Knowledge of French
In accordance with the Charter of the French Language, members of all professional orders in Quebec must have an appropriate knowledge of French for practicing their profession. In addition, this law requires professional orders to communicate exclusively in French with members and candidates for the practice of the profession.
Once you become a member of the Order, you must maintain knowledge of the French language that is appropriate to the practice of the profession for as long as you hold a CPA permit. This is a requirement that you must fulfill if you wish to practice the CPA profession or any other profession in Quebec.
4 ways to demonstrate your knowledge of French
You must submit a document that attests to your knowledge of French.
If you have already provided proof that you have successfully completed a full-time undergraduate degree program at a francophone university, you do not need to provide additional proof.
Quebec secondary school diploma
The diploma must have been issued by the Ministère de l'Éducation et de l'Enseignement supérieur du Québec for the 1985-1986 or subsequent school years.Quebec secondary school transcript
The transcript of the Ministère de l'Éducation et de l'Enseignement supérieur du Québec must prove that you have passed the examination for French as a mother tongue in Secondary IV or V.Official transcript of secondary or post-secondary education
The transcript must show that you studied in French on a full-time basis over a period of 3 years, regardless of the country.Certificate attesting that you passed the examination of the Office québécois de la langue française
The OQLF's French examination is mandatory if you are unable to submit a diploma or transcript.Certificate attesting that you passed the OQLF exam
To obtain this certificate, you must pass the OQLF exam. If you are not sure if you should take this exam, contact us at candidatCPA@cpaquebec.ca.
Many free tools are available to help you pass the exam.
Temporary permit
Temporary permit
You may be eligible to obtain a temporary permit so that you can continue learning French.
Contact us by email at permistemporaire@cpaquebec.ca or visit the OQLF website for more information.
