your counsellor, to determine if you have met the minimum competency requirements, including on law and legislation.

Candidates will be asked to add their word count into the summary of experience upload page on the Assessment Platform. This page will also display which competencies that have been selected for candidates to check and confirm that the competencies in their Summary of Experience match those selected on the platform.

Candidates will be asked to add the word count and date of the project used in their case study into the Assessment Platform.

If the word count entered for either the Summary of Experience or case studies exceeds the maximum requirement then the candidate will not be able to proceed.

This will be displayed on the home page along with other key information such as pathway and counsellor

As part of our ongoing improvements to the Assessment Platform, we will be introducing the following updates from mid July 2025 to help Counsellors more effectively support candidates during the submission stage:

  • Counsellors will be required to download the documentations (case study and or Summary of experience) submitted by the candidate before providing feedback or approval to review the documentation before it can be submitted for assessment.
  • A new notification banner will alert Counsellors to actions required, including pending requests to act as a Counsellor and approvals needed for candidate submissions.

Effective from mid July 2025 the New Counsellor Training Module will be available via the Assessment Platform. Please note from 1 October 2025 Counsellors who have not completed this mandatory training will no longer able to approve candidate submissions on the Assessment Platform until the training is completed.

Once you have submitted and you submission has been confirmed , if you wish to defer your assessment, you must inform RICS by email to apacassessmentdelivery@rics.org It is your responsibility to confirm this to RICS in writing, we cannot accept notification from a third party or over the phone.

RICS grant a 14-day cooling off period from the date that you apply and submit for assessment within which you can defer without charge. If you defer after the 14-day cooling off period, a Hong Kong and Macau HKD 2,875.00, Taiwan USD 171.00 deferral fee for APC/SPA/SPE or Hong Kong and Macau HKD 1,500.00, Taiwan USD 90.00 deferral fee for Associate is payable when you next apply and submit for assessment. This payment will be requested via Assessment Platform at the next application.

While we do all that we can to avoid this, there are instances where assessments may need to be re-scheduled if assessors become unavailable. In the event this occurs the Assessment Delivery Team will contact you as soon possible to schedule a new date.

Unsuccessful candidates will receive a referral report via email within 21 days from the date of their result.

Successful candidates will receive an Award Pack by post. This is ordered on the first day of the next month following receipt of the result and can take 6-8 weeks to be delivered.

Please note that successful candidates will be required to pay an upgrade fee and any increase in annual subscription* upon qualification and can be paid online at rics.org/renew. An email will also be sent alerting newly qualified members to this updated online invoice.

* For qualifications after October, the subscription invoice will cover the following year rather than the current year.

Candidates who are referred will be required to pay as resit fee of Hong Kong and Macau HKD 2,875.00, Taiwan USD 171.00 for APC/SPA/SPE or Hong Kong and Macau HKD 1,500.00, Taiwan USD 90.00 for Assoc for every additional assessment. This payment will be requested via Assessment Platform at the next application.

Candidates who are referred have the right to appeal.

You cannot appeal simply because you disagree with the assessors’ decision about your competence. The appeal panel does not question the merits of the assessors’ decision. It looks at the way the final assessment was conducted, and will allow the appeal only if, on the balance of probabilities, there was fault in the process.

It does not reach any conclusion about the candidate’s competence to practise: it considers only administrative or procedural matters.

Appeal panel

Appeals are considered by an RICS appeal panel of three chartered surveyors who have no connection with you or your employer, and no previous knowledge of your final assessment interview.

The appeal panel has no powers to admit a candidate to RICS membership: if an appeal is approved, the original final assessment interview is disregarded and you will be given a fresh interview.

 

 

How to appeal                                                 

You have 21 days in which to appeal. This is taken from the date on which your referral report is issued.

  • Complete the APC candidate appeal form (download it from this page) and submit the required appeal fee (no third party may appeal on your behalf).
  • Detail, in no more than 1,000 words, the reasons for the appeal. No further supporting documentation is permitted and no representations may be submitted by another party who was not present at the interview (e.g. supervisor, counsellor, employer)
  • Send to RICS within 21 days of the date your referral report was issued.

The process takes approximately seven weeks following receipt of your appeal.