Credentials side by side: how long they last, and the CEUs, CPD and fees to keep them

This page puts the published renewal terms next to each other. It lists, it does not rank, and it is not advice on which to hold. An empty cell reads "Not published" where the body's page, read on October 8, 2026, gives no answer. Fees change, and each row names its source below. Terms differ in kind: ISA and TCIA renew a certification on a three-year cycle with CEUs, the Arboricultural Association and Arboriculture Australia ask for CPD hours or CEUs every year to keep a membership grade, and NZ Arb renews a business status. The companion tables cover who may sit or apply and how each is assessed. For how ISA CEUs are earned, see the guide on keeping certified.

ISA and TCIA

Credential	Renewal terms
ISA Certified Arborist	Period: 3 years. Requirement: Retake and pass the exam, or 30 CEUs related to the ten tested domains. Fee: US$220.
ISA Certified Tree Climber	Period: 3 years. Requirement: Retake and pass, or 15 CEUs plus current proof of CPR, first aid and aerial rescue training. Fee: US$220 base price; the guide says holders of several ISA credentials get a discount, with no amount given.
ISA Certified Arborist Utility Specialist	Period: 3 years. Requirement: Must also be a current Certified Arborist. Retake and pass, or 6 CEUs. Fee: US$95.
ISA Certified Urban Forest Professional	Period: 3 years. Requirement: Retake and pass, or 30 CEUs. Fee: US$220 base price, with the same multiple-credential discount wording.
ISA Board Certified Master Arborist	Period: 3 years. Requirement: Retake and pass, or 60 CEUs with at least 10 each in science, practice and management. Fee: US$320 on ISA's Common Questions fee table; the program guide says only that a fee is paid.
ISA Tree Risk Assessment Qualification	Period: 7 years. Requirement: Retrain and retest to reinstate. The guide says a qualification carries no CEU or ethics-code requirement. Fee: Not published as a renewal fee; course prices are set by each host.
TCIA Certified Treecare Safety Professional	Period: 3 years. Requirement: 30 CEUs, in two mandatory categories with a minimum of 15 each: attending safety training, and delivering safety training or developing safety program elements. TCIA's page also describes a request for a 6-month extension. Fee: US$153 for TCIA members, US$305 for non-members.

ISA's Common Questions page says CEUs do not roll over from one three-year cycle to the next. TCIA's page says a certification is void if the CEUs or the fee are missing at the end of the period, with an appeal to the CTSP Council considered case by case.

United Kingdom

Credential	Renewal terms
Arboricultural Association, Technician	Period: Annual membership. Requirement: At least 10 hours of arboricultural CPD a year. Fee: £200 a year, or £16.67 a month.
Arboricultural Association, Professional	Period: Annual membership. Requirement: At least 13 hours of arboricultural CPD a year. Fee: £222 a year, or £18.50 a month.
Arboricultural Association, Fellow	Period: Annual membership. Requirement: 20 hours of CPD a year. Fee: £260 a year.
Arboricultural Association, Registered Consultant	Period: Annual subscription. Requirement: A minimum of 25 hours of CPD a year, an annual Standards and Development Day and a quality assurance process. Fee: £630 plus VAT for Fellows, £666 plus VAT for Professional members.
City and Guilds (formerly NPTC) and Lantra Awards certificates of competence	Period: Not published as an expiry on the pages read. Requirement: UK FISA recommends recorded refresher or update training at least every five years for most machinery operations, including chainsaw and aerial tree work. It cites HSE's chainsaw leaflet INDG317 as recommending refresher training every three to five years. Fee: Not published.

The Arboricultural Association says it samples members' CPD records at random every autumn. HSE's tree work training page says refresher training is recommended at specific intervals for certain high-risk activities, chainsaw operation among them, and that employers must provide health and safety training in working hours at no cost to employees.

Australia and New Zealand

Credential	Renewal terms
Arboriculture Australia, Registered Practicing Arborist	Period: Calendar year, to December 31. Requirement: 6 CEUs each calendar year. Fee: AU$249.00 excluding GST for an individual General Membership, plus AU$210 for the Registered add-on.
Arboriculture Australia, Registered Consulting Arborist	Period: Calendar year. Requirement: 12 CEUs each calendar year. Fee: Same General Membership plus AU$210 for the add-on.
Arboriculture Australia, Registered Practicing and Consulting Arborist	Period: Calendar year. Requirement: 18 CEUs each calendar year. Fee: Same General Membership plus AU$210 for the add-on.
NZ Arb, Registered Master Arborists NZ	Period: Up to 5 years. Requirement: An audit in the third year; renewal assessed before expiry, applied for at least 90 working days before the end of the period. Fee: NZ$1,300.00 excluding GST a year; it includes the initial assessment, the mid-term audit and corporate membership for up to 50 full-time staff.

Arboriculture Australia's CEU policy says Registered Members do not need CEUs when first applying and that CEUs in the joining year may be earned pro rata. Its pages write dollar amounts with a plain dollar sign, shown here as AU$ because the body is Australian and quotes GST. NZ Arb's application guide writes the fee as 1,300.00 dollars exclusive of GST, shown here as NZ$.

Europe: EAC

Credential	Renewal terms
European Tree Worker	Period: 3 years, renewable for a further 3. Requirement: Proof of practical tree care work in 24 of the previous 36 months; valid first aid; a current medical certificate or self-declaration; 30 hours of seminars, workshops or courses in the previous 36 months. Fee: Not published on the pages read.
European Tree Technician	Period: 3 years. Requirement: Proof of consultancy or management work at Technician level in 24 of the previous 36 months; 45 hours of seminars, workshops or courses in the previous 36 months, with presenting or lecturing hours at that level counting. Fee: Not published on the pages read.

The EAC says the national board can refuse recertification or remove certification status over unsafe or unprofessional work. The ETW and ETT pages are covered in the guide on the European Tree Worker and Technician.