NIES: NASBA Evaluation Service for CPA International Candidates

NASBA is the association of the US State Boards of Accountancy. Its mission is to enhance the effectiveness and to advance the common interests of the State Boards, and one of the latest services offered is an international evaluation service (NIES) for international CPA exam candidates.

State Boards That Accept NIES Evaluation

Over 50 states and jurisdictions accept evaluations from NIES. You can assume that NIES provides service to all states that welcome non-US candidates.

* NIES is the only approved international education evaluation provider for these states.

Special Service

1. Consultant Service

NIES has a premium service known as “UNDECIDED STATE EVALUATION”. It costs $100 more than the standard fee (i.e. $300 vs $200), but the evaluator will suggest a state that you can qualify based on your existing education.

Please note that their suggestion does not cover whether you are able to fulfill the experience requirement, so make sure you take this into consideration when finalizing the state to register.

Update: I can no longer locate this service from NIES’ website.

2. Translation Service

NIES offers translation services for documents in Arabic, Bini, French, Hindi, Hungarian, Japanese, Korean, Kurdish, Marathi, Portuguese, Russian, Spanish, Sindhi, and Turkish.

Pros and Cons

Pros

• As a service provided by NASBA, NIES should have the best relationship (and thus best understanding) with the various state boards
• Online application and payment is convenient for international candidates
• Fast turnaround time

Cons

• Very long turn around time of 10 weeks with a possibility of 2-4 weeks more.
• Relatively expensive at $225+ per evaluation.
• Original and official documents are required (update: scan and online upload of original document is now accepted)

Submission Details

NIES has a detailed submission details by country. Please make sure you check out this handy tool located at the first paragraph of the front page.

In general, please expect to submit:

• Complete set of official transcript, marksheets, certificates sent directly from the institutions.
• An official or notarized copy of English translation is required for non-English document.
  • Translation must be prepared by a member of the American Translators Association (ATA), embassy, or consulate of the document’s issuing country.
  • If NIES does not provide translation services to your language,  NIES’ preferred translation service provider is Credential Consultants

Turnaround Time

•  Less than 5 business days after all documentation is received. 10 weeks with a possibility of 2-4 weeks more.
  

Pricing

• International credential evaluation – $225
• Additional education evaluation – $120
• Change in jurisdiction evaluation – $120 (e.g. when you decide to register for Texas instead of Florida)
• Please click here for the pricing schedule

Payment Method

• Credit card through the online application system.

Other Information

• FAQs from the official site

Contact

NASBA International Evaluation Services
PO Box 198727
Nashville, TN 37219
USA

Courier mailing address:
150 Fourth Avenue North, Suite 850
Nashville TN, 37219
USA

• Phone (toll free): (855) 468-5382
• Phone (local): (615) 277-9077
• Fax: (615) 324-1268
• Email: nies@nasba.org

Related Posts for International Candidates

• How to obtain extra credit hours for CPA exam qualification
• Popular states for international candidates
• Approved evaluation providers by state