Transitioning From NSE 4, 5 and 6 to the FCP Certifications

The FCP tracks are Network Security, Public Cloud Security, and Security Operations. 

There is one FCP certification for each track. All three FCP certifications require two proctored exams. 

On October 1, 2023, you will automatically receive any of these certifications, if you qualify under one of the following conditions:

If you hold a valid NSE 7 or 8 certification on October 1, 2023

Expiration date of the FCP certification will be the expiration date of the NSE 8 certificate.

Expiration date of the FCP certification will be the expiration date of the NSE 7 (same track) certificate.

If you do not hold a valid NSE 7 or 8 certification

The expiration date for your FCP certifications will be defined using the following process: 

The process will:

1. Identify the first time after October 1, 2021, that you completed one of the required exams.
2. Check if you completed any of the additional required exams no more than 2 years ago from the date of the exam you identified in step 1.

If you meet both requirements, the process will award you the certification, with the following considerations:

• The issue date of the awarded certification is set to the date of the second exam.
• The expiration date of the awarded certification is set to two years after the issue date.

After that, the process will continue moving forward in time, using the same logic, to identify if you have met the two requirements again by completing two different exams. If the process finds that you meet these requirements, the process will extend the expiration date of your certification by two years from the date you passed the second exam.

Additionally, according to the new recertification policies, if you pass any FCSS exam in the same track, after you achieve an FCP certification, the process will extend the expiration date of your FCP certification by two years from the date you passed the FCSS exam.

Likewise, if you achieved or renewed your NSE 8 certification after achieving an FCP or FCSS certification, the process will update the expiration date of your FCP certification to match the expiration date of your NSE 8 certification.

The process will continue to check your exams until October 1, 2023.

How the process works - Examples

The cases detailed in the following examples show how the process works in potential “real-life” scenarios:

Case 1:

Between October 1, 2019 and October 1, 2023, you completed the following exams:

• NSE 4 FortiOS, on December 2, 2020
• NSE 6 Secure Wireless LAN, on November 15, 2022

On October 1, 2023, you will receive the FCP in Network Security certification, with an issue date of November 15, 2022 and an expiration date of November 15, 2024.  

Case 2:

Between October 1, 2019 and October 1, 2023, you completed the following exams:

• NSE 4 FortiOS, on December 10, 2019
• NSE 6 Secure Wireless LAN, on March 20, 2023

You will not receive the FCP in Network Security certification because you took both exams more than 2 years apart, you are not NSE 8 certified, and you did not pass any NSE 7 exam in the same track. However, the NSE 6 Secure Wireless LAN exam that you passed can be considered for the FCP in Network Security certification in the future. According to the program requirements, you can complete the NSE 4 FortiOS exam before March 20, 2025, to achieve this certification.

Case 3:

Between October 1, 2019 and October 1, 2023, you completed the following exams:

• NSE 4 FortiOS, on December 2, 2019
• NSE 5 FortiManager, on November 15, 2021
• NSE 4 FortiOS, on October 2, 2022
• NSE 6 Secure Wireless LAN, on April 10, 2023

On October 1, 2023, you will receive the FCP in Network Security certification, with an issue date of November 15, 2021 and an expiration date of April 10, 2025.

Case 4:

Between October 1, 2019 and October 1, 2023, you completed the following exams:

• NSE 5 FortiManager, on December 7, 2021
• NSE 4 FortiOS, on February 17, 2023
• NSE 6 Secure Wireless LAN, on July 19, 2023

On October 1, 2023, you will receive the FCP in Network Security certification, with an issue date of February 17, 2023 and an expiration date of February 17, 2025. 

Additionally, the NSE 6 Secure Wireless LAN exam counts toward renewing or re-earning this certification until July 19, 2025. So, to renew your FCP in Network Security certification, you need to complete only the additional requirement, the NSE 4 FortiOS exam, before February 17, 2025. 

After February 17, 2025, your FCP in Network Security certification will expire, but you will be able to re-earn it by passing the additional requirement, the NSE 4 FortiOS exam, before July 19, 2025.

Case 5:

Before October 1, 2023, you completed the following exams:

• NSE 4 FortiOS exam, on December 23, 2018
• NSE 5 FortiClient EMS exam, on May 23, 2019 
• NSE 5 FortiSIEM exam, on September 15, 2020 
• NSE 7 Enterprise Firewall exam, on March 27, 2023

On October 1, 2023, you will receive the FCP in Network Security certification. Although your NSE 4 and NSE 5 FortiClient EMS exams are older than two years, they still count toward the FCP in Network Security certification. The reason is that you hold a valid NSE 7 certification on October 1, 2023, and you completed an NSE 7 exam in the same track (Network Security)

The expiration date of your FCP in Network Security certification will be March 27, 2025, two years from the date you passed your last NSE 7 exam.

Your NSE 6 FortiSIEM exam will not count toward a FCP in Security Operations because it is more than 2 years old and you have not completed the NSE 7 exam in the Security Operations track.

Case 6:

Before October 1, 2023, you completed the following exams:

• NSE 4 FortiOS exam, on December 23, 2018
• NSE 5 FortiClient EMS exam, on May 23, 2019
• NSE 7 Enterprise Firewall exam, on January 10, 2021
• NSE 7 OT Security exam, on March 27, 2023

On October 1, 2023, you will receive the FCP in Network Security certification. Although your NSE 4 and NSE 5 FortiClient EMS exams are older than two years, they still count toward the FCP in Network Security certification. The reason is that you hold a valid NSE 7 certification on October 1, 2023, and you completed an NSE 7 exam in the same track (Network Security) anytime in the past.

The expiration date of your FCP in Network Security certification will be March 27, 2025, two years from the date you passed your last NSE 7 exam.

Additionally, you will receive the FCSS in OT Security certification, with the same expiration date of March 27, 2025.