Key Information

• Introduction to the “Professional Title” Evaluation Mechanism
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Introduction

Professional Title Evaluation Mechanism

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In line with the national strategic deployment for the high-quality development of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area as outlined in the 14th Five-Year Plan, the Development Bureau actively promotes opportunities for the Hong Kong construction and engineering industry (including relevant enterprises and professionals) to develop in the Chinese Mainland cities of the Greater Bay Area and better integrate into the country's overall development.

In the Mainland, professional qualifications are primarily categorized into "Practicing with Licence Qualifications" and "Professional Titles". Practicing qualifications have Legal Liability, such as signing and certifying design drawings and technical reports. As early as 2003-2006, relevant professional institutions in Hong Kong, under the CEPA framework, signed mutual recognition agreements with Mainland counterparts for six professions (including architects, structural engineers, planners, building surveyors, property surveyors, and quantity surveyors). "Professional titles," on the other hand, focus on evaluating the individual credentials of professional and technical personnel. While they do not carry the functional uses of practicing qualifications, they serve as an important basis for the employment, assessment, and promotion of professional and technical personnel in the Mainland, and are a key standard for state-owned and private enterprises in selecting technical talent. Professional titles are highly recognized in the Mainland and play significant roles in areas such as tendering and bidding, talent assessment, preferential talent policies, property purchase, and children's enrollment in schools. Therefore, facilitating Hong Kong professionals in obtaining Mainland professional titles helps Mainland enterprises better understand their technical capabilities and creates favorable conditions for their employment and provision of professional services in the Mainland.

In 2022, the Leading Group for the Development of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area identified the "further improvement of the professional title declaration and evaluation mechanism for Hong Kong, Macao, and overseas professional talent" as a key task, aiming to more vigorously promote the convenient practice of Hong Kong and Macao professional talent (including in fields like architecture and planning) in the Mainland cities of the Greater Bay Area.

As a unique evaluation system in the Mainland, professional titles must follow corresponding evaluation procedures. In the past, Hong Kong professionals faced several challenges in the application process, such as: applicants needing to be employed by a Mainland unit which would then submit the application; difficulty in meeting evaluation requirements regarding obtaining industry awards or publishing academic articles; and complex application materials and cumbersome procedures, making it difficult to obtain Mainland professional titles. With the assistance of the Liaison Office of the Central People's Government in the HKSAR, the Development Bureau actively communicated and coordinated with relevant Mainland departments to resolve these issues one by one, striving to clear the path for Hong Kong construction industry professionals to obtain Mainland professional titles and assist them in expanding into the Mainland market.

Since early 2023, with the support of the Liaison Office of the Central People's Government in the HKSAR, the Development Bureau has engaged in multiple rounds of discussions with the Guangdong Provincial Department of Human Resources and Social Security, the Guangdong Provincial Association for Science and Technology, relevant professional institutions in Hong Kong and Guangdong, and other departments, gradually resolving the obstacles for Hong Kong construction industry professionals to obtain Mainland professional titles. It was ultimately decided to adopt a "pioneering" approach by innovatively formulating a professional title evaluation mechanism suitable for Hong Kong professionals in five engineering fields: Civil Engineering, Geotechnical Engineering, Highway Engineering, Electrical Engineering, and Measurement & Control Instruments. The evaluation criteria and methods for various professional title levels were finalized in September 2023. The first pilot batch of professional title evaluations was completed in July 2024, covering different levels including "Assistant Engineer," "Engineer," "Senior Engineer," and "Principal Senior Engineer."

DEVB has assisted the Hong Kong Institute of Architects, the Hong Kong Institution of Engineers, and the Hong Kong Institute of Surveyors in successfully establishing a professional title assessment mechanism for their respective full members. The relevant Hong Kong professional sectors and their corresponding titles are detailed in the chart below. We maintain close cooperation with relevant Mainland departments and successfully regularized the professional title evaluation mechanism applicable to Hong Kong professionals in 2025, extending it to the Architecture and Quantity Surveying professions. To date, approximately 580 Hong Kong professionals have obtained Mainland professional titles. We will continue to advance related work, aiming to gradually extend the mechanism to other eligible construction-related professions (such as Urban Planning and Landscape Architecture).

Frequently Asked Questions

Enquiries

For enquiries, please call 3509-7749 or emailprofessional_titles@devb.gov.hk

Other Links:

Home / My Blog

Proactively promoting the recognition of professional qualifications of Hong Kong’s construction industry to better integrate into the national development

https://www.devb.gov.hk/en/home/my_blog/index_id_1574.html?s=20220701&e=21001231&y=2025&p=5

Home / Publications & Press Releases / Press Releases

LCQ18: Evaluation mechanism of Mainland "Professional Title" qualifications for Hong Kong professionals

https://www.devb.gov.hk/en/publications_and_press_releases/press/index_id_14060.html

Home / Secretary for Development Press Releases

First batch of Hong Kong engineers pass Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area engineering "Professional Title" evaluation (with photos)

https://www.devb.gov.hk/en/sdev/press/index_id_13974.html

Home / Publications & Press Releases / Press Releases (new)

Major Breakthrough Achievement in Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area engineering "Professional Title" evaluation

371Hong Kong Professionals obtained Mainland Professional Titles (with Photos)

https://www.info.gov.hk/gia/general/202511/24/P2025112400738.htm?fontSize=1

HKIE Website

Integrating into the Mainland ‘Professional Title’ qualification system (English version only)

https://www.hkengineer.org.hk/issue/vol53-may2025/feature_story/?id=18802