AWS certification changes 2026: every new version, rename and retirement

AWS certification changes in 2026 at a glance

The AWS certification changes in 2026 touch almost every level of the path. We checked each one against the official AWS exam guide list and certification pages on November 7, 2026. The key table below gives the timeline. The pattern is clear: AWS is folding AI into existing exams and adding new AI-specific ones.

Two things have not changed. Cloud Practitioner is still CLF-C02 and Solutions Architect - Associate is still SAA-C03. Neither has a version note on the AWS exam guide list, and AWS has not announced a successor for either. Treat claims about an SAA-C04 or CLF-C03 as rumour until they appear on that list.

Solutions Architect - Professional: SAP-C03

The last day to take SAP-C02 is November 16, 2026, and SAP-C03 is in use from November 17, 2026. Registration for SAP-C03 opened on October 27, 2026. The exam stays at 75 questions (65 scored, 10 unscored) in 180 minutes, costs USD 300, and needs a scaled score of 720.

The domains are restructured. SAP-C02 had four: Design Solutions for Organizational Complexity (26%), Design for New Solutions (29%), Continuous Improvement for Existing Solutions (25%) and Accelerate Workload Migration and Modernization (20%). SAP-C03 has five: Architecture Design and Implementation Built for the Cloud (25%), Security, Compliance, and Governance (25%), Cost-Optimized Architecture Design (15%), Resilience, Migration, and Business Continuity (15%) and Operational Excellence and Automation (20%).

AWS's comparison page lists the additions. The largest group is AI: generative AI integrations with Amazon Bedrock, AI agent architectures, ML inference, RAG designs, guardrails and human oversight for AI operations. It also adds post-quantum cryptography strategies, IPv6 and dual-stack migration, multi-tenant isolation, and lakehouse designs. IoT services, end user computing and media services drop off the in-scope list.

Developer - Associate: DVA-C03

Registration for DVA-C03 opened on October 27, 2026. The last day to take DVA-C02 is November 30, 2026, and DVA-C03 is in use from December 1, 2026. The format stays at 65 questions (50 scored, 15 unscored) in 130 minutes for USD 150, with a passing score of 720.

The four domains keep similar names but change weight: Development with AWS Services goes from 32% to 30%, Security stays at 26%, Deployment becomes Testing and Deployment and goes from 24% to 22%, and Troubleshooting and Optimization rises from 18% to 22%. The big addition is AI-assisted development: using AI tools to generate, review and test code, using AWS AI tools in CI/CD and troubleshooting, and a new task on securing applications that call AI services. Containers also get more space, with ECR images and ECS, EKS and Fargate deployments.

SysOps Administrator is now CloudOps Engineer

The associate operations exam is now called AWS Certified CloudOps Engineer - Associate, exam code SOA-C03. Its exam guide was first published on September 30, 2025, with revisions on June 1 and October 29, 2026. The exam is 65 questions in 130 minutes for USD 150, with a passing score of 720.

If you hold SysOps Administrator - Associate, AWS says the new name is not applied retroactively, you do not need to take the CloudOps exam, and your certification stays valid for three years from when you earned it. One more date: the Korean and Simplified Chinese versions of SOA-C03 will be retired after November 19, 2026, according to the CloudOps page.

New exams and retirements

• Generative AI Developer - Professional (AIP-C01). A Professional-level exam on building generative AI applications on AWS: RAG, vector stores, prompt engineering, agentic AI, safety and governance. It is 75 questions (65 scored) in 180 minutes for USD 300, with a passing score of 750. AWS recommends two or more years building production applications and one year of hands-on generative AI work.
• AI Business Strategist (AIB-C01), beta. A new Business category exam for people who drive AI outcomes without building solutions. It is 85 questions in 170 minutes, USD 50 at the beta rate (USD 100 standard). AWS offers an Early Adopter badge if you earn it by February 15, 2027.
• Machine Learning Engineer - Associate (MLA-C02), beta. Beta delivery began on September 29, 2026 in English only, at USD 75 for 85 questions in 170 minutes. The last day for MLA-C01 in English was September 28, 2026. MLA-C01 stays available in Japanese, Korean and Simplified Chinese until MLA-C02 reaches general availability, which AWS has not dated.
• Advanced Networking - Specialty (ANS-C01) retires. The last day to take it is December 31, 2026. Certifications earned before then stay active for the standard three years, but no new ones will be issued after retirement. AWS does not name a replacement certification.

What it means for you

• Booked on SAP-C02 or DVA-C02 and nearly ready: sit it before November 16 or November 30, 2026. There is no time for a retake on the old version, so if you are not confident, move to the new exam guide now.
• Starting Developer or Solutions Architect - Professional: study the C03 exam guides only. Older materials miss the AI and container content.
• Planning Advanced Networking: you have until December 31, 2026. After that the credential cannot be earned.
• New to AWS: nothing changes for you. Cloud Practitioner and Solutions Architect - Associate are still the usual first steps.
• Already certified: your certification stays valid for its three years. When you recertify, you take the current version.

For the full path by role, read our AWS certification path. If you are starting out, our Cloud Practitioner study guide has a study plan, and you can test yourself with our free AWS practice test.