The British Institute of Recruiters
The British Institute of Recruiters (BIOR) is a professional body for UK recruitment, founded in 2011. Membership includes the certification assessment. Pass it and you are certified for five years, and anyone can check that at ior.org/verify.
What BIOR does
BIOR sets a standard for recruiters and recruitment businesses, the BIOR Code of Professional and Ethical Conduct, and tests its members against current UK recruitment law and the Code through the certification assessment. A member who passes is certified for five years and is listed in the public directory of members, with a verification page of their own. Members receive the weekly Member Briefing on what has changed in employment law and what it means for their desk. The Employment Rights Hub is free to read and is reviewed every week against government sources.
Membership
For recruitment agencies. Agency Membership covers the business and everyone who works in it, and includes the company certification assessment. Agency Members also get the resource library, Ask BIOR and the Split-Fee Network.
For recruiters. Personal Membership is in your own name, as a Member (MBIOR) or a Fellow (FBIOR), and includes the personal certification assessment.
For in-house recruiters. STAR is the membership and certification for people who recruit for their own employer.
The full description of the Institute is at Who we are. The facts in one place (the company number, the registered office, what BIOR is and what it is not) are at About BIOR, at a glance.
Questions people ask
What does the British Institute of Recruiters do?
It sets a standard for recruiters through its Code, tests members against UK recruitment law and the Code in a certification assessment, keeps a public directory and a verification page for every member, and publishes weekly guidance on employment law. It is a professional body. It does not regulate recruitment, which is the job of the Fair Work Agency.
Who can join BIOR?
Recruitment agencies and employment businesses in the UK, through Agency Membership. Individual recruiters, through Personal Membership. In-house recruiters, through STAR. Every membership includes the certification assessment.
What does BIOR certified mean?
The member has passed the BIOR certification assessment, which tests current UK recruitment law and the BIOR Code, and holds a current membership. Certification lasts five years, then the assessment is taken again. The verification page at ior.org/verify shows whether a credential is active and its dates.
Do agencies have to belong to BIOR?
No. Membership is voluntary. UK recruitment law applies to every agency and employment business whether or not it belongs to a professional body, and the Fair Work Agency enforces it. Members join for the standard, the assessment, the public record and the weekly guidance.
Is BIOR a chartered body?
No. BIOR is not a chartered body, has never described itself as one, and is not pursuing chartered status at this time. It is a company limited by guarantee, registered in England and Wales, number 07575583.
Written by The BIOR Membership Team. Last reviewed 28 September 2026.