Welding certification codex
Two individual AWS credentials (Certified Welder, Certified Welding Inspector) and six AWS structural welding codes (D1.1 through D1.8) that employers reference by name in job postings. Each page states who needs it, prerequisites, test format, cost where AWS publishes a figure, and renewal cycle.
ASME welder qualifications work differently
ASME welder qualifications are issued by the employer under its own quality program, not by ASME to the individual welder. There is no ASME-certified-welder registry to search or link to: a welder's ASME qualification exists as a record inside the employer's own quality-control documentation, tied to a specific process, position, and material the employer tested. Pressure-vessel and boiler fabrication shops commonly qualify welders this way alongside an AWS credential.
State licensing: concentrated in boiler and pressure-vessel work
There is no general state welder license in the United States. State regulation is concentrated in boiler and pressure-vessel work, where Massachusetts, Ohio, and Wisconsin run state-level licensing programs, and New York City and Chicago run their own city-level rules on top of state law. These programs are coordinated loosely through the National Board of Boiler and Pressure Vessel Inspectors. This is a factual summary, not legal advice; confirm current requirements with the licensing state or city directly before relying on it.