How to renew your ACLS card
AHA ACLS cards are valid two years and expire at the end of the issuing month. Renew before expiration with the ACLS Update Course or HeartCode ACLS plus a hands-on skills session — both require a passing precourse self-assessment, and training centers expect a current BLS card. An expired card means the longer, pricier full provider course.
- Cycle
- 2 years — expires at the end of the issuing month
- Renewal formats
- ACLS Update Course, or HeartCode ACLS online + in-person skills session
- Prerequisites
- Unexpired ACLS card for the Update Course · precourse self-assessment · current BLS expected
- Cost
- No board fee — set by the training center; full course costs more than the update
- Expired
- Full provider course; no reliable grace period
- Find a class
- atlas.heart.org
- Claim eCards
- ecards.heart.org
- Check the expiration monthACLS cards expire at the end of the month printed on the card. Confirm in your eCard or your Trust card, not from memory.
- Make sure your BLS is current firstTraining centers routinely expect a current BLS card at ACLS check-in, and the scenarios assume you can run high-quality CPR unprompted. Renew BLS before the ACLS class if both are close.
- Book the Update Course while the card is still validThe ACLS Update (renewal) Course is only available to providers with an unexpired card. Find an AHA training center at atlas.heart.org, or choose HeartCode ACLS online plus a skills session.
- Complete the precourse self-assessment and ECG workThe mandatory precourse self-assessment requires a passing score, and most centers expect ECG rhythm and pharmacology readiness on arrival. This is not optional paperwork.
- Pass the megacode and written examYou must lead a megacode scenario and pass the written exam. Update Courses are shorter but not easier.
- Claim the eCard and store the PDF in TrustClaim at ecards.heart.org so employers can verify it, then save the PDF on-device for credential checks and assignment packets.
Requirements
Two things gate an ACLS renewal: an unexpired ACLS card (Update Course eligibility) and, in practice, a current BLS card at check-in. Miss either and you are booking a full provider course.
The precourse self-assessment is mandatory and scored — you bring the passing result to class. Expect ECG rhythm recognition and pharmacology to be assumed knowledge rather than taught from zero on the day.
HeartCode ACLS is the blended option: online cognitive work, then a hands-on skills session with an AHA instructor. There is no card without the skills session.
Issuer nuance: the American Red Cross Advanced Life Support credential is accepted by some employers as an equivalent and rejected by others. Where an AHA card is specified — including some specialty and pediatric programs — a Red Cross course will not be credited.
How to renew, step by step
- 01Check the expiration monthACLS cards expire at the end of the month printed on the card. Confirm in your eCard or your Trust card, not from memory.
- 02Make sure your BLS is current firstTraining centers routinely expect a current BLS card at ACLS check-in, and the scenarios assume you can run high-quality CPR unprompted. Renew BLS before the ACLS class if both are close.
- 03Book the Update Course while the card is still validThe ACLS Update (renewal) Course is only available to providers with an unexpired card. Find an AHA training center at atlas.heart.org, or choose HeartCode ACLS online plus a skills session.
- 04Complete the precourse self-assessment and ECG workThe mandatory precourse self-assessment requires a passing score, and most centers expect ECG rhythm and pharmacology readiness on arrival. This is not optional paperwork.
- 05Pass the megacode and written examYou must lead a megacode scenario and pass the written exam. Update Courses are shorter but not easier.
- 06Claim the eCard and store the PDF in TrustClaim at ecards.heart.org so employers can verify it, then save the PDF on-device for credential checks and assignment packets.
If you're late
Expired ACLS means the full provider course instead of the Update — a longer day and a higher price, with any exception left to the individual Training Center Coordinator. Do not plan around an exception.
In ACLS-required roles a lapse is also a scheduling problem: many employers pull you off the assignment until the card is current, and full courses fill up further out than update courses do.
Frequently asked questions
- Can I take the ACLS Update Course with an expired card?
- Generally no. Update Course eligibility requires a current card. Some training centers allow a short-window exception at the Training Center Coordinator's discretion, but plan for the full provider course instead of counting on it.
- Do I need a current BLS card for ACLS?
- Most training centers require it at check-in, and the ACLS scenarios assume competent CPR. Treat BLS as the gate on your ACLS renewal.
- Is HeartCode ACLS enough on its own?
- No. HeartCode covers the cognitive portion online; you still complete a hands-on skills session with an AHA instructor to receive the card.
- Does my employer accept a Red Cross ALS card instead?
- Some do, some do not. The Red Cross Advanced Life Support credential is not an AHA ACLS card, and some employers and specialty programs require AHA specifically. Check policy before booking.
- What does ACLS renewal cost?
- There is no board fee — the AHA training center sets the price, and full provider courses cost meaningfully more than an Update Course. Ask the center directly.
Last verified against American Heart Association sources:
Changelog
Every revision to this guide, newest first. Last updated .
- Reviewed and verified requirements, fees, and deadlines against American Heart Association sources.
Trust tracks this renewal for you.
ACLS renewals depend on a card you still have and a BLS card that hasn't lapsed. Trust tracks both clocks, reminds you at 90, 60, 30, and 7 days, and keeps the eCard PDFs on-device.
Keep exploring renewals
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