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Can you get a US CPA license without living or working in the US?

2026-11-03 · 4 minute read · By Binod Raj Singh, CPA

Often yes. Education, exam, ethics and verified experience are the four tests. Where you live matters less than who verifies your work.

A US CPA license comes from a state board, and the board's rules decide whether residency matters. Several boards license candidates who live abroad. What they all check is the same four things.

1. EducationUsually 150 semester hours, or under the newer pathways in many states a bachelor's degree plus an extra year of experience.
2. The examAll four sections passed within the board's credit window.
3. EthicsMany boards require an ethics exam or course.
4. ExperienceUsually one to two years of relevant accounting work, verified and signed by a licensed CPA.

The experience step is the hard one

Most boards want your experience signed off by an active, licensed CPA. Some accept experience gained outside the US if a US CPA verifies it. Others also accept certain foreign accountants, or work in industry and government, not only public accounting. This rule varies more than any other, so read it before you choose a board.

Points to check

• Residency, citizenship or SSN requirements for the license, not just the exam.
• Who may verify your experience, and whether work outside the US counts.
• Renewal: continuing education hours and fees, which apply wherever you live.
• A US license does not by itself let you sign audits in your own country. Local rules still apply there.

See our guide to the new licensure pathways for how the bachelor's plus experience route works.

Sources. AICPA: This Way to CPA, state requirements · NASBA: International licensure