How to Renew Your CIPS Certification: Requirements, Points and Deadlines
Read this guide in Arabic: اقرأ بالعربية
Let us clear up the biggest misunderstanding first, because it costs people money every year. Your CIPS qualification does not expire. Once you have passed the modules and been awarded a Level 4 Diploma, that award is yours permanently. What has to be renewed is your membership, and with it the right to use designations such as MCIPS and to appear on the professional register. Two different things, one annual deadline.
This article covers what renewal actually involves, how the CPD requirement works, what counts, what happens if you let it lapse, and practical ways professionals in Saudi Arabia keep up without adding a second job to their week.
What renews, and when
CIPS membership runs on an annual subscription year. At the time of writing the CIPS membership year runs from 1 November to 31 October, and fees are published for that period on the CIPS site. You renew by paying your subscription and confirming that you still meet the conditions for your grade.
The word "points" appears in a lot of search queries, but CIPS does not use a points system in the way some other bodies do. It uses continuing professional development measured in hours, self declared at renewal. That is a small distinction with a practical consequence: nobody sends you a running balance, so you have to keep your own record.
Set a calendar reminder for early October. Every year we hear from a few candidates in Riyadh and Al Khobar who missed the notification because it went to an old work email address after a job change.
The CPD requirement and the ethics test
For Chartered status, CIPS requires 30 hours of CPD in the previous 12 months plus a valid pass on the CIPS Ethics Test, and these are validated annually when you renew your membership. The ethics test is free to members, sits online, and the resulting certificate, digital badge and register listing are valid for one year, so it is an annual task rather than a one time one.
Thirty hours sounds heavy until you break it down. It is around two and a half hours a month, and much of what you already do at work qualifies. The failure we see is not lack of activity, it is lack of evidence: people do the learning and record none of it, then scramble in October.
What activities count as CPD
CIPS takes a broad view of development, and the emphasis is on what you learned and applied rather than on attendance certificates. In practice these are the categories our members in the Kingdom use most:
- Formal training and qualifications, including studying a further CIPS level such as the Level 5 Advanced Diploma or a related professional course.
- Structured learning on the job: leading a category review, running a tender under a new regulation, building a supplier performance framework for the first time.
- Webinars, industry events and branch activity, including procurement conferences held in Riyadh and the Eastern Province.
- Reading, research and self study, such as working through new public procurement rules or a standard contract form.
- Mentoring, coaching and teaching others, which many senior members forget to log even though it is one of the strongest development activities there is.
Keep a simple log. Date, activity, hours, and two lines on what changed in your work as a result. A single spreadsheet is enough, and it turns renewal into a five minute job.
Fees and deadlines
Renewal costs the annual membership subscription for your grade. CIPS sets these fees each year and publishes them on its exam and member fees page, so please check the current figure there rather than relying on an amount quoted in an article. Grades differ, and the student grade you paid while studying is not the same as the professional grade you move to after qualifying.
A practical note for Saudi based members: pay in good time if your company reimburses you, since finance approval cycles here often run longer than the payment window you have left once the reminder arrives. If your employer sponsors your membership, ask them to make it a recurring annual line rather than a one off request each year.
What happens if it lapses
If you stop paying, your membership lapses. You keep the qualification you earned, but you lose the right to use the designation after your name, you come off the professional register, and you lose member access to CIPS resources. Reinstatement is possible, and the exact conditions depend on how long you have been out and what CIPS asks for at the time, so contact CIPS directly rather than assuming.
The reputational side matters more than people expect. In the Kingdom, tender teams and HR departments increasingly check the CIPS professional register when a CV claims MCIPS. A lapsed membership that still appears on a CV is an awkward conversation you do not want in an interview.
Easy ways to earn CPD in Saudi Arabia
Our members here tend to accumulate hours in four ways. They study the next level, which alone covers a year of CPD comfortably. They attend procurement and supply chain events in Riyadh and Al Khobar, which are far more frequent now than a few years ago. They log the structured work they do on Vision 2030 and giga project sourcing, because writing your first framework agreement or running a new evaluation model is genuine development. And they mentor junior Saudi buyers coming into the profession under Saudization plans.
If you are still working toward the designation rather than maintaining it, start with our CIPS Level 4 Diploma in Procurement and Supply, and read our guide to choosing between Levels 3, 4 and 5 if you are unsure where you belong. For the wider payoff, our article on whether CIPS is worth it in Saudi Arabia takes an honest look at the return.
Frequently asked questions
Does the CIPS qualification expire?
No. Once you have been awarded a CIPS qualification such as the Level 4 Diploma, that award is permanent. What needs renewing each year is your CIPS membership, which is what gives you the right to use designations such as MCIPS and to appear on the professional register.
How many CPD hours does CIPS require?
For Chartered status CIPS requires 30 hours of continuing professional development in the previous 12 months, together with a valid CIPS Ethics Test, both confirmed at annual renewal. CIPS uses CPD hours rather than a points system, and the hours are self declared.
When is the CIPS renewal deadline?
The CIPS membership year runs from 1 November to 31 October at the time of writing, so renewal falls due around the end of October. Set your own reminder in early October, especially if you have changed employer and your contact email on file may be out of date.
What is the CIPS ethics test and how often do I take it?
It is a free online ethical procurement and supply test for members, and passing it gives a certificate, digital badge and professional register listing valid for one year. Because the validity is annual, you retake it each year to keep your status and listing current.
What happens if my CIPS membership lapses?
You keep the qualification, but you lose the designation, the register listing and member access until you reinstate. Reinstatement terms depend on how long the membership has been inactive, so contact CIPS directly to confirm what is required in your case.
Does studying another CIPS level count toward CPD?
Yes. Formal study such as the Level 5 Advanced Diploma is one of the simplest ways to cover a year of CPD, since the taught hours and private study add up quickly. Log the hours as you go rather than reconstructing them at renewal time.
