With Chartered Accountants and other accounting professionals around the world interested in international reciprocal CPA licensing or primary CPA licensure in the United States, there is a great number of non-US citizens that take the Uniform CPA Exam every year. Demand for access to the exam has been particularly acute in India, as many chartered and non-chartered accountants there look to earn credentials that are recognized globally, and in the United States. As of October last year, India joins a growing list of countries in the Middle East/South Asia that allows accountants to sit for the exam – Bahrain, Kuwait, Lebanon, the United Arab Emirates, and now India.
Residents of India are now allowed to travel to Bahrain, Kuwait, Lebanon, or the United Arab Emirates to take the exam. By opening the exam up to accountants in India, one of the largest groups of international candidates will now be permitted to take the United States Uniform CPA exam.
This will not only impact native residents of India but also U.S. citizens working abroad interested in making preparations for CPA licensure in the United States.
The exam is offered in English and the licensing requirements for international candidates will remain the same as for CPA candidates based in the United States. US CPA licensure for international candidates still requires sponsorship through a state licensing board in the US. The administration of the test will also remain unchanged and international candidates must meet the same education and professional experience requirements set be the respective Board of Accountancy for the state in which they intend to be licensed.
In October of 2014, the AICPA, NASBA and Prometric were happy to announce that US CPA licensure by examination would be available to accountants in India. As the global business and finance sectors have come to recognize the CPA credential as among the most rigorous of its kind in the world, it is expected that a growing number of accountants and auditors from India and elsewhere will pursue US CPA licensure in the coming years.
