CSCS cards: which one, how to apply, how to renew
A CSCS card is how a UK site knows you are qualified and safe to let through the gate. We hold them, our crew holds them, and we have renewed more than we can count. This is everything you need, with the official prices, and nothing you have to pay a middleman for.
Prices and rules checked against cscs.uk.com and citb.co.uk on 24 October 2026.
- £36 for a new card, a renewal or a replacement
- CITB HS&E test passed within the last 2 years
- Plus the qualification for the card you want
- Renew from 6 months before the expiry date
- Most cards last 5 years; a first Labourer card 2
- Expired cards show as not valid on Smart Check
What a CSCS card is
Construction Skills Certification Scheme. One card, two proofs: you hold a qualification for your occupation, and you have passed the CITB health and safety test recently.
No law says you need one. Main contractors say you need one, and they own the gate. On a commercial or large residential site in the UK the card is checked on your induction day, and increasingly at the turnstile every morning with CSCS Smart Check. No card, or an expired one, and you are sent home while a job sits waiting. That is why we treat cards as a site tool, like boots.
The card is issued by CSCS Ltd, applied for at cscs.uk.com or in the My CSCS app, and costs £36. The test it depends on, the CITB Health, Safety and Environment test, is run by a different body (CITB) at Pearson VUE centres for £23.50. Two organisations, two payments, one route to site. Several partner schemes carry the CSCS logo for specific trades: ECS for electricians, CPCS for plant, CISRS for scaffolders. If you hold one of those you usually do not need a CSCS card as well.
Which CSCS card for which job
The colour tells the gate what you are. The six you will actually meet on site are below; every other type is in our full card types guide.
| Card | Who it is for | What you need | Lasts |
|---|---|---|---|
| Green Labourer | General labouring only. Not for skilled trades, even while you train. | Level 1 Award in Health and Safety in a Construction Environment (one-day course) + CITB Operatives test | 2 years for a first card, then 5 on renewal with a Labourer declaration from your employer |
| Red Trainee / Apprentice / Experienced Worker | People working towards a qualification, on an apprenticeship, or with experience but no NVQ yet. | Registration on the NVQ/SVQ or apprenticeship + CITB Operatives test. Apprentice card is free. | Temporary (6 months to 5 years by type). Cannot be renewed; you move to a skilled card. |
| Blue Skilled Worker | Qualified tradespeople: bricklayers, carpenters, plasterers, dryliners, groundworkers and most others. | NVQ/SVQ Level 2 in your occupation + CITB Operatives test | 5 years |
| Gold Advanced Craft | Tradespeople qualified to the higher level. | NVQ/SVQ Level 3 in your occupation + CITB Operatives test | 5 years |
| Gold Supervisor | Supervisors, gangers, chargehands running others. | Supervisory NVQ/SVQ Level 3 or 4 + CITB Specialist Supervisory test | 5 years |
| Black Manager | Site, project and construction managers. | Construction management NVQ/SVQ Level 5 to 7 + CITB Managers & Professionals test | 5 years |
White cards (Academically or Professionally Qualified Person) are for degree holders and members of professional bodies. Electricians use the JIB ECS card rather than CSCS: see ECS cards. Plant operators use CPCS: see CPCS cards. Scaffolders use CISRS: see CISRS cards. CSCS's own card finder at cscs.uk.com confirms the card and the test for any occupation.
How to apply for a CSCS card
Test first, qualification second, application third. Done yourself, online, for £36.
- Pass the right CITB Health, Safety and Environment test
Book it directly for £23.50 on the Pearson VUE CITB site. Operatives for green, red, blue and gold craft cards; Specialist Supervisory for the gold Supervisor card; Managers & Professionals for black and white. Keep the score report: the test ID on it goes on your application. It must be within 2 years when you apply. Full guide: the CITB test.
- Have your qualification ready
A scan or clear photo of the certificate, or proof you are registered on the NVQ/SVQ or apprenticeship. For a first green Labourer card it is the Level 1 Award in Health and Safety in a Construction Environment, a one-day classroom or online course from a training provider; the CITB test alone is not enough. Step by step for a first card: your first CSCS card.
- Apply at cscs.uk.com or in the My CSCS app, pay £36
Create an account, choose the card, enter the test ID, upload the qualification and your photo, pay by debit or credit card. CSCS says the My CSCS app is the quickest route. Only cscs.uk.com and the My CSCS app are official; every other "CSCS application" website is a reseller adding a fee.
- Use the digital card while the plastic arrives
Once approved, the card appears in the My CSCS app as a digital card with a QR code that Smart Check reads at the gate, so you can start before the plastic one is posted. Keep a photo of the card and the expiry date somewhere you will see it.
CSCS card renewal
Same £36, same two proofs. The job is checking your CITB test before the card runs out.
When to renew
From 6 months before the expiry date printed on the front of the card. We put every card's date in the diary at 6 months and book the test then, because on a 5-year card your last CITB pass is always out of date by renewal time. The order is: test (£23.50), pass, then renew (£36). Leave it to the last fortnight and a failed test or a queried qualification leaves you off site.
How to renew
Open the My CSCS app (or log in at cscs.uk.com), pick the card, choose renew. If your occupation has not changed, your qualification is already on record and you confirm it; CSCS may ask for a copy of the certificate for some occupations. Enter your new test ID, pay £36. Approved renewals show as a digital card in the app straight away. Employers and training providers can renew on behalf of workers through CSCS Online.
Renewing the green Labourer card
Since 1 February 2025 a first Labourer card is issued for 2 years rather than 5. To renew it you need a Labourer card renewal declaration form signed by your employer (or the main contractor if you are self-employed) confirming you work in a labouring role, or a letter on company headed paper. CSCS accepts the Operatives test from your first application for 3 years for this one renewal. The renewed card is then a 5-year card. If you are actually working as a tradesperson, CSCS will query or decline the renewal: you should be on the blue card route with an NVQ.
Who does not need the test again
Nobody, in practice. Every renewal needs a CITB test passed within the last 2 years (3 years for the first Labourer renewal). The only cards that skip the CITB test are the white AQP card, where the CIC Health and Safety Test is an alternative, and cards obtained through a recognised apprenticeship or SOLAS Safe Pass route.
Cards that cannot be renewed
Red cards (Trainee, Apprentice, Experienced Worker, Provisional, Industry Placement) are temporary. When one runs out you apply for the skilled card your qualification now entitles you to, or you have no card. The two-year Trainee card can be replaced by a three-year one if you are registered on an NVQ or SVQ.
Changed trade or gained a qualification?
Apply for the new card rather than renewing the old one, for example blue to gold once the Level 3 is signed off. Same £36, same test rule.
Glasgow, Manchester, Birmingham, London: there is no local CSCS office to visit and no regional price. The renewal is the same online application wherever you are, and CITB test centres in every city charge the same £23.50. Anyone offering a "Glasgow CSCS renewal service" is filling in the same form for a fee.
CSCS card expired: what happens and what to do
On site, an expired card is no card. With CSCS, you can still renew it for a while.
What happens at the gate
Smart Check reads the chip or QR code and shows an expired card as not valid. Most main contractors will not induct you or let you through the turnstile on an expired card, whatever the reason. Some will accept the digital card in the My CSCS app showing an approved renewal; none will accept "it is in the post" without it. For a self-employed worker that is a lost day's pay; for a firm it is a gap in the gang. We have seen both.
Can you still renew?
Yes, for a period after the printed date. CSCS's renewal page says cards can be renewed up to a year after expiry; its help centre still says six months. Treat the printed date as the deadline and anything after as luck. The renewal needs a CITB test within the last 2 years, so if that has lapsed too you book the test first (£23.50), then renew (£36). Beyond CSCS's window you apply as a new applicant and must meet today's requirements for the card, which for a Labourer card means the Level 1 Award if you never had it.
Fastest route back on site
- Book the CITB test today
Slots at Pearson centres usually come up within days. £23.50. How to book.
- Renew in the My CSCS app the same day you pass
£36, test ID from the score report, qualification already on record.
- Show the digital card
It appears in the app once approved and Smart Check reads its QR code. Plastic follows in the post.
Full detail, including lost cards and finding your card number: CSCS card expired or lost.
Checking a card, and replacing a lost one
CSCS Smart Check
CSCS Smart Check is the app (iOS and Android) and website, cscssmartcheck.co.uk, that checks a card against CSCS's database. Tap a contactless card on the phone, scan the dynamic QR code on a digital card in the My CSCS app, or type the surname and registration number on the website. It covers CSCS cards and the partner schemes carrying the CSCS logo. It shows whether the card is valid; expired cards show as not valid. Sites use it at induction; we use it before a new starter's first day so there are no surprises at the gate.
Lost, stolen or broken card
Log in to the My CSCS app or cscs.uk.com, open your cards, choose replace. It costs £36 and the replacement keeps the original expiry date, so do not expect a fresh 5 years. The digital card in the app keeps working while you wait. If you cannot get into your account, the CSCS contact centre is on 0344 994 4777.
Card in date? Put yourself where firms can find you.
The crew list is free and takes a minute. Firms needing your trade text you when they have work. No account, no agency cut.
Every CSCS, ECS and CPCS card with a photo, alerts 30 and 7 days before it expires, and a verified ID pass per worker, so nobody is turned away at the gate. Free for the first three months.
More for workers
CSCS card questions people ask us
How much does a CSCS card cost?
£36 for a new card, a renewal or a replacement, paid to CSCS at cscs.uk.com or in the My CSCS app. The Apprentice card is free. The CITB Health, Safety and Environment test you need first is a separate £23.50 paid to CITB. Any site charging more is adding its own fee to the same form.
What do I need to get a CSCS card?
Two things: a pass in the right CITB Health, Safety and Environment test within the last 2 years, and the qualification for the card you want (or proof you are registered on it). For a first green Labourer card the qualification is the one-day Level 1 Award in Health and Safety in a Construction Environment; for a blue Skilled Worker card it is an NVQ or SVQ Level 2 in your trade. Then the £36 application.
How do I renew my CSCS card?
In the My CSCS app or at cscs.uk.com: log in, choose the card, select renew, confirm your qualification is unchanged, pay £36. You need a CITB HS&E test passed within the last 2 years, so check that first. You can renew from 6 months before the expiry date printed on the card.
What happens if my CSCS card has expired?
On site, Smart Check shows an expired card as not valid and most main contractors will not let you through the gate until a renewal is approved. CSCS still lets you renew after the printed date (its renewal page says up to a year after; its help centre says six months), as long as your CITB test is in date. Leave it longer and you apply as new. Renew before the date; the digital card in the My CSCS app appears as soon as the application is approved.
How long does a CSCS card last?
Most cards (blue, gold, black, white) last 5 years. Since 1 February 2025 a first green Labourer card lasts 2 years; renew it with a Labourer declaration from your employer and the next one is a 5-year card. Red cards (Trainee, Apprentice, Experienced Worker, Provisional) are temporary and cannot be renewed.
Do I need to redo the CITB test to renew my CSCS card?
Only if your last pass is more than 2 years old when you apply, which on a 5-year card it always will be. Book it at £23.50, pass, then renew. The exception is the first 2-year Labourer card, where CSCS accepts the original test for 3 years.
How do I check if a CSCS card is valid?
With CSCS Smart Check, the app and website from CSCS. Tap a contactless card on the phone, scan the QR code on a digital card, or enter the surname and registration number on the website. It shows whether the card is valid; expired cards show as not valid.
I have lost my CSCS card. What do I do?
Log in to the My CSCS app, open your cards and choose replace. It costs £36 and the replacement keeps the same expiry date. The digital card in the app still works at the gate in the meantime.
Is CSCS card renewal different in Glasgow, Manchester or London?
No. CSCS is one scheme for the whole UK, the application is online wherever you live, the fee is £36 everywhere, and CITB test centres in every region charge the same £23.50. In Scotland the qualifications are SVQs rather than NVQs; the cards are the same.
Do I need a CSCS card by law?
No law requires one. Main contractors require it as a condition of entry, and almost every commercial and large residential site checks cards at the gate. In practice you will not get on most sites without one.
Sources: cscs.uk.com (applying for cards, renew or replace a card, Labourer card, test FAQ, Smart Check support), CSCS help centre, and citb.co.uk (HS&E test pages and booking terms), all read on 24 October 2026. Graftum is not affiliated with CSCS or CITB. Check the official sites for today's prices before you pay.
Card sorted. Now get the work.
Put yourself on the crew list, free, and firms needing your trade text you when they have a job. Need the test first? Practise free in your language.
