The MRA, which goes into effect on April 23, 2023, will be offered to all 55 of NCARB’s jurisdictional licensing boards as a new option to incorporate into their respective licensure eligibilities, detailed the Washington, D.C.–based nonprofit in a press announcement. Each individual NCARB jurisdiction now must determine whether it will accept the agreement. In the UK, legislation was passed earlier this year allowing for the MRA to be implemented.
Hugh Simpson, chief executive and registrar with ARB, called the passage of the MRA an “exciting moment for the sector,” adding that the opportunity for cross-registration “helps to open up opportunities for cooperation between individuals and firms in the UK and United States in a way which upholds standards.”
![a group of people signing a document.](/ext/resources/news/2023/February/NCARB-ARB/MRA-sign.webp)
Leadership at NCARB and ARB signing the MRA. Photo courtesy NCARB
While NCARB has, as mentioned, reciprocity agreements in place with national licensing entities in a small handful of other countries, the newly signed MRA is a first-of-its-kind agreement for ARB, which is in the process of hashing out similar agreements with the EU, Australia, and Hong Kong, according to the Architects Journal. As previously reported by RECORD, UK architects lost the blanket right to practice across continental Europe after the country left the EU in January 2021.
Simon Allford, president of the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA), praised the “game-changing” agreement, saying: “British architecture is a global success story, and, post-Brexit, the UK has an opportunity to open up new export markets for UK architects."
“We hope that our members, and those from across the Atlantic seize this opportunity,” he added.