Institute of Chartered Accountants of Trinidad & Tobago (ICATT) Notes to Membership Application Form

NOTE 1 - NAME The applicant's name to be registered with the Institute must be the same as that appears in the applicant's identification documents supplied (Identification Card /Passport /Driver’s Permit). Additional documentary evidence such as statutory declaration /deed poll /marriage certificate will be required if a different name is to be used in the Institute’s register.

NOTE 2 - CORRESPONDENCE In case more than one address is provided, the applicant may choose any one of them as the correspondence address to which all communications from the Institute may be addressed.

NOTE 3 – ELIGIBILITY 3.1 - Rule 3 of the Institute 3 (a) No person (except as otherwise provided by these rules) shall be eligible for admission as a Member unless: (i) He has passed such examination or examinations as may from time to time be prescribed by the Council and can show to the satisfaction of the Council that he has had not less than three (3) years approved practical experience; or (ii) He is a member of a Registered Society, as defined in these rules or of any other Institute with objects similar to the Institute’s and approved by the Council, and has satisfied the Council of his having fulfilled the conditions set out in Regulations made by Council from time to time 3 (b) No person shall be admitted to membership before he has attained the age of eighteen years; 3 (c) No person shall be admitted to membership unless he is either a citizen or a permanent resident of Trinidad & Tobago (as defined by the Immigration Laws) or a citizen of a commonwealth Caribbean country which does not have a locally incorporated accounting body of an equivalent standing to that of the Institute, or he satisfies the requirement under Rule 4 (a); 3 (d) The Council may in its absolute discretion refuse to admit any person to membership whom it shall consider to be not fit and proper to be so admitted; 3 (e) Where an applicant for admission to membership has passed an examination or examinations which in the opinion of Council is equivalent to those of the Institute and has the requisite accountancy experience, the Council may dispense with the usual examination for admission; 3 (f) The Council may in its absolute discretion bestow Honorary Life Membership to any member whom it shall consider fit and proper to do so. 3.2 – Registered Societies of ICATT refer to the following: - Association of Chartered Certified Accountants - The Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales - The Institute of Chartered Accountants of Scotland - The Institute of Chartered Accountants in Ireland - A provincial Institute of Chartered Accountants in Canada - The Chartered Institute of Management Accountants - Association of International Accountants - Such other bodies of Accountants as may from time to time be recommended by the Council and approved by the Institute in general meeting.

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Institute of Chartered Accountants of Trinidad & Tobago (ICATT) Notes to Membership Application Form

Other approved Societies with objects similar to the Institute’s and approved by the Council - The American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA). An applicant must show that he is a member in good standing of the AICPA and that he has had not less than three years approved accountancy experience. - The Society of Management Accountants of Canada (CMA). An applicant must show that he is a member in good standing of the CMA and that he has had not less than three years approved accountancy experience. - The Certified General Accountants Association of Canada (CGA). An applicant must show that he is a member in good standing of the CGA and has obtained at least eighteen months approved accountancy experience in Trinidad & Tobago subsequent to becoming a member of the CGA. 3.3 “Approved accountancy experience” means service as a full-time employee for a continuous period of at least three (3) years in a responsible position with a significant amount of accounting content satisfactory to the Council. Experience gained through part-time employment will not qualify except if permitted by the Council in its discretion. 3.4 "Practical experience" means experience whether in Trinidad & Tobago or elsewhere acceptable to the Council as an employee of a person practising public accountancy or in the financial or management accountancy department of an organization in industry, commerce or the public service or in a similar department." 3.5 Recognition of practical experience acquired outside Trinidad & Tobago:(a) The practical experience acquired in a country whose accountancy profession is under the jurisdiction of an accepted Registered Society may be fully accepted i.e. the United Kingdom, Canada, the United States of America. (b) The accounting experience obtained in an office not situated in Trinidad & Tobago nor a country under a recognised jurisdiction ("Overseas Office") may be accepted in full if: i. the Overseas Office is that of (i) a Trinidad & Tobago entity or a branch/subsidiary thereof, or (ii) an entity operating in a recognised jurisdiction or a branch/subsidiary thereof; and ii. the applicant's work relates to the accounting practices of Trinidad & Tobago or those of a recognised jurisdiction; and iii. the applicant works under the direct supervision of a member of the Institute or a Registered Society. (c) If an applicant cannot fulfil all three of the criteria in point (b), at the discretion of the Council, not more than half of his/her experience may be recognised up to a maximum of 18 months. (d) Experience gained in the branch office of a Trinidad & Tobago public practising firm is considered as satisfying the three criteria for non-Trinidad & Tobago experience.

NOTE 4 – SUPPORTING DOCUMENTS +

4.1 All documents submitted, if they are photocopies, must be CERTIFIED (See Application Checklist for authorised persons). (An ICATT member is recommended for certification. The name of the ICATT member (in BLOCK Letters) and membership no. must be included for verification purpose.) 4.2 All applications must be supported by the following:(a) Two (2) character references which should be completed. One of which is to be duly signed either by a current member of ICATT or a Registered Society accepted by the Institute’s Council for membership purposes. One of these referees must have first hand knowledge of the applicant’s professional work.

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Institute of Chartered Accountants of Trinidad & Tobago (ICATT) Notes to Membership Application Form

(b) A copy of Trinidad & Tobago Identification Card, passport or Driver’s Permit (indicating picture and other relevant details). (c) Educational certificates (e.g. degree/diploma certificate) where applicable. 4.3 In addition to the aforesaid documents, for an applicant who is a full member of a Registered Society accepted by the Institute’s Council, his/her application must be supported by:(i) # A certified copy of his/her membership certificate issued by that Registered Society; and (ii) *Official testimonial(s) from employers listing duration of employment, job nature and title of employment. (Documents submitted to his/her parent institute certifying his/her employment records may also be accepted as proof of practical experience.) Only most recent three (3) years of experience require certification. * For official testimonials issued by a present employer, the Institute will only accept those issued within the last 6 months from the date the said document is received by the Institute. # An official statement from his/her parent institute certifying his/her membership status and standing may be accepted for initial processing of an application, but final approval of an application is conditional upon production of the membership certificate. A certified copy of CPA license/certificate from the state board/society will also be required for applicants from the AICPA.

NOTE 5 – PRACTISING CERTIFICATE Applicants who also wish to apply for a practising certificate should satisfy the other additional requirements for issuance of a practicing certificate and submit a completed Application for Practising Certificate form for this purpose.

NOTE 6 - COMMUNICATIONS VIA EMAIL Members are offered an option to receive correspondence from the Institute either by post or via email. Applicants may indicate their option in section 5(D) of Application for Membership Form. The email service is restricted to general correspondence from the Institute and does not apply to publications of the Institute and statutory notices. In order to receive Institute’s correspondence via email, the computer should have at least the following setting: ! Windows 95 or above ! Word 97 or above ! Acrobat Reader installation. Please note that the size of our email message normally ranges from 2 Kb to 0.5 Mb.

NOTE 7 - MEMBERS

RESIDENT OVERSEAS

For applicants residing overseas (Members Resident Overseas) and have chosen to receive correspondence from the Institute by post, they may opt to receive, upon admission, their mails from the Institute either by airmail or surface mail. At this time, no additional charge will be levied for receiving mails by air. Applicants may indicate their option in section 5(E) of Application for Membership Form.

NOTE 8 - PROCESSING OF APPLICATION 8.1 The Membership Committee normally convenes once per month to consider applications. The Committee will examine an application made on this Form and submit its recommendations to the Council for final deliberation. 8.2 Applicants are then notified of the decision of the Council. Please therefore allow time for the processing of an application.

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Institute of Chartered Accountants of Trinidad & Tobago (ICATT) Notes to Membership Application Form

8.3 The result of an application will normally be available seven (7) weeks after the relevant submission. 8.4 Failure to provide full information and evidence may cause delay in the processing of an application. 8.5 The Institute reserves the right to verify where necessary the information furnished by the applicant with the referee(s)/employer(s)/parent institute(s)/any third parties concerned.

NOTE 9 – FEES 9.1 Fees are paid in respect of the calendar year. An application must be accompanied by the appropriate Application & Annual fees (bank draft in TT$ drawn on a Trinidad & Tobago bank payable to "Institute of Chartered Accountants of Trinidad & Tobago"). Do NOT send cash via Postal Services. Please refer to the Fee Schedule announced by the Institute from time to time. 9.2 Applications approved by Council during the year will take effect immediately, except those approved in or after November which will take effect on 1 January of the next calendar year. Applicants whose application will be considered by Council in or after November but wish to have their applications to take effect from the current calendar year are required to indicate their option in section 5(F) and pay the Annual fees for both the current year and the next calendar year accordingly. 9.3 For applicants who are graduates of the Institute’s professional examinations, the Student Annual Subscription fee paid for a calendar year may be refunded in full upon their admission as a member of the Institute provided that their membership application is received and approved unconditionally before 30 September in the same year. Under such circumstances, applicants may offset part of the membership application fees upon production of a certified true copy of their student subscription payment receipt when submitting their application.

NOTE 10 – CHANGE OF PARTICULARS Any change in address, telephone number or employment after the submission of the application should be notified to the Institute Secretariat in writing within one (1) month thereof. Notification sent via email is not accepted for the purpose.

NOTE 11 – MANDATORY CONTINUING PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT ("CPD") REQUIREMENT Upon registration, Institute Members are required to undertake a minimum of 20 CPD hours per calendar year. The Annual requirement may be changed upon direction of Council. For further details, please refer to the Institute’s Rule Book or web site at www.icatt.org

NOTE 12 – CONVICTION IN TRINIDAD & TOBAGO OR ELSEWHERE A professional accountant, after his registration as such with the Institute, convicted of an offence including but not limited to fraud, embezzlement, theft - locally or overseas, or found guilty of professional misconduct by an overseas professional institute should notify the Institute Secretariat of such conviction or findings within one (1) month.

NOTE 13 – ENQUIRIES For enquiries in relation to the application, please contact the Institute Secretariat at ICATT’s office at telephone number (868) 623-8000. Normal working hours are 8AM to 4 PM - Monday to Friday.

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Institute of Chartered Accountants of Trinidad & Tobago (ICATT) Notes to Membership Application Form

APPLICATION CHECKLIST FOR APPLICANTS Please note that applications not substantiated by required supporting documents will delay the processing procedure. Before submitting your application, you are reminded to ensure that all documents are in order. The following checklist is to assist you in preparing the supporting documents. Please complete and return it with your Application Form. Please indicate documents you have attached to your completed Application Form by putting a “!” in the appropriate boxes below: 1. Documents to be submitted by ALL applicants A bank draft or certified cheque made out in favour of “Institute of Chartered Accountants of Trinidad & Tobago” for the appropriate fees payable. +

A CERTIFIED copy of your Trinidad & Tobago Identification Card /Passport /Driver’s Permit. +

A CERTIFIED copy of any educational certificate(s) included. Two (2) character references, one being a member of ICATT or ICATT Registered Society 2. Additional document to be submitted by an applicant applying on the basis of his membership awarded by a Registered Society of ICATT + A CERTIFIED copy of your membership certificate issued by the Registered Society. +

Official testimonial(s), ORIGINAL or CERTIFIED copies, from present * and past employer(s) listing the duration, job nature and title of your employment. Only most recent three (3) years of experience require certification.

*The Institute will only accept testimonial(s) issued within the last six (6) months by present/past employer(s) from the date such testimonial is received.

+

CERTIFICATION OF DOCUMENTS - Applications should be supported by originals. However, the Institute accepts photocopies, which must be certified as true copies by any of the following persons:

a. A Member of the Institute. The name of the ICATT member (in BLOCK Letters) and membership no. must be included for verification purpose.) (Recommended) b. Authorised staff of the Institute (only if originals are presented with photocopies for certification at the Institute’s Office in Port of Spain) (Recommended) c. A legal practitioner practising in Trinidad & Tobago. d. Trinidad & Tobago Justice of the Peace (through statutory declaration)

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