How long is CPR and first aid certification valid?

American Heart Association cards

The AHA says its course completion cards "are valid for two years through the end of the month" in which the card was issued (AHA course FAQs). A card issued on March 3, 2026 is good through March 31, 2028. On an eCard, the expiration date appears as a two-digit month and four-digit year (AHA course card information).

A few other AHA details are worth knowing:

• Renewal goes through a Training Center. The AHA directs people to an AHA Training Center to renew (AHA FAQs).
• Cards can take a few weeks. Training Centers must issue cards within 20 business days of course completion (AHA). Plan renewals so the new card arrives before the old one lapses.
• Hands-on skills are required. For courses with psychomotor skills like CPR, students must complete a hands-on skills session to get a card (AHA FAQs).
• The AHA does not call it certification. It says it does not certify people in CPR or first aid. The card shows the course was completed (AHA FAQs).

How to verify an AHA card

Enter the eCard code at heart.org/CPR/mycards or scan the QR code on the eCard (AHA). The eCard site has an employer option that checks up to 20 codes at once. For a paper card, the AHA says to contact the Training Center that issued it.

American Red Cross certificates

Red Cross Adult First Aid/CPR/AED students receive a certificate valid for two years (Red Cross course page). Two points matter for employers:

• Format matters. The Red Cross lists online-only CPR and first aid options with no skills demonstration and warns that the resulting certificate may not meet workplace requirements (Red Cross CPR classes).
• Renew before expiration. Red Cross renewal classes are shortened courses for people whose certification is current but near expiration, and they extend it for two more years (Red Cross renewal classes). Let a certificate lapse and the shorter option may no longer fit.

How to verify a Red Cross certificate

Each digital certificate has a unique certificate ID and a QR code. Employers can enter the ID at the Red Cross digital certificate page or scan the code (Red Cross FAQ). The lookup covers classes taken in the past three years.

What OSHA requires

OSHA's general industry rule is short. Where there is no infirmary, clinic, or hospital in near proximity to the workplace, a person must be adequately trained to render first aid (29 CFR 1910.151(b)). OSHA has long read "near proximity" as emergency care available within three to four minutes in workplaces where serious injuries can occur (OSHA interpretation, 2007).

Some standards are more specific about keeping cards current:

• Construction. Where no medical facility is reasonably accessible, a person with a valid first aid certificate must be available (29 CFR 1926.50(c)).
• Confined space rescue. At least one member of the rescue team or service must hold current certification in first aid and CPR (29 CFR 1910.146(k)(2)(iii)).
• Logging. The employer must make sure each employee's first aid and CPR training remains current (29 CFR 1910.266(i)(7)(ii)).

On online courses, OSHA has said that online training alone would not meet its first aid and CPR training standards, because the physical skills can only be learned by practicing them (OSHA interpretation, 2012).

How often OSHA recommends retraining

OSHA's standards do not set a single interval, but its guidance does recommend one. OSHA's first aid program page says CPR retesting should occur every year and first aid skills should be reviewed every three years (OSHA medical and first aid programs). That is more frequent than the two-year card. If your safety program follows OSHA's recommendation, track the shorter date.

Tracking CPR and first aid cards

• Record the expiration month and year from the card, and treat the last day of that month as the deadline for AHA cards.
• Save the eCard code or certificate ID with the record so you can re-verify it later.
• Set the first reminder 60 to 90 days out. Classes fill, renewal courses expect a current card, and new cards can take up to 20 business days to arrive.
• Check the format. A card from an online-only course may not satisfy OSHA, even if it shows a valid date.