The Claude Partner Network explained: who qualifies, the tiers, and what it costs
This page on the Claude Partner Network covers who should apply, the Registered entry level, the three tiers, the dates a tier moves and what exams cost, with sources.
Short answer
The Claude Partner Network is Anthropic’s free programme for firms that deliver Claude for clients, and the rules Anthropic publishes in pieces fit in one table. A company should meet three conditions to apply, and new applicants start at Registered, with a minimum commitment to 10 certified practitioners. Three tiers follow, at 10, 100 and 1,000 active certified people. Promotions fall on 1 January and 1 July, a firm moves down only at the 31 December review, and exams cost $99 to $175 each.
Cred Farmer is independent and not part of the Claude Partner Network or an Anthropic source. These facts come from the official pages named below, read on 6 November 2026, and Anthropic’s partner team, not this page, decides a firm’s standing.
| Item | What Anthropic publishes | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Joining | Free. A company “should” be a registered business with 10 or more employees, in a supported region, offering services to customers | Application page; July article |
| Registered | Entry level, with a minimum commitment to 10 certified practitioners | Announcement, What’s next |
| Select | At least 10 active certified, 2 joint customers in production in the trailing 12 months, 1 public customer story | Announcement, About the Services Track |
| Preferred | At least 100 active certified, 15 deployed joint customers, 3 public stories | Announcement |
| Global Premier | At least 1,000 active certified, 100 deployed joint customers across three or more regions, 15 public stories, a joint business plan with named executive sponsors | Announcement |
| Exams that count | Claude Certified Developer - Foundations (CCDV-F), Claude Certified Architect - Foundations (CCAR-F), Claude Certified Architect - Professional (CCAR-P). Not Claude Certified Associate - Foundations (CCAO-F) | FAQ, Program overview |
| Exam fees | $99 CCAO-F, $125 CCDV-F, $125 CCAR-F, $175 CCAR-P, before any tier discount | FAQ, Program overview |
| Tier dates | Up on 1 January, 1 July. Down at the 31 December review, narrow exceptions aside | Announcement, What this means for partners |
What the exam codes mean
- CCAO-F
- Claude Certified Associate - Foundations
- CCDV-F
- Claude Certified Developer - Foundations
- CCAR-F
- Claude Certified Architect - Foundations
- CCAR-P
- Claude Certified Architect - Professional
What is the Claude Partner Network, and which businesses is it designed for?
Anthropic’s partner network, launched on 12 March 2026 with an initial $100 million for 2026, is for firms that help enterprises put Claude into production. Today’s application page describes service firms and sends product builders to the Claude API; in March, “Any organization that is bringing Claude to market is eligible”.
Membership opens Anthropic Partner Academy and its exams. If your firm is outside the network, see studying without Partner Network access.
Who qualifies: three conditions and one entry level
A company applying to Anthropic’s partner network should be a registered business with 10 or more employees, operate in a supported region, and offer consulting, implementation or managed services to customers. The application page’s word is “should”, and its readable text does not mention exceptions.
Who may register for an exam has its own guide.
Registered is the entry level
The announcement: new applicants start at Registered, with a minimum commitment to 10 certified practitioners, and “Partnership begins at Select.”
Three tiers at 10, 100 and 1,000 active certified people
Anthropic’s Services Track has three tiers: Select needs at least 10 active certified individuals, Preferred 100 and Global Premier 1,000. Each also needs joint customers in production and public customer stories, and Global Premier adds a joint business plan. The requirements are the same for every firm.
From applying to Global Premier
- 1 Apply Three conditions
- 2 Registered Commit to 10
- 3 Select 10 active
- 4 Preferred 100 active
- 5 Global Premier 1,000 active
Active means holding a current Anthropic certification and having used Claude in the past 90 days, and certifications belong to people, not firms. Three exams include updated content from 7 December 2026, and CCAR-F is not named: see Claude certification changes.
When a firm’s tier moves
A firm’s tier in Anthropic’s Services Track moves on published dates. Promotions are processed on 1 January and 1 July. A firm moves down only at the annual review on 31 December, if it no longer meets its tier’s published requirements, after 90 days’ notice and a chance to close the gap.
The extra review on 1 October 2026 was for “this first year” and has passed. Narrow exceptions sit in a Program Guide that no page read prints. Each firm sees its own standing in the Partner Hub, “refreshed daily”.
What joining costs, and what the exams cost
Joining Anthropic’s partner network costs nothing: its article of 23 July 2026 says “Membership is free.” Exams cost $99 to $175 each. Registered firms pay full price. Select and Preferred get 50% off, and Global Premier 100% off through 31 December 2026, then 50%.
Ten first attempts at $125, the lowest fee that counts, come to $1,250 at full price: Cred Farmer’s arithmetic, not Anthropic’s. No official page Cred Farmer could read sets a revenue commitment or minimum spend, as of 6 November 2026.
Cred Farmer’s partner posts by subject
Cred Farmer’s partner posts are listed by subject below. This page holds the summary, and each row below links the post that owns the detail.
Key takeaways
- Joining Anthropic’s partner network is free. New applicants start at Registered, with a commitment to 10 certified practitioners.
- Anthropic’s Services Track tiers need 10, 100 or 1,000 active certified people. Each also needs joint customers and public stories.
- Three of the four Claude exams count toward a partner tier. CCAO-F does not.
- Claude partner tiers move on published dates. Promotions are processed on 1 January and 1 July; demotion, narrow exceptions aside, at the 31 December review.
See what each Claude exam covers
Three of them count toward a partner tier.
See the four Claude exams and what each one coversFrequently asked
What is the Claude Partner Network?
Anthropic’s programme for firms that deliver Claude for clients, launched on 12 March 2026. Membership is free. New applicants start at Registered, with a minimum commitment to 10 certified practitioners, and the three tiers are Select, Preferred and Global Premier.
Is the Anthropic partner network the same as the Claude partner program?
Yes, on the pages read on 6 November 2026. Anthropic’s announcements and FAQ use the name Claude Partner Network, and its Academy FAQ says “Anthropic’s partner program”. Neither search phrase is a formal name, and no page read describes a second services programme.
Is Registered a Claude partner tier?
Not one of the three. The announcement of 3 June 2026 lists Select, Preferred and Global Premier, calls Registered “the program’s entry level” and says “Partnership begins at Select.” The FAQ does say “Registered-tier partners”, who pay full price for exams.
Can a firm’s staff take a Claude exam before it joins?
No, on the published rules. Anthropic’s FAQ says certification is “currently available only” to organisations in the network, and its eligibility page says people elsewhere can’t register for an exam. Claude Academy stays open, but it issues certificates of completion, not certifications.
How many firms are in the Claude partner program?
Anthropic’s service partners page listed 354 on 10 November 2026. On 2 October 2026 Anthropic said “professionals across 46,000 firms have earned more than 175,000 Claude certifications”: certifications, not people. On 23 July 2026: more than 36,000 consultants across more than 1,300 organisations. On 3 June 2026: more than 40,000 firms had applied. No page relates these.
What has Anthropic not published about its partner programme?
As of 6 November 2026, Anthropic’s announcements, application page (form unread), FAQ and policies page give no deadline for the commitment to 10, no review time, no benefits by tier beyond the exam discount. The Program Guide is named but not printed, and claude.com/partners prints no tier counts, though the announcement says detailed requirements are published there.
Related posts
Not affiliated with, or endorsed by, Anthropic or Pearson VUE. Details are summarised from publicly published program information and can change. Always confirm against the official exam guide before booking.