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CPA licensing services provided by NASBA to state boards of accountancy include application processing, eligibility determination and education evaluation. NASBA also provides customer service to candidates throughout the licensing process.
Find general licensure requirements.
Find licensure requirements for education, exam and experience.
Are you an International Candidate? Click here to read more.
Do you need a reciprocal license? Click here to read more.
Do you need a firm license? Click here to read more.
Do you need to renew your license? Click here to read more.
GENERAL REQUIREMENTS
Applicants must meet each of the following:
- Applicant must be a citizen of the United States or have duly declared his/her intention of becoming a citizen of the United States. For those persons who, having declared their intention of becoming citizens of the United States of America, have not carried through the procedure for the final declaration of citizenship or whose applications for such citizenship have been finally denied, their licenses shall be ipso facto cancelled together with the rights obtained under Puerto Rico rule.
- Applicant must be a resident, have a place of business or be employed in the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico.
- Applicant must be 21 years old.
- Applicant must present a Certificate of Good Conduct from the Police Department indicating that he/she has not been convicted of a felony or misdemeanor that implies moral turpitude.
EDUCATION
Graduated before December 31, 1999
Applicants must meet one of the following:
- A bachelors degree in business administration with a major in accounting from a National or Regional Accredited college or university approved by the Board; OR
- A bachelors degree from a national or regional Accredited college or university recognized by the Board and at least 58 semester (87 quarter) hours in business subjects, of which 32 semester (48 quarter) hours must be in accounting; OR
- A bachelors degree from a national or regional accredited college or university recognized by the Board and, in the absence of having completed the required number of credit hours in business subjects, provide evidence of completing eight years of public accounting experience. (At its discretion, the Board may accept as an equivalent to the one year public accounting experience requirement: two years of private or government accounting experience or two years of university-level teaching in the discipline of accounting.)
Graduated after December 31, 1999
Complete 150 semester hours of general college education to include a bachelors degree with 38 semester hours (57 quarter hours) in accounting and 32 semester hours (48 quarter hours) in general business courses from a national or regional accredited college or university approved by the Board, with a minimum 2.0 GPA in accounting and business courses, as stipulated by the Board via regulation.
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EXAM
Applicants must pass the Uniform CPA Examination.
FEES
- Initial – $145
- Transfer of Grades – $250
- Reciprocal – $250
- Firm – $250
- Individual Renewal – $180
- Firm Renewal – $185
EXPERIENCE
There are no experience requirements for licensure in Puerto Rico.
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ONLINE APPLICATIONS
Click the following links to apply online:
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INTERNATIONAL CANDIDATES
Applicants who obtained their education outside the United States must have their transcripts evaluated by one of the Puerto Rico State Board approved foreign credential evaluation services listed below.
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RECIPROCAL LICENSE
General Requirement
The Puerto Rico Board may, at its discretion, exempt from examination and issue a certificate of certified public accountant to any person who meets the following requirements:
- Applicant must hold a certificate as certified public accountant issued pursuant to the laws of any state, territory or political subdivision of the United States.
- Applicant must present a certificate of no penal record indicating that he/she has not been convicted of a felony or misdemeanor that implies moral turpitude.
- The laws of the state, possession, territory or political subdivision of the United States that issued the certificate to the Applicant must authorize the issuing of certificates or licenses without examination by reciprocity to certified public accountants from Puerto Rico who meet the qualifications required by the state, territory or political subdivision of the United States for the issuing of a license without an examination.
Education & Experience Requirement
- The requirements for the issuing of this certificate must be equivalent to the requirements set forth in Puerto Rico on the original date of issue of the Applicant’s Certified Public Accountant certificate.
- The Puerto Rico Public Accountancy Act, section 774, authorizes issuance of reciprocal CPA certificates to applicants who have five years of experience in the practice of public accountancy outside of Puerto Rico after having passed the Uniform Certified Public Accountant Examination. This requirement must be met within the term of ten years immediately prior to the filing of the request. NOTE: The Puerto Rico Board has indicated that work experience is required to obtain a reciprocal license.
Examination Requirement
Applicant must have passed the AICPA Examinations, with a minimum score of 75.
CPE Requirement
If the examination was taken more than three years ago, applicant must present evidence of participation in at least 120 continuous education hours during the last three years.
FIRMS
To apply for a firm license in Puerto Rico, a firm must meet each of the following requirements:
- At least one (1) general partner/member thereof must be a certified public accountant or a public accountant of this Commonwealth in good standing.
- Each partner must be a Certified Public Accountant of some state in good standing.
- Each partner/member thereof personally engaged within this Commonwealth in the practice of public accountancy as a member of said partnership or corporation must be a certified public accountant or a public accountant of Puerto Rico in good standing.
- Each resident manager in charge of an office of the firm in this Commonwealth must be a certified public accountant or a public accountant of Puerto Rico in good standing.
- The application for such registration must be made upon the affidavit of a general partner/member of such partnership/corporation who holds a permit to practice in this Commonwealth as a certified public accountant or as a public accountant.
- Every partnership/corporation so registered and which holds a partnership/corporation permit issued under this section may use the words \public accountants\” in connection with its partnership/corporation name.
RENEWALS
Click the following links to apply online:
Renewal Period
August 1 – December 1
CPE Requirements
Practicing CPA
120 hours in the following subject areas:
- 3 hours of professional ethics for active and active industry licensees
- 40 hours in technical subjects: Accounting, Auditing, Governmental Accounting, Governmental Auditing, Tax, including 12 hours must be in accounting and auditing (active only);
- 30 hours in industry specific subjects (active industry only)
Non-Practicing CPA
90 hours in the following subject areas:
- 3 hours of professional ethics for active and active industry licensees
Other State Policies
Program sponsors must be members of NASBA’s Registry or fall into one of the following categories for automatic approval:
- School of Certified Public Accountants of Puerto Rico.
- Organization specifically authorized on a request basis by the Puerto Rico Board of Accountancy
- AICPA
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