Recertification Policy

Recertification is an important indicator to you and your employer that you have kept up with current technology trends and validated your skills at the rigorous level of the original certification exam. On February 24, 2020, the Cisco recertification policy will provide a flexible alternative option to meet recertification requirements. This new approach encourages candidates to diversify their skill sets and provides multiple paths for maintaining their certifications.

Updates include the following:

All certifications will have a three-year recertification deadline
The Continuing Education program will extend to the CCNA, Specialist, CCNP, CCIE certifications
The continuing education point cap for Cisco Live activities and content-authoring, such as writing exam items, has been removed

Certification holders must still register for and pass the appropriate Cisco recertification exam(s), but individuals can now also recertify by completing continuing education activities and earning points within those three years. As always, you can recertify by advancing to the next level of certifications as well. Certification must be met prior to the certification expiration date. Individuals with expired certification(s) must repeat the entire certification exam process in order to regain their certification(s) status.

Visit the Cisco Career Certifications Tracking System to check the status of your certification(s).

Specific CCIE recertification requirements can be found here.

The following recertification requirements will be implemented on February 24, 2020:

Certification level	Duration	Examination only	Examination and Continuing Education	Continuing Education only
Associate Recertification	3 years	Pass any one Associate exam Pass any one professional concentration exam Pass one technology core exam Pass one CCIE lab exam		Earn 30 CE credits
Specialist Certification	3 years	Pass any one professional concentration exam Pass one technology core exam Pass one CCIE lab exam		Earn 40 CE credits
Professional Recertification	3 years	Pass one technology core exam Pass any two professional concentration exams Pass one CCIE lab exam	Pass any one professional concentration exam and earn 40 CE credits	Earn 80 CE credits
CCIE Recertification	3 years	Pass any one expert-level certification exam Pass any one CCIE lab exam Pass any three professional concentration exams Pass one technology core exam and pass any one professional concentration exam. (This is also a CCNP certification if done in the same track.)	Pass one technology core exam and earn 40 CE credits Pass any two professional concentration exams and earn 40 CE credits Pass any one professional concentration exam and earn 80 CE credits	Earn 120 CE credits
CCDE Recertification	3 years	Pass any one expert-level certification exam Pass any one CCIE lab exam Pass the CCDE Practical Exam. Pass the Cisco Certified Architect (CCAr) interview AND the CCAr board review. Pass any three professional concentration exams Pass one technology core exam and pass any one professional concentration exam.	Pass one technology core exam and earn 40 CE credits Pass any two professional concentration exams and earn 40 CE credits Pass any one professional concentration exam and earn 80 CE credits	Earn 120 CE credits
Architect	5 years	Cisco Certified Architect (CCAr) certifications are valid for five years. CCAr will remain certified as long as they continue to contribute to maintaining the Cisco Certified Architect Certification program. Current recertification policies require Cisco Certified Architects to complete qualifying events within the 24 months preceding the expiration deadline. Qualifying events include: Contribution to the development lifecycle Significant participation in the creation of new exam content or Significant review/refinement of existing content or Involvement in future direction of the program Participation as a judge in a candidate evaluation Application review/interview for TWO (2) candidates (in the case where the candidate's application IS NOT approved to progress to the board review) or Application review/interview and in-person board review for ONE (1) candidate (in the case where the candidate's application IS approved to progress to the board review)	N/A	N/A

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Current recertification policy due to retire on February 24, 2020:

Certification level	Duration	Examination only	Continuing Education only
CCNA Recertification	3 years	Retake and pass one CCNA exam Pass one CCNP exam Pass one CCIE written exam Pass one CCIE lab exam Pass one designated specialist exam
Specialist	2 years	Varies by specialist level
CCNP Recertification	3 years	Retake and pass one CCNP exam Pass one CCIE written exam Pass one CCIE lab exam
CCIE Recertification	2 years	Retake and pass one CCIE written exam Retake and pass one CCIE lab exam	Earn 100 CE credits
CCDE Recertification	2 years	Pass any current CCIE Written Exam OR CCIE practical exam. Pass the current CCDE Written Exam OR Pass the current CCDE Practical Exam Pass the Cisco Certified Architect (CCAr) interview AND the CCAr board review	Earn 100 CE credits
Cisco Certified Architect	5 years	CCAr will remain certified as long as they continue to contribute to maintaining the Cisco Certified Architect Certification program. Current recertification policies require Cisco Certified Architects to complete qualifying events within the 24 months preceding the expiration deadline. Qualifying events include: Contribution to the development lifecycle Significant participation in the creation of new exam content or Significant review/refinement of existing content or Involvement in future direction of the program Participation as a judge in a candidate evaluation Application review/interview for TWO (2) candidates (in the case where the candidate's application IS NOT approved to progress to the board review) or Application review/interview and in-person board review for ONE (1) candidate (in the case where the candidate's application IS approved to progress to the board review)	N/A

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Visit the Cisco Career Certifications Tracking System to check the status of your certification(s).

Visit Cisco Continuing Education Program, an alternative and flexible option for Expert-level certification holders to earn credits towards recertification.

And remember:

Cisco does not provide extensions. It is your responsibility to recertify on time.
We do send renewal email reminders to the email address in your Certification Tracking System profile, so make sure to keep your email address up to date.
Always review the 5-day Exam retake policy before scheduling any exam.