As an effort to promote our professional services, this Bureau signed a co-operation arrangement with the former Ministry of Construction (now Ministry of Housing and Urban-Rural Development (MOHURD)) in May 2002. Among other issues, both sides agreed to foster the mutual recognition of professional qualifications. The arrangement underpinned future discussions on the subject.

Since the signing of the arrangement, we have been maintaining close contacts with MOHURD as well as the relevant professional organisations in the Mainland. On the other hand, we have been consulting the five professional institutes of the HKSAR (i.e. the Hong Kong Institute of Architects, the Hong Kong Institution of Engineers, the Hong Kong Institute of Landscape Architects, the Hong Kong Institute of Planners and the Hong Kong Institute of Surveyors) and to reflect their views to the MOHURD.

So far, mutual recognition agreements have been signed for six professions, including general practice surveyors, architects, structural engineers, planners, quantity surveyors and building surveyors. 3,194 relevant professionals from the two places have acquired the professional qualifications of the other side through the mutual recognition arrangements under the respective agreements. Details  are as follows:

According to the "Agreement on Economic and Technical Cooperation" signed under the CEPA framework on 28 June 2017, both sides are committed to continuing discussions on matters relating to the mutual recognition of professional qualifications. This Bureau will consult with the Mainland with a view to renewing existing mutual recognition agreements and starting discussions on extension of the scope of mutual recognition to other professions, such as Mainland's supervision engineers and Hong Kong's related professions, geotechnical engineers, electrical engineers, building services engineers, etc.