Last updated: August 31st, 2026
California contractor license applicants can use qualifying construction experience obtained outside California—and, in appropriate circumstances, outside the United States—to satisfy CSLB’s experience requirement.
However, applicants relying on out-of-state or international experience should expect CSLB to look closely at how that experience is documented and verified.
The key is understanding the current Certification of Work Experience requirements and being prepared to provide supporting documentation when CSLB requests it.
Yes.
CSLB does not limit qualifying contractor experience to work performed in California.
An applicant may potentially use qualifying experience obtained:
In another state
For an out-of-state contractor
In another country
The experience still has to satisfy the same basic standards that apply to California experience.
The qualifying individual generally needs at least four years of qualifying journey-level or higher experience within the previous 10 years in the classification being requested.
The experience must also be verifiable.
The person certifying your experience must be a qualified and responsible individual who has direct knowledge of the work you performed during the period being claimed.
CSLB’s current Certification of Work Experience instructions define direct knowledge as personal knowledge that does not depend on hearsay or information obtained from someone else.
Depending on the circumstances, a certifier may be a:
Employer
Fellow employee
Journeyman
Foreman or supervisor
Contractor
Union representative
Business associate
The important issue is not simply the certifier’s title.
The certifier needs to have personally known and observed enough of your work to accurately certify that you performed qualifying duties at the journey level or higher.
CSLB’s current form separates information about where the experience was gained from information about the person certifying it.
The applicant provides information including:
Business name of the company where the experience was gained
Company’s license number, when applicable
Company’s business street address where the experience was obtained
Dates of the qualifying work
Amount of qualifying full-time or part-time experience
The certifier separately provides:
Their relationship to the applicant
Their current street address
Telephone number
Email address
Certification under penalty of perjury
The certifier must also describe or certify the applicant’s qualifying work duties.
This distinction matters for international applicants.
A certifier moving after the work was performed does not by itself mean that the underlying experience is invalid.
The current CSLB Certification of Work Experience form separately asks for:
The business address where the experience was gained, and
The certifier’s current address
So, for example, an applicant may have performed qualifying work for a company in Europe while the supervisor who personally observed that work now lives somewhere else.
The application should accurately report:
The company and location where the work was performed
The certifier’s current contact information
The qualifying dates and duties
The certifier’s relationship to the applicant
What remains essential is that the certifier actually had direct knowledge of the experience during the period claimed and can be contacted if CSLB decides to verify it.
CSLB staff may contact the certifier or other parties as part of its experience-review process.
Notarization should not be described as a made-up CSLB requirement.
CSLB’s published acceptable supporting-experience documentation specifically recognizes a:
Notarized Certification of Work Experience
For applicable out-of-state or international experience, the certification must be written in English or translated into English.
CSLB may also look for supporting information that helps verify the employer, work history, and duties claimed.
When you’re relying on experience outside California or outside the United States, it is wise to prepare stronger supporting documentation than you might need for easily verified California payroll employment.
CSLB states that experience must be verifiable and may request supporting documentation.
Depending on how your experience was obtained, useful documentation can include:
Examples may include:
W-2-type wage records
Tax documents
Paycheck records
Comparable foreign payroll records
Provide accurate:
Employer name
Address
Phone number
Email address
An employer or supervisor may provide a description of the actual trade duties you performed.
The focus should be on specific duties, not simply job titles or individual project names.
If your experience was obtained while working for a licensed contractor outside California, CSLB may consider documentation showing:
License status
Classification
Personnel of record
For applicable out-of-state or international experience, CSLB recognizes a notarized Certification of Work Experience written in or translated into English.
The current Certification of Work Experience form asks applicants and certifiers to document the specific trade duties performed or supervised in the classification being requested.
Do not rely on vague descriptions such as:
“Construction work”
“Worked on houses”
“Managed projects”
“General contractor duties”
Instead, identify the actual duties that demonstrate experience within the classification.
For example, a C-36 Plumbing applicant might document qualifying experience involving:
Installing piping systems
Installing fixtures
Reading plumbing plans
Testing systems
Troubleshooting plumbing systems
Supervising qualifying plumbing work
A B-General applicant should describe duties that demonstrate experience consistent with the B-General scope.
CSLB specifically advises applicants not to list individual project names as the experience description.
The documentation submitted to CSLB needs to be understandable and reviewable by the Board.
For a notarized Certification of Work Experience associated with applicable foreign experience, CSLB’s supporting-document guidance states that it must be:
Written in English, or
Translated into English
Other foreign-language records may also need appropriate translation or evaluation depending on the type of document.
Don’t assume that CSLB staff will translate foreign-language employment or licensing documents on your behalf.
CSLB reviews applications and can request additional information when experience is unclear or cannot be readily verified.
If that happens, respond directly to what CSLB is requesting.
Possible issues may include:
Incomplete employer information
Difficulty contacting the certifier
Unclear duties
Missing dates
Insufficient evidence of journey-level experience
Foreign-language records
Questions regarding an overseas employer
Lack of supporting payroll or licensing information
A request for additional documentation does not necessarily mean CSLB has rejected the experience.
It means CSLB needs enough information to determine whether the claimed experience satisfies its licensing requirements.
One of the most important practical considerations is making sure the person certifying your experience can actually be reached.
CSLB may contact the certifier or other parties to verify the experience.
Before submitting your application, confirm that you have accurate:
Current address
Telephone number
Email address
for the certifier.
If the certifier moved from the country where you originally worked together, report the certifier’s current information accurately rather than trying to recreate an old address that is no longer valid.
Potentially, yes.
The experience must satisfy CSLB’s qualifying-experience requirements and be sufficiently documented and verifiable.
CSLB’s acceptable supporting-documentation guidance specifically recognizes a notarized Certification of Work Experience for applicable out-of-state or international experience.
The certification must be written in or translated into English.
CSLB’s current Certification of Work Experience form does not simply treat the certifier’s present address as the location where the work was performed.
The form separately asks for the company’s business address where the experience was gained and the certifier’s current address.
The critical issue is whether the certifier has direct knowledge of the qualifying experience and whether the experience can be verified.
The certifier must have personal knowledge of the work you performed during the period being certified.
Their knowledge cannot be based solely on hearsay or records provided by someone else.
Yes.
CSLB states that experience must be verifiable and may ask for additional supporting documentation.
No.
The Certification of Work Experience should focus on the specific trade duties you performed or supervised, not individual project names.
Out-of-state and international experience can potentially help you qualify for a California contractor license, but applicants should expect that CSLB may require stronger documentation when the experience is harder to verify.
The current rules are best summarized this way:
The certifier must have direct knowledge of your qualifying experience
Experience must be verifiable
The Certification of Work Experience must accurately identify where the experience was gained
The certifier provides their current contact information
CSLB recognizes a notarized Certification of Work Experience written in or translated into English for applicable out-of-state or international experience
A certifier’s later move to another state or country does not, by itself, establish that the original experience is invalid
CSLB may request additional documentation when necessary
If you’re using overseas or out-of-state experience and want to make sure your documentation is prepared correctly before filing, contact Contractors License Guru for assistance.
