Licensing & Applications Forms

A professional license in New Mexico allows engineers and surveyors to legally represent themselves to the public as engineers and surveyors. Licensees can offer consulting engineering or surveying services to private and public entities. Engineers can perform engineering design or construction on private and public works. Licensed engineers and surveyors are required to adhere to a code of professional conduct established by the Board.

Individuals may become licensed if they possess an approved four-year degree in the profession, have completed at least a four-year internship and have passed the required fundamentals (8 hr.) and the principles and practices (8 hr.) examinations. Engineers and surveyors licensed in other states may apply for licensure by comity or endorsement. However, additional examination(s), internship or education may be required to meet current licensing requirements in New Mexico if the initial out-of-state license is determined not to have been issued under equal or exceeding requirements as New Mexico had at the time of initial licensure.

Additional information is found in the New Mexico Engineering and Surveying Practice Act and Rules and Regulations/Administrative Code. You may also contact the Board office at (505) 827-7561.

APPLICATIONS

Fees

Please refer to our fee schedule for a breakdown of application, examination, and license renewal fees. Note that all information is current as of June 30, 2009.

Instructions

The following are the instructions and all application forms an applicant will need when preparing an application submittal. Each file is in a MS Word format and a PDF format. Documents to be completed by the applicant are in MS Word protected format. The protected format will allow you to complete the form using a computer while not changing the format. All applications must be typewritten. The completed forms can then be printed in black ink on white paper and sent to the Board office for processing. We advise that applicants read all information, form instructions, documents, appropriate statutes (New Mexico Engineering and Surveying Practice Act), and rules (NM Administrative Code) carefully in order to prepare an application submittal properly and hence avoid any delay in processing.

Reference to Statutory Requirements

Requirements for certification as an engineer intern are found in the New Mexico Engineering & Surveying Practice Act, Section 61-23-14. Requirements for a professional engineer license are found under Section 61-23-14.1. Applicants by comity/endorsement, please also refer to the New Mexico Administrative Code, Title 16, Chapter 39, Part 3, Section 13 Endorsements. Requirements for certification as a surveyor intern are found under Section 61-23-27.3 of the Act. Licensing requirements for a professional surveyor license are under Section 61-23-27.4.

• Summary Chart of Professional Surveying Licensing Requirements

Application Deadlines

Applications are accepted by the Board throughout the year. If applicants wish to have their applications considered by the board at a particular meeting, please refer to the Board Meeting Schedule page. If an applicant wishes to be considered for a particular exam date, please refer to the examination schedule and application deadlines. The last meeting to approve applications for the April exam is usually scheduled in February. The last meeting to approve applications for the October exam is usually scheduled in August. Please note that the PE Group II discipline exams (agricultural, industrial, mining/mineral, nuclear, petroleum, metallurgical & fire protection) are only offered in October. The PE Group I discipline exams (civil, chemical, electrical, environmental, mechanical, structural I & structural II) are offered both in April and in October.

All documentation pertinent to an application must be in the board office by the deadline before it is considered a complete application. Only complete application files with original documentation will be scheduled for Board review. Please ensure plenty of lead time for processing of the application. Also, keep close contact with the Board's office, references, schools, and other states to ensure all documentation is received prior to the appropriate deadline.

Application and Other Forms

There are separate application forms for the following licenses and certifications: Professional Engineer, Professional Surveyor. Engineer Intern (Senior Status) and Surveyor Intern (Senior Status). Graduate engineers and surveyors applying to sit for the Fundamentals of Engineering or Fundamentals of Surveying shall use the professional engineer or professional surveyor application form and identify on the form that the exam being applied for is the intern exam. Graduates must have on file with the Board office an official transcript posting the degree to obtain eligibility to sit for an examination or to become a certified intern. Engineering and surveying applications are processed and reviewed independently of each other by the appropriate standing committee of the board. An application must be in the Board office before any other documentation is received. Supporting documents will be purged if the Board office does not have an application on file.

• Application/Documentation Required to Sit for the NCEES Fundamentals of Engineering (FE) Examination and for Certification as an Engineer Intern
  
  
• Application/Documentation Required to Sit for the NCEES Fundamentals of Land Surveying (FLS) Examination and for Certification as a Surveyor Intern
  
  
• Application/Documentation Required for License as a Professional Engineer
  
  
• Application/Documentation Required for License as a Professional Surveyor
  
  
• Reinstatement of a Lapsed PE License
  
  
• Reinstatement of a Lapsed PS License
  
  
• Application for Additional Engineering Discipline
  
  

Attention Applicants With Foreign Degrees and/or Foreign Licenses

To determine equivalency to credentials received in the United States, the Board requires the additional information/documentation from applicants with foreign degrees and/or foreign licenses:

• Education Evaluation
  
  
  • Every applicant/candidate must provide the Board with an official transcript sent directly from the institution to the Board office.
  • If a foreign educated applicant cannot provide an original transcript sent from the institution because of political sanctions this must be documented by submittal of a notarized statement from the applicant and certified, true copies of the applicants' undergraduate transcripts.
  • All individuals not educated in the United States must have their education evaluated through the Center for Professional Engineering Education Services at http://www.cpees.org or by email at centersupport@ncees.org
  • If you were educated in Australia, Canada, Ireland, New Zealand, or the United Kingdom please contact the Board office.
    
    
• English Proficiency
  
  
  • An applicant with foreign registration or education requesting registration by reciprocity or exam shall show proficiency in the English language. An applicant who is from a non-English speaking country or a country wherein the primary language is other than English must submit a TOEFL certificate with the minimum score of 575 and a TSE certificate.
    
    
• Experience Requirement
  
  
  • Applicants educated outside of the United States who wish to become registered in the State of New Mexico must have four (4) years of acceptable engineering experience gained in the United States and under the direction of a registered engineer who will attest to his/her ability and knowledge as a competent engineer.

Summary

Once an application file is complete and approved by the Board, and eligibility to sit for an examination has been established, the applicant will be notified of the required examination fee, the dates and locations of the examination(s). The Board office will keep in close contact with the applicant throughout the examination process. If the application was for licensure by comity, you will be notified of the required initial licensing fee. A license number will be issued. The license number will determine when the license will need to be renewed. All even number licenses must be renewed in even number years and all odd number licenses will need to be renewed in odd number years. This places all licenses in a staggered biennial renewal cycle. It is the responsibility of the licensee to notify the board of any changes of address and to maintain the license current.

If an applicant prefers that the Board office mail a complete application packet that includes all required forms and documents (verification of licensure and reference forms, instructions on filing, copies of the NM statutes and NM Administrative Code, etc.), the applicant needs to submit the following to the Board office:

• A $10.00 check payable to the Board of Licensure for PE & PS
• A completed Application Packet Request [PDF] [MS Word]

Upon receipt of the above, an application packet will be mailed.