MEMBERSHIP & CERTIFICATION
The British Institute of Recruiters (BIOR) is a professional body for UK recruitment, founded in 2011. Membership and certification are how an agency or a recruiter shows clients, employers and candidates that they work to a published standard, the BIOR Code of Professional and Ethical Conduct, and that their processes have been tested against current UK recruitment law. Every member can be checked at ior.org/verify.
BIOR membership includes the certification assessment. Pass it and you are certified for five years.
The assessment is online, taken from your dashboard, and tests current UK recruitment law and the BIOR Code of Professional & Ethical Conduct. It is kept current as the law changes, including the Fair Work Agency regime in force since April 2026. Pass it and you carry the Certified mark on the public directory and your verification page, and the BIOR Certified logo, for five years. Then you take it again, free.
Agency Membership
For recruitment businesses
Covers the business and everyone who works in it.
Includes the company certification assessment for the business and the personal certification assessment for every recruiter. The business and every recruiter are listed on the directory, with the Certified mark once assessed.
The business also gets- The member resource library
- The Agency Compliance Pack
- The monthly Client Briefing to send to clients
- The quarterly masterclass
- Member (MBIOR) letters for every recruiter
Personal Membership
For recruiters joining in their own name
Member (MBIOR), or Fellow (FBIOR) for senior recruiters.
Includes the personal certification assessment. Pass it and you are a Certified Recruiter for five years.
You get:- Your listing on the directory and your verification page
- Your letters, MBIOR or FBIOR
- The LinkedIn credential in one click
- The weekly Member Briefing
- £120 a year
STAR
For in-house recruiters
For recruiters who hire for the company they work for.
Includes the STAR certification assessment. Pass it and you carry the STAR letters and logo for five years.
You get:- The STAR letters and logo
- Your listing on the directory and your verification page
- The LinkedIn credential in one click
- The weekly Member Briefing
- £120 a year
Questions people ask
What is BIOR certification?
Every BIOR membership includes the certification assessment, taken online from the member's dashboard. It tests an agency's or a recruiter's processes against current UK recruitment law and the BIOR Code of Professional and Ethical Conduct. A pass is certified for five years, shown on the public directory and the member's verification page, then taken again, free.
Which membership is for me?
A recruitment business takes Agency Membership, which covers everyone who works in it. A recruiter joining in their own name takes Personal Membership, as a Member (MBIOR) or a Fellow (FBIOR). An in-house recruiter, hiring for their own employer, takes STAR.
What does it cost?
Personal Membership and STAR are £120 a year. Agency Membership is priced by the turnover of the business and quoted by the team.
Is BIOR membership a legal requirement?
No. Membership of a professional body is voluntary. The Employment Agencies Act 1973 and the Conduct of Employment Agencies and Employment Businesses Regulations 2003 apply to every UK agency regardless, and the Fair Work Agency enforces them. BIOR is a professional body, not a regulator.
How do I check whether an agency or a recruiter is a BIOR member?
Enter the membership number or the name at ior.org/verify. The page shows Active or Lapsed, the credential and the dates; certified entries show the certified mark.
Check a credential in one minute. Every BIOR member and certified business or recruiter has a public verification page. Enter a membership number or a name at ior.org/verify and you get Active or Lapsed, the credential and the dates, or browse the directory of BIOR members and certified members.
Written by The BIOR Membership Team. Last reviewed 28 September 2026.