The current law stipulates that an individual who wish to become an accountant must obtain an accounting practice registration certificate. Hong Bang Law Firm would like to send to provide our legal advice and guidance on the procedures for application of a Certificate of accounting practice as follows:

Legal grounds

• Law on Accounting 2015;
• Circular 296/2016/TT-BTC guiding the issuance, revocation and management of accounting service practice registration certificates.

Conditions for being granted Certificate of accounting practice

• Obtain an accountant’s certificate or an auditor’s certificate in accordance with the Law on Independent Auditing;
• Have full legal/civil capacity;
• The actual working time in finance, accounting or auditing is 36 months or more from the time of university graduation;
• Fully participate in the knowledge update program as prescribed in the laws.

Note: A Certificate of accounting practice is only valid when the grantee has a full-time labor contract for an accounting service business.

People who are not subject to issuance of a Certificate of accounting practice

• Officials and civil servants; officers, professional soldiers, workers, defense officers, people’s police;
• Persons who are banned from practicing accounting under a legally effective court judgment; the person is being examined for penal liability; the person has been convicted of one of the crimes of infringing upon the economic management order related to finance and accounting but the criminal record has not been expunged; people who are being applied administrative handling measures, education in communes, wards or townships, sent to compulsory education institutions, compulsory detoxification establishments;
• Persons who have been convicted of serious crimes infringing upon the economic management order but have not yet had their criminal records cleared;
• Persons sanctioned for administrative violations of the law on finance, accounting or auditing which have not yet expired 06 months from the date of completion of the execution of the sanctioning decision in the case of a warning or within 01 year from the date of completion of other administrative sanctioning decisions;
• Persons suspended from practicing accounting services.

Dossier

• An application form for a certificate of registration of accounting service practice;
• A copy of the labor contract to work full-time at the accounting service enterprise;
• Copy of accountant certificate or auditor certificate;
• Certificate of actual time doing financial, accounting and auditing activities, made according to the form specified in Appendix 04/DKHN in Circular 296/2016/TT-BTC or documents proving real time doing financial, accounting and auditing work;
• Two 3x4cm color photos taken on a white background within a period of no more than six (06) months from the date of submission of the application for registration to practice accounting;
• A copy of the decision on job termination or the decision to terminate the labor contract at the workplace before registering to practice accounting services (if any);
• A copy of the work permit in Vietnam of the person registering to practice accounting services as a foreigner, except for the case where he is not required to have a work permit according to the labor law;
• Documents proving the hours of knowledge updating at international professional organizations on accounting and auditing in the case of timed updating of knowledge.

Procedures

• The accounting service business enterprise where the applicant for accounting service practice has a full-time employment contract is the applicant.
• The accounting service enterprise shall make a list of applications for the Certificate of accounting practice for those practicing at their unit, together with the practice registration dossier of each individual, and send it to the Ministry of Finance.
• If the dossier is not valid, it is necessary to make additional clarifications within 10 days from the date of receipt of the dossier (addition of documents, explanation or provision of supporting documents.
• If there are no documents to supplement or amend accordingly, the Ministry of Finance has the right to refuse to grant the Certificate of accounting practice.
• Within 15 days after receiving a valid application, the Ministry of Finance will issue a certificate of registration for accounting service practice, or reply in writing in case of refusal.

Implementation time: 15 working days from the date of submission of valid documents.

Above is our advice on the issue. If you need more detailed advice as well as how to access this service, please contact Lawyer – Mr. Nguyen Duc Trong directly via hotline: 0912.35.65.75, 0912.35.53.53 or call Free Consultancy Center 1900.6575 or send a service request via email: info@hongbanglawfirm.com

We wish you and your family good health, peace and success!

Best regards!

Hong Bang Law Firm.