Licensing guide · Quebec

How to Become a Chartered Professional Accountant in Quebec

Last checked 4 sources checkedNOC 11100

Do you need a licence?

Licence required

You must be registered with Ordre des comptables professionnels agréés du Québec to work as a chartered professional accountant in Quebec or to use a protected title.

Protected titles
CPA auditor
Show the source
“It is also an order whose members practise an exclusive profession, such that only individuals who hold the CPA auditor designation may practise public accountancy (compilation engagements, perform audit or review engagements, and issue special reports).”

From cpaquebec.ca/en/the-order/about-us/role-and-commitments, checked October 10, 2026.

At a glance

Licence status
Licence required See the source
Routes
Annual fees
Not stated by the regulator Check with Ordre des comptables professionnels agréés du Québec

Your roadmap

Every route is listed. Follow the one that matches where you trained.

Trained in Canada

  • 6 steps without a listed fee

  1. Complete the prerequisite undergraduate program offered by one of the recognized universities or the qualifying courses for a path by equivalence of an undergraduate degree.

    Source
    “13 universities offer the prerequisite undergraduate program for admission to the Order or the qualifying courses for paths by equivalence of an undergraduate degree.”
    cpaquebec.ca/en/future-cpas/how-to-become-a-cpa

  2. Register as a candidate for the practice of the CPA profession with the required documents.

    Source
    “Are you ready to become a candidate for the practice of the CPA profession? Do you have all the required documents on hand?”
    cpaquebec.ca/en/future-cpas/how-to-become-a-cpa

  3. Complete the CPA professional education program.

    Source
    “Learn more about the education program, practical experience and examination”
    cpaquebec.ca/en/future-cpas/how-to-become-a-cpa

  4. Complete the practical experience requirement.

    Source
    “Learn more about the education program, practical experience and examination”
    cpaquebec.ca/en/future-cpas/how-to-become-a-cpa

  5. Pass the Common Final Examination.

    Source
    “Learn more about the education program, practical experience and examination”
    cpaquebec.ca/en/future-cpas/how-to-become-a-cpa

  6. Demonstrate knowledge of French appropriate to the practice of the profession.

    Source
    “In Quebec, knowledge of French appropriate to the practice of the profession is required to be a member of the Order.”
    cpaquebec.ca/en/future-cpas/how-to-become-a-cpa

Listed fees for this route

No one-time fees listed by the regulator for these steps Check with Ordre des comptables professionnels agréés du Québec

6 steps without a listed fee, so the total may not be the full cost.

Official page for this route

Licensed in another province

  • 2 steps without a listed fee

  1. Register as a candidate for the practice of the CPA profession with the required documents.

    Source
    “Are you ready to become a candidate for the practice of the CPA profession? Do you have all the required documents on hand?”
    cpaquebec.ca/en/future-cpas/how-to-become-a-cpa

  2. Demonstrate knowledge of French appropriate to the practice of the profession.

    Source
    “In Quebec, knowledge of French appropriate to the practice of the profession is required to be a member of the Order.”
    cpaquebec.ca/en/future-cpas/how-to-become-a-cpa

Listed fees for this route

No one-time fees listed by the regulator for these steps Check with Ordre des comptables professionnels agréés du Québec

2 steps without a listed fee, so the total may not be the full cost.

Official page for this route

Trained outside Canada

  • 3 steps without a listed fee

  1. Go through the equivalence of degree or training process if you do not hold one of the recognized degrees.

    Source
    “Don’t hold one of the recognized degrees? Find out more about the equivalence of degree or training process.”
    cpaquebec.ca/en/future-cpas/how-to-become-a-cpa/academic-prerequisites

  2. Register as a candidate for the practice of the CPA profession with the required documents.

    Source
    “Are you ready to become a candidate for the practice of the CPA profession? Do you have all the required documents on hand?”
    cpaquebec.ca/en/future-cpas/how-to-become-a-cpa

  3. Demonstrate knowledge of French appropriate to the practice of the profession.

    Source
    “In Quebec, knowledge of French appropriate to the practice of the profession is required to be a member of the Order.”
    cpaquebec.ca/en/future-cpas/how-to-become-a-cpa

Listed fees for this route

No one-time fees listed by the regulator for these steps Check with Ordre des comptables professionnels agréés du Québec

3 steps without a listed fee, so the total may not be the full cost.

Official page for this route

Requirements

Conditions the regulator sets on top of the roadmap steps.

Education

Other

  • You must have knowledge of French appropriate to the practice of the profession.

    Source
    “In Quebec, knowledge of French appropriate to the practice of the profession is required to be a member of the Order.”
    cpaquebec.ca/en/future-cpas/how-to-become-a-cpa

  • You must pass all the prerequisite courses on the list for your chosen university before beginning the PEP.

    Source
    “Make sure that the courses you choose are on the list of prerequisite courses for your chosen university (below) and that you have passed all of the courses on that list before you finish the program.”
    cpaquebec.ca/en/future-cpas/how-to-become-a-cpa/academic-prerequisites

Already licensed in another province?

Not stated

The pages state that professional mobility is based on mutual recognition or reciprocity agreements and admission by equivalence processes, but do not state whether a CPA licensed in another province can register without extra steps.

Source
“Members of the Quebec CPA Order may continue to work in all Canadian provinces and abroad because professional mobility falls under the jurisdiction of the Quebec CPA Order and is based on mutual recognition or reciprocity agreements and admission by equivalence processes.”
cpaquebec.ca/en/the-order/about-us/a-new-approach-for-the-profession

Processing time: Not stated by the regulator Check with Ordre des comptables professionnels agréés du Québec

Check a move between two provinces

Credential assessment

Not stated by the regulator Check with Ordre des comptables professionnels agréés du Québec

Exams

Language tests

Not stated by the regulator Check with Ordre des comptables professionnels agréés du Québec

Compare scores across provinces and professions

Canadian experience

Not stated by the regulator Check with Ordre des comptables professionnels agréés du Québec

Supervised practice

Not stated by the regulator Check with Ordre des comptables professionnels agréés du Québec

Demand and pay

Job Bank figures for NOC 11100, Financial auditors and accountants. Wages for 2023-2024 in Canadian dollars an hour; outlook for 2025-2027.

Job Bank wages and outlook in Quebec and Canada
WhereLowMedianHighOutlook
Quebec $24.62 $40.00 $66.67 Limited (2 of 5)
Canada $25.00 $40.36 $71.43 —

Wages by region and job outlook in Quebec

Wages in every province and territory

Chartered professional accountants in other provinces and territories

Regulated in all 12 other jurisdictions checked so far. The rules differ from one place to the next.

Compare chartered professional accountant licensing across Canada

Sources checked

Pages read on October 10, 2026.

  1. Services statement | Quebec CPA Order | Chartered Professional Accountants cpaquebec.ca/en/the-order/about-us/role-and-commitments · fetched October 10, 2026
  2. How to become a CPA | Quebec CPA Order | Chartered Professional Accountants cpaquebec.ca/en/future-cpas/how-to-become-a-cpa · fetched October 10, 2026
  3. Academic prerequisites | Quebec CPA Order | Chartered Professional Accountants cpaquebec.ca/en/future-cpas/how-to-become-a-cpa/academic-prerequisites · fetched October 10, 2026
  4. A new approach for the profession | Quebec CPA Order | Chartered Professional Accountants cpaquebec.ca/en/the-order/about-us/a-new-approach-for-the-profession · fetched October 10, 2026

Frequently asked questions

2

Do you need a licence to work as a chartered professional accountant in Quebec?

Yes. Registration with Ordre des comptables professionnels agréés du Québec is required to practise in Quebec, and to use the title CPA auditor.

Which exams are required?

Common Final Examination (CFE).

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