Need to Recertify?
To maintain your IBCLC certification, you must recertify every 5 years. Your certificate and ID card show the year in which your certification will expire. You may also find this information by searching the IBCLC registry.
If you fail to recertify prior to the date your certification expires, you may not continue to use the designation “IBCLC” or “IBCLC, RLC” after your name. Only currently certified IBCLCs may use these designations.
Ways to Recertify
- If your last method of certification was by exam, you are eligible to recertify by continuing education recognition points (CERPs). However, you may choose to recertify by exam in which case you are not required to document CERPs in order to recertify.
- Ten years after you last passed the certification exam, you must recertify by exam.
Recertification by CERPs requires that you complete 75 hours of continuing education that meets IBLCE’s requirements for IBCLCs. To recertify by CERPs you must have:
- Passed the IBLCE certification exam five years ago
- Earned 75 CERPs in the intervening five years
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Of these 75 CERPs:
- 50 L-CERPs are required
- 5 E-CERPs are required
- the remaining 20 CERPs may be L, E or R-CERPs
Please Note: You may receive credit for education, publications and clinical observation that have not already been approved for CERPs. The Individual Application for CERP Approval Guide provides detailed information about this process.
Another way to obtain CERPs is by submitting questions and photos for use on the IBLCE exam. If you plan to submit questions for use on the IBCLC certification exam, please consult the Item Writing Guide for detailed information.
IBCLCs who have served as mentors for Pathway 2 and Pathway 3 exam candidates may be eligible for CERPs. Please have the Pathway 2 academic program director or Pathway 3 Chief Mentor contact us for details.
Last updated December 9, 2011
