Deadline tool
CWI recertification deadline and route calculator
Quick answer
When is my CWI recertification due, and what is the cheapest way to recertify?
A Certified Welding Inspector certification is valid for 9 years, with renewal applications required at year 3 and year 6. At year 9 you recertify by one of four routes: re-examination, a new endorsement, the Certified Radiographic Interpreter credential, or 80 Professional Development Hours. Enter your certification date below to see all three deadlines and the window in which an endorsement can double as your recert.
Your certification is valid nine years. You file a lighter renewal at year 3 and year 6 (each confirms a current vision test and continued work experience), then fully recertify at year 9. Miss a year-3 or year-6 filing and you can lapse early, which usually forces re-examination.
The four recertification routes
There is no single cheapest route: it depends on whether you already log continuing education, whether you want a new endorsement anyway, and whether radiography is part of your work. Work down these questions in order and stop at the first Yes.
- 80 Professional Development Hours (PDH). Documented continuing education. The non-exam recertification fee is $795 / $1,060 (member / non-member); if you already logged the hours, this is usually the cheapest route.
- New endorsement. Passing a new endorsement exam ($445 / $540) can satisfy recert if taken up to 11 months before expiry. Best value when you wanted the endorsement anyway, since one payment does two jobs.
- Certified Radiographic Interpreter (CRI). Holding the CRI credential satisfies recert. The standalone CRI exam is $1,005 / $1,270; sensible only if radiographic interpretation is useful in your work.
- Re-examination. Recertify by the Part B exam ($1,165 / $1,430) or the nine-year course ($2,130 / $2,395). Usually the most expensive route: choose it only when none of the above applies.
The endorsement route has a timing rule the others do not. An endorsement exam passed within the 11 months before your year-9 expiry doubles as your recertification. Pass it earlier than that and it does not count toward this cycle. The tool above shows your exact window-open date.
Which route is cheapest depends on your situation. See the recertification guide for the full walk-through, the dated cost table for every fee line, the endorsement matrix for the endorsement route, and the credential ladder guide for where the CRI credential sits.