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General FAQs regarding RFPA
Registered Foreign Professional Accountant (RFPA) is essentially an ASEAN Chartered Professional Accountant (ASEAN CPA) who has successfully applied to a participating National Accountancy Body (NAB) or Professional Regulatory Authority (PRA) in another ASEAN country to provide non-regulated professional accountancy services in that ASEAN country.
Your journey as a RFPA starts with holding a valid ASEAN CPA title. Please visit ASEAN CPA website to find out how to apply to become an ASEAN CPA.
Example*
Nguyen is a Vietnamese and holds a valid ASEAN CPA title registered with the relevant body (either a National Accountancy Body or Professional Regulatory Authority) in Vietnam. He is keen to provide non-regulated professional accountancy services in Indonesia but does not want to undergo extensive re-training or re-qualification procedures in order to qualify as an accountant in Indonesia. With the valid ASEAN CPA title in hand, Nguyen should register himself as a RFPA with Indonesia in order to effectively cross borders and provide non-regulated professional accountancy services in Indonesia.
*Note: This is an illustrative example to facilitate your understanding. Please check the RFPA registration process with the respective authorities of the ASEAN country which you are interested in.
Holders of the ASEAN Chartered Professional Accountant (ASEAN CPA) title who are not ISCA members and wish to provide non-regulated professional accountancy services in Singapore should register as a RFPA with ISCA.
Example*
Wijaya is an Indonesian and holds a valid ASEAN CPA title registered with the relevant body (either a National Accountancy Body or Professional Regulatory Authority) in Indonesia. He is not an ISCA member and has secured a job as an accountant in Singapore. Wijaya should register as a RFPA with ISCA before starting work.
*Note: This is an illustrative example to facilitate your understanding. Please check the RFPA registration process with the respective authorities of the ASEAN country which you are interested in.
A RFPA registered with ISCA has the following obligations:
- Bound by local and international codes of professional conduct in accordance with the policy on ethics and conduct established and enforced by the National Accountancy Body (NAB) / Professional Regulatory Authority (PRA) which the ASEAN CPA is registered with.
- Bound by domestic regulations (eg. immigration policies) of Singapore.
- Work in collaboration with a local professional accountancy firm or employed by a company or organisation registered in Singapore
A RFPA registered with ISCA shall conduct himself in a manner consistent with the good reputation of the accountancy profession and refrain from any act or default, which is likely to bring discredit to the profession or to himself.
In the event that a RFPA registered with ISCA breaches the above obligations, ISCA will inform the National Accountancy Body (NAB) / Professional Regulatory Authority (PRA) which the ASEAN CPA is registered with for an investigation and disciplinary process to be initiated.
Please refer to the application flowchart for a better understanding on the application process.
The RFPA title is open to only ASEAN nationals. This is because the ASEAN Mutual Recognition Agreement on Accountancy Services (MRAA) was an agreement to enhance cooperation in services amongst ASEAN Member States.