To practice as a public accountant in Singapore, you must be a member of ICPAS - this is one of the requirements for registration as a public accountant with the Accounting & Corporate Regulatory Authority (ACRA).

You can still retain your ICPAS membership even if you decide to move out of the audit profession.

However, depending on where you move to, it may affect your eligibility when you decide to apply for a full membership (CPA Singapore) with the Institute. Full membership can only be granted if you have met the full membership pre-requisites that include relevant work experience, successful completion of the Pre-Admission Course and proficiency in local laws.

You will need at least 3 years of post-qualifying or 5 years of pre- and post-qualifying relevant work experience before you can apply for a CPA Singapore membership.

Firstly, the relevant work experience criterion to obtaining your CPA Singapore membership is NOT company-specific but job scope-specific.

As such, you can gain your experience in any sectors as long as your job scope includes accounting functions. Experience gained which is less than three months would not be considered.

You are encouraged to apply for an ICPAS membership immediately after passing a recognized accountancy professional examination so that you will be updated on the developments in the profession and be at the forefront of thought leadership. ICPAS membership will also enhance your networking opportunities and widen your social horizons.

Being fully qualified for the CPA Singapore designation as early as possible will augment well with your career advancement especially when you are looking to move to managerial positions.

You must pass a professional examination that is recognized for membership admission purposes: one of which is the ICPAS Professional Examination (PE). To find out your eligibility, you will need to submit the Assessment Application form online via ICPAS PE website.

You will be advised in writing of the next step of action. If you are accepted into the ICPAS PE programme and have successfully completed the examination, you can then apply for provisional membership of ICPAS.

Membership application processing time takes about 6 - 8 weeks. A provisional member is entitled to use the Associate (ICPAS) designation.