ASEAN MUTUAL RECOGNITION ARRANGEMENT ON ARCHITECTURAL SERVICES
OVERVIEW

The ASEAN Agreement on Mutual Recognition Arrangement (MRA) on Architectural Services was signed by the ASEAN Economic Ministers on 20 November 2007.

The Mutual Recognition Arrangement (MRA) on Architectural Services will facilitate the mobility of architectural professionals within ASEAN and enhance information exchange in order to promote adoption of best practices on standards of architectural education, professional practices and qualifications.

The main objective for the agreement is to conform to the spirit of ASEAN co-operations based on fair distribution of resources and benefits through collaborative research and set standards and commitment of technological transfer in architecture among ASEAN Member Countries.

OBJECTIVES
To exchange information in order to promote adoption of best practices on standards of architectural education, professional practice and qualifications;
To conform to the spirit of ASEAN co-operations based on fair distribution of resources and benefits through collaborative researches; and
To encourage, facilitate and establish mutual recognition of Architects and set up standards and commitment of technological transfer among ASEAN Member Countries.
Definitions and Scope

In this arrangement, unless the context otherwise requires:
Accreditation refers to quality assurance of Graduate Architects by the respective national authorized bodies.
Architect refers to a natural person who holds the nationality of an ASEAN Member Country and has been assessed by a Professional Regulatory Authority (PRA) of any participating ASEAN Member Country as being technically, morally, and legally qualified to undertake professional practice of architecture and is registered and licensed for such practice by the Professional Regulatory Authority (PRA). ASEAN Member Countries may have different nomenclatures and requirements for this term.

Architectural Services refers to the activities covered under Central Product Classification (hereinafter referred to as “CPC”) 8671 of the Provisional CPC of the United Nations.
Assessment refers to particular processes for reporting or comparison of achievement against criteria, standards, or a benchmark. Benchmark refers to an agreed level by which others can be measured.
Certification refers to the issuance of a certificate or license to those who have met specified requirements for registration. Country of Origin refers to the ASEAN Member Country where the architect has an existing license to practice architecture. Criteria or Standards refers to a specification of qualities required to be met.

Graduate Architect refers to a natural person who holds the nationality of an ASEAN Member Country and has satisfactorily completed an architectural program that is assessed as meeting required criteria in architecture determined by a recognized professional architecture body or state authority.