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Good news for CPA candidates in Europe! Traditionally, most candidates living in European countries faced a trip to the U.S. to sit for the CPA Exam. Now those in Europe who wish to pursue a CPA license can test at sites much closer to home.
If you live in England, Germany, Ireland, or Scotland, you can now take the CPA Exam in a nearby major city without leaving the country.
CPA Exam centers in the UK include Bristol, London, Manchester, and Edinburgh. The Republic of Ireland offers CPA Exam testing sites in two cities, Cork and Dublin, while Germany offers testing locations in Berlin, Frankfurt, and Munich.
| CPA Exam Testing Center Locations in Europe | |
|---|---|
| Country | City |
| England | Bristol, London, Manchester |
| Germany | Berlin, Frankfurt, Munich |
| Republic of Ireland | Cork, Dublin |
| Scotland | Edinburgh |
If you’re a U.S. citizen, you may sit for the CPA Exam at any international location.
If you are a citizen or resident of one of the following countries, you can apply to take the CPA Exam at one of the new Prometric locations in Europe. This includes all 28 member countries of the EU, plus a few non-member countries.
The new Prometric locations do not affect the International Qualification Examination (IQEX). The new locations are only for the Uniform CPA Examination.
The mutual recognition agreements between the National Association of State Boards of Accountancy (NASBA) and Chartered Accountants Ireland (CAI) and the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Scotland (ICAS) still stand. If you’re a member in good standing and meet their eligibility requirements, you can greatly reduce your testing requirement by taking IQEX.
The application process is the same regardless of the location you take the CPA Exam. You must first apply through a U.S. jurisdiction, which will license you as a CPA in that state. This first step is necessary even for international CPAs, because it’s the individual U.S. states (or territories such as Puerto Rico) that license CPAs, not the federal government.
If you don’t live in the U.S., it can be difficult to know which state to select for your CPA license. Each of the 55 jurisdictions (states) has its own Board of Accountancy eligibility requirements.
Some states have flexible or reduced education requirements or other elements that may make your international CPA Exam application easier. We’ve done some research to help you understand which states are best for international CPA applicants.
You can access all state Board of Accountancy websites as well as ask NASBA any questions you may have here.
You will submit your CPA Exam application and fees to NASBA’s CPA Examination Services division. NASBA processes these on behalf of each jurisdiction’s Board of Accountancy.
You will schedule your CPA Exam with Prometric, the organization that administers the CPA Exam for all locations worldwide.
NASBA also lays out information on jurisdictions, eligibility, fees, and scheduling as well as document requirements by country.
Testing windows for the CPA Exam are the same for all locations, whether international or U.S. based. The American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA) breaks the testing periods into four quarters per year, with different dates for core and discipline sections
Quarter 1: January 1st – March 26th
Quarter 2: April 1st – June 25th
Quarter 3: July 1st – September 25th
Quarter 4: October 1st – December 26th
Quarter 1: January 10th – February 6th
Quarter 2: April 20th – May 19th
Quarter 3: July 1st – 31st
Quarter 4: October 1st – 31st
Remember, you have 30 months to complete all three core sections of the exam, and one discipline section once you pass the first section. See more on how to set your CPA Exam schedule.
The official answer is that they’re all the same. The governing bodies do their best to ensure the same testing experience no matter where you sit.
That said, you will probably have an easier time overall if you choose a testing location that you’re familiar with. If you have never been to Germany, then your CPA Exam is not the excuse you’ve been looking for to visit Munich!
We’ve helped accountants around the world pass over 1 million CPA Exams.
Professor Irvin Gleim published the first CPA Review book in 1974. In 1980, he published CIA and CMA Review courses that went on to become the most widely used worldwide. Then in 1999 he released EA Review materials, which are also commonly held as the standard for that field internationally. We understand the questions you face as you study toward your CPA Exam in Europe.
In fact, we have an international team here at Gleim that is ready to help you.
Reach out to us at international@gleim.com now or try a free demo of our CPA review materials. We’d love to hear how we can help you right now, wherever you are in your journey to CPA.