My child needs ABA and we don't live in the United States
You searched for a BCBA near you and found none.
The board behind that credential now takes new applications from three countries, and it has been removing others. So in most of the world, a search that comes back empty is telling you where one American board files paperwork. It is not telling you who is qualified near your child.
This page has the rules as they stand, what their absence does and does not mean, and how to check any practitioner yourself. Every fact has its source beside it, so you never have to take our word.
1. The BACB now certifies in three countries, and soon two
The Behavior Analyst Certification Board is the body behind the BCBA, BCaBA and RBT credentials. All three of its handbooks, revised 06/2026, carry the same sentence: “The BACB currently accepts certification applications from individuals who reside in the following countries”, followed by a short list.
Where new applications are accepted
- United States — open.
- Canada — open, except Ontario, whose residents can no longer apply.
- Australia — open until 1 January 2027, after which residents of Australia will no longer be able to apply.
- Everywhere else — closed to new applicants. The United Kingdom was removed in the 1/2/2026 handbook revision.
We wrote the practitioner's version of this, for anyone who wanted to become a BCBA themselves, at BACB certification outside the US. This page is about your child.
What this does not mean
It does not mean the therapy is unavailable to you, that practitioners near you are unqualified, or that anyone already certified loses their certification. A jurisdiction rule is a statement about where a board accepts paperwork. It is not a judgment about the people in your country.
2. BCBA is a credential, not the name of the therapy
This is the single most useful thing to know, and it is buried everywhere. Applied behavior analysis is a field. BCBA is one American board's certificate that someone has met its requirements in that field. Where that board does not operate, the field still does: under local qualifications, university programs, health-professional registration, or one of the other credentialing bodies below.
So when a directory near you returns no BCBAs, the right next question is not “is there anyone qualified here?” It is “qualified how, and where can I check it?”
3. The other two bodies, by their own names
Two other organizations certify behavior-analytic practitioners internationally and publish registries anyone can search. We are naming them because they exist and you may meet their credentials; naming a body is not endorsing it, and none of them is a substitute for your own country's health regulator.
Credentialing bodies and the credentials they issue
- Behavior Analyst Certification Board (BACB) — BCBA-D, BCBA, BCaBA, RBT. Registry: bacb.com/verify-certification
- Qualified Applied Behavior Analysis Credentialing Board (QABA) — QBA, QASP-S, ABAT. Registry: qababoard.net/registry
- International Behavior Analysis Organization (IBAO) — IBA (International Behavior Analyst), IBT (International Behavior Therapist). Registry: theibao.com/directory-of-certifications
A note on one of those names, because we got it wrong ourselves and corrected it: IBAO's technician-tier credential is International Behavior Therapist. If a provider writes it as “Technician”, that is a copying error somewhere upstream rather than a different qualification.
4. How to check anyone, anywhere
Ask for three things, then check them yourself
- The full name of the qualification and the body that issued it, not just “she's certified”.
- The certificate or registration number.
- If the person delivering sessions is a technician-level practitioner, who supervises them, and how often.
Then look the number up in that body's own registry, above. A registry entry shows status and expiry; a printed certificate, a business card and a title on a website show none of those things. If a name or number does not appear, ask the provider to confirm the number and check again, then ask the body directly.
If there is no registry to check
Some countries regulate this work under psychology, education or allied health instead of a behavior-analysis board, and some do not regulate it at all. Where there is no registry, ask your national or regional health regulator whether the person's qualification is one it recognises, and ask the provider for the training's syllabus and hours in writing. An unverifiable qualification is not automatically a bad one, but you should know which of the two situations you are in.
5. A course certificate is not a credential
Training companies issue certificates of completion, including this one. They record that someone finished a course. They are not credentials, they are not licenses, and they cannot be looked up in a credentialing body's registry. If a provider's only evidence of qualification is a certificate from a training company, you have been shown attendance, not competence, and it is fair to ask what else there is.
Questions people ask
There are no BCBAs where I live. Does that mean my child cannot get ABA?
No. BCBA is one board's credential, not the name of the therapy. The BACB accepts new certification applications from residents of only three countries, so in most of the world the absence of a BCBA tells you about the board's jurisdiction, not about the practitioners near you. Ask what qualification the person does hold, and in which public registry you can check it.
Which countries can still apply for BACB certification?
Per the BACB's own RBT, BCaBA and BCBA handbooks revised 06/2026: the United States, Canada and Australia. Ontario residents can no longer apply. Residents of Australia will no longer be able to apply as of 1 January 2027. The United Kingdom was removed in the 1/2/2026 handbook revision.
What credentials exist outside the BACB?
Two other bodies certify behavior-analytic practitioners and publish public registries. The QABA Credentialing Board issues ABAT, QASP-S and QBA. The International Behavior Analysis Organization issues IBA and IBT. Naming a credential is not the same as endorsing it. Check the person in the issuing body's own registry.
How do I check a practitioner if my country has no registry at all?
Ask three things and expect all three: the qualification's full name and the body that issued it, the certificate or registration number, and who supervises the person delivering sessions. Then look the number up in that body's registry. If the qualification comes from a university or a training company rather than a credentialing body, it is a course completion, not a credential, and it cannot be verified in a registry.
Is a certificate from a training course the same as being certified?
No. A certificate of completion records that someone finished a course. A credential is issued by a credentialing body after its own requirements are met and can be verified by anyone in that body's public registry. Special Learning issues course certificates; we are not a credentialing body, and no course certificate from us or anyone else is a license to practice.
Does my child's therapist need a license as well?
That depends on your country or region, not on the credential. Certification comes from a private board; a license comes from a government. Some jurisdictions license behavior analysts, many do not, and some regulate the work under psychology or allied-health rules instead. Ask your national or regional health regulator, not the certifying board.
Sources — read them yourself
- BACB — Verify BACB Certification
- BACB — RBT, BCaBA and BCBA Handbooks (jurisdiction section, page 1), revision 06/2026
- QABA Credentialing Board — Certificant Registry
- IBAO — Directory of Certifications
- Special Learning — BACB certification outside the US (the practitioner's version of this page)
Facts on this page were checked against the primary sources named above on 13 September 2026. Board rules and jurisdiction lists change without notice. If a source and this page ever disagree, the source wins. And please tell us, so we fix the page.
General educational information — not legal, medical or clinical advice, and not a substitute for reading a board's own pages or asking your country's health regulator. Special Learning is an education company. We are not a law firm, not a credentialing body, and not a licensing authority in any country.