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International CPA credentials and cross border tax specialist review
Credentials · Cross border tax

Is there an international CPA designation?

An International CPA must be a Certified Public Accountant and also possess qualifications in international tax and/or global accounting. This CPA credential, however, is U.S.-based. Accountants that work in more than one country may hold additional international designations depending on the countries and services in which they operate. This type of professional is a specialist in global compliance, cross border tax planning, and accounting for multiple countries.

  • No board anywhere issues an “international CPA” credential — only a state board issues a CPA license
  • International CPA, global tax advisor and cross border specialist describe what a person does, not what they're licensed as
  • The two credentials that actually exist are the state CPA license and the federal Enrolled Agent license
  • Where a firm calls something “certified,” ask which body actually certifies it
(212) 641-0673See what actually exists
By George DimovPublished 6 min read
5-star rated20+ years in NYCAll 50 statesEvenings & weekends
Key takeaways

No board issues the credential

A US state board of accountancy issues every CPA license, and no board issues an international CPA credential.

Titles describe practice, not a license

International CPA, global tax advisor and cross border specialist describe what a person does. The credentials that exist are the state CPA license and the federal Enrolled Agent license, which the IRS issues.

Ask who actually certifies it

Where a firm puts the word certified next to a specialism, ask which body certifies it.

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The setup

There's no such thing as an “international CPA” license

If you are looking to qualify as a US CPA from outside the country, that is a question for NASBA and the state board you want to license with, and not this page. Firms advertise international CPAs, directories list them, and job adverts ask for them. None of those uses points at a credential, because no regulatory body issues one.
What exists is a license, and then a specialism a practitioner builds on top of it.
01The two real credentials

What CPA and EA actually mean

Everything else is a description a practitioner builds on top of one of these two licenses.

CPA.

A US state board of accountancy licenses you after you meet its education, examination and experience requirements. A state issues the license, and no country or international body does.

EA.

Enrolled Agent. The IRS issues this license federally, and an EA can practice before the IRS in every state. It is a different license from a CPA license, with a different scope.

Everything else.

Chartered accountant qualifications from other countries are real credentials in their own jurisdictions. They are not US CPA licenses, and neither converts into the other automatically. Some state boards recognize particular foreign qualifications through mutual recognition agreements, which is a route rather than an equivalence, and the terms differ by board and by country.
02Naming vs certifying

What to call a cross border tax specialist

International tax accountant, cross border tax advisor, and international tax CPA are all reasonable descriptions of a practitioner who works on cross border matters. They describe practice, not qualification.
  • International tax accountant
  • Cross border tax advisor
  • International tax CPA

Where "certified" stops being accurate

The word certified is where it stops being a description. No body certifies international tax as a specialism, so no one can hold that certification, and a firm advertising it has not checked what it is claiming.
03Verify it

How to check someone's credentials

  1. A license you can verify.

    Search the state board's register, or a national lookup service that covers all fifty states.

  2. The forms they file.

    Ask which cross border forms they file every season. That answers what you were really asking when you asked about the title.

  3. Countries they have worked with.

    Treaty positions and foreign pension treatment differ by country, so ask whether they have handled yours before.

Related reading

Our page on when you need an international tax accountant works through the questions worth asking.

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From the record

On titles, and on doing the work

"There's this perception that if we have this license or this kind of title, we should know every part of the code. And that's not always the case. Sometimes you have to do your best."

George Dimov, CPA

Founder, Dimov Tax

"I've used George Dimov to handle my taxes since I moved to the US from South Africa… professional, thorough, prompt, and efficient throughout."

Martin

Google review

Ask about your actual situation

Tell us which countries are involved and what needs filing, and we will tell you plainly whether we have handled it before. Call (212) 641-0673 or send the contact form.
Send the contact form(212) 641-0673

Check before you trust the title

Confirm which credentials actually apply to your situation

Tell us which countries are involved and what needs filing, and we will tell you plainly what we have handled before. Call (212) 641-0673 or send the contact form. No charge for the conversation.
Send the contact form(212) 641-0673
Reviewed by George Dimov, CPA, New York, NY. Serving clients in all 50 states, 15+ years advising New York businesses and individuals. President of George Dimov, CPA, a New York City firm serving clients across the five boroughs and nationwide.