ICA Certification

Why Choose ICA?

International Certified Arbitrator (ICA) is a professional certification launched by the Forensic Certified Public Accountants Association (FCPAA) to promote efficient and fair dispute resolution mechanisms.

1

Relying on the globally recognized standardized training courses of the Association to systematically enhance practitioners' professional knowledge, practical skills and applied experience in dispute resolution, laying a solid foundation for career development.

2

Building a globally linked communication platform, organizing various global and regional industry events and professional seminars, providing members with efficient channels for industry networking, and promoting cross-regional and cross-sectoral experience exchange and resource connection.

3

Equipping a professional guidance team to track industry trends, policy changes and cutting-edge developments in dispute resolution in real time, providing targeted professional guidance for members to keep pace with industry progress.

4

Integrating high-quality global industry resources to provide members with all-round support in career planning, practical operation and resource connection, helping members carry out professional work efficiently and achieve career goals.

5

Speaking on behalf of the global dispute resolution community, focusing on core industry topics and hot-button issues, conveying industry consensus and professional demands, and promoting the healthy and orderly development of the dispute resolution industry.

Adhering to the concept of lifetime career empowerment, the Association covers members from students to senior academicians, providing all-round and continuous support for practitioners at all career stages to steadily advance in the dispute resolution field.

What Can ICA Do for You?

We are committed to building a comprehensive and diversified service platform, integrating industry resources and connecting global peers, helping every ICA member enhance professional value and achieve career breakthroughs.

1

After successfully passing the certification, you will become a qualified dispute resolution professional and obtain globally recognized and industry-accepted ICA membership suffix to demonstrate your professional identity and competence.

2

Join the global community of dispute resolution professionals, conduct in-depth exchanges and interactions with domestic and international peers, participate in various professional networking activities, and expand your global career vision.

3

Rely on the Association's abundant learning resources to continuously improve professional skills and qualifications through special webinars, systematic courses, professional diploma programs and other forms to meet the advanced needs of career development.

4

Take an active part in ICA community building and industry development, contribute to the standardization and internationalization of the dispute resolution industry with your professional capabilities, and enhance personal industry influence.

What Benefits Do You Enjoy After Joining ICA?

Joining ICA makes you a member of the world's top community of dispute resolution professionals, unlocking exclusive membership benefits that safeguard your dispute resolution career throughout professional development, networking and resource acquisition.

1. Become a qualified dispute resolution professional

Through the Association's internationally renowned standardized qualification certification, you can obtain officially recognized professional certification in one or more Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) fields, clearly demonstrating your professional strength and enhancing career competitiveness.

2. Establish professional credibility

ICA membership suffixes (Associate Member AICA, Member MICA, Fellow FICA) are widely recognized globally, serving as core symbols of professional literacy and professional reputation in the dispute resolution field, helping you become a trusted professional in the industry.

3. Enjoy lifelong learning benefits

The Association has built a comprehensive lifelong learning system covering various special webinars, systematic professional courses, case analyses and other rich learning contents, adapting to the learning needs of members at different career stages and helping members continuously update their knowledge reserves.

4. Expand networking and personal influence

Establish in-depth connections with dispute resolution professionals in different professional fields and positions through various events held by the Association, such as global summits, regional forums and local exchanges, expand high-quality networking resources, and simultaneously enhance personal industry influence.

5. Access professional and practical information

Exclusive ICA technical guidelines and various industry resources accurately cover daily practical scenarios of private dispute resolution, providing scientific and professional support for members' practical operations and improving work efficiency and quality.

6. Promote professional skills and experience

Increase personal exposure and career opportunities through the Association's online member directory; meanwhile, you can contribute academic papers and practical cases to the Association's professional journals to share your professional skills and practical experience and expand industry influence.

7. Keep abreast of industry trends

Obtain the latest industry information, policy changes, cutting-edge viewpoints and development trends in the dispute resolution field in real time through the Association's monthly newsletters and industry publications, always maintaining industry sensitivity.

8. Participate in industry advocacy

Have the opportunity to participate in ICA's responses to various industry consultation topics, share insights and put forward suggestions based on your professional experience, participate in the improvement and promotion of industry rules, and highlight professional value.

How to Apply for ICA?

Choose your path to certification based on your experience and career goals. We offer flexible pathways for Associate Members, Members, and Fellows.

(I) Steps to Become an Associate Member

You are eligible to apply for Associate Membership if you meet any one of the following criteria:

1. Desire to enhance workplace competitiveness and need an internationally recognized professional qualification endorsement.

2. Have a strong interest in Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) and wish to gain in-depth knowledge of relevant fields.

3. Pursue lifelong learning and aim to systematically master professional knowledge related to international arbitration and mediation.

4. Aspire to pursue careers as an international arbitrator or mediator and want to lay a solid professional foundation.

After meeting the above conditions, you may take the ADR special course to systematically learn the industry background and development history of alternative dispute resolution, master the specific processes, procedures and key points of various alternative dispute resolution methods. Upon completion of the course, you may formally apply for Associate Membership.

(II) Steps to Become a Member

There are two pathways to obtain Membership qualification; applicants may choose either one based on their own situation:

1. 5-year senior work exemption pathway

Have at least 5 years of relevant work experience in arbitration (ADR), and have participated in arbitration-related work in a lead/sole capacity during that period. Upon passing the Association's qualification review, you may obtain Membership qualification directly without examination.

2. 3-month online course assessment pathway

Applicants must attend and complete a 3-month online special course, with 1–2 days of classes per month (total 3–6 days). After completing the full course, you must take an online open-book examination. Once the examination starts, you must finish and submit your answers within 48 hours. A score of 65% or above is considered a pass. Upon passing the assessment, you will obtain Membership qualification.

(III) Steps to Become a Fellow

There are two pathways to obtain Fellowship qualification; applicants may choose either one based on their own situation:

1. 10-year senior work exemption pathway

Have at least 10 years of relevant work experience in arbitration (ADR), and have participated in arbitration-related work in a lead/sole capacity during that period. Upon passing the Association's strict qualification review, you may obtain Fellowship qualification directly without examination.

2. 6-month online course assessment pathway

Applicants must attend and complete a 6-month online special course, with 1–2 days of classes per month. After completing the full course, you must take an online open-book examination. Once the examination starts, you must finish and submit your answers within 48 hours. A score of 65% or above is considered a pass. Upon passing the assessment, you will obtain Fellowship qualification.

ICA Employment Prospects

The arbitration industry is experiencing rapid growth with increasing demand for qualified professionals. ICA certification opens doors to diverse career opportunities.

1. Surge in arbitration business, urgent industry demand

Relevant data shows that since the official implementation of China's Arbitration Law in 1995, the number of cases accepted by domestic arbitration institutions has grown steadily for 23 consecutive years, with an average annual growth rate of over 30%. The rapid expansion of arbitration business has increased industry processing pressure, leading to a growing demand for professional arbitration talents.

2. Scarcity of arbitration talents, broad employment prospects

At present, there is a severe shortage of arbitration talents in administrative organs, judicial organs, professional arbitration institutions, legal service agencies, various enterprises and other units at both international and domestic levels. The market has a strong demand for qualified arbitration specialists. With professional qualifications and systematic training, ICA members have diverse employment options and broad development prospects.

3. Systematic training to comprehensively enhance workplace skills

Becoming an ICA member means you have received formal and systematic professional training and strict testing from the Association, possess solid dispute resolution professional capabilities, and your professional status is widely recognized by the industry, enabling you to quickly adapt to the work requirements of various arbitration-related positions.

4. International arbitration certification highlighting core professional value

If you aspire to pursue a higher career development platform and enhance your international competitiveness, obtaining a high-value arbitration certification is a key path. With its international recognition and professional authority, the International Certified Arbitrator (ICA) certificate has become the preferred choice for many practitioners.

How Are ICA Membership Levels Classified?

ICA offers three membership levels designed to accommodate practitioners at different stages of their career development.

1. Associate Membership

Associate Member is the core first step to start a dispute resolution career. It is suitable for practitioners who have certain knowledge and basic professional skills in Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) and wish to enter the dispute resolution field. In China, most lawyers and professionals engaged in arbitration-related businesses are recommended to apply for the Associate Member level first. This level of certificate is the most popular application choice at present due to its moderate entry threshold and high cost-performance ratio.

2. Membership

The Membership certificate is suitable for practitioners who have certain relevant work experience in Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) and wish to obtain an internationally recognized professional qualification to further enhance career competitiveness. Applicants must pass additional special assessments organized by the Association or complete strict qualification review by the FCPAA to obtain this membership level.

3. Fellowship

Holding Fellowship qualification represents meeting the highest quality standards advocated by the FCPAA for handling cross-border disputes as an international arbitrator in the international arbitration field, with extremely strict application requirements. Applicants must be at least 30 years old, complete a systematic advanced education special program at the international arbitration postgraduate level strictly selected by the Association and pass all relevant examinations, and then pass a comprehensive special assessment organized by the Association. Only after passing all assessments can you formally apply to become a Fellow.

About the FCPAA

The Forensic Certified Public Accountants Association (FCPAA) is a globally recognized professional organization dedicated to advancing the forensic accounting and dispute resolution industry.

Establishment & Mission

The Forensic Certified Public Accountants Association (FCPAA) was officially registered and founded in New York, USA, in the 1970s–1980s. It is a non-profit professional organization and one of the most influential authoritative institutions in the global forensic accounting industry. As a benchmark for industry self-regulation, FCPAA has always taken promoting the professionalization and internationalization of the forensic accounting industry as its core mission, committed to building rigorous, transparent and efficient industry standards and professional norms, and building a core platform for professional exchange, capability improvement and resource connection for practitioners in the global forensic accounting and dispute resolution fields.

Global Impact

Since its establishment, FCPAA has accurately insight into the growing demand for forensic accounting and dispute resolution in the global business environment, continuously holding various forms of professional academic exchange activities, including international summit forums, special seminars, case study workshops and online special courses, gathering top experts, scholars and practical elites from different countries and regions around the world to discuss cutting-edge industry topics such as fraud investigation, judicial accounting appraisal, corporate compliance risk control and cross-border dispute resolution, promoting the in-depth integration of theoretical research and practical application and helping improve the overall industry level.

Professional Services

Meanwhile, relying on its professional expert team and global resource network, the Association provides all-round and professional forensic accounting-related services for individual members and institutional clients, including: special consulting services such as fraud risk assessment, financial evidence investigation, litigation support and expert witness services; step-by-step education and training programs designed for practitioners at different career stages, covering entry, advanced and senior levels to meet learning needs at different stages; and a forensic accountant certification system established in strict accordance with international standards to ensure the professionalism and international recognition of certification qualifications.

Career Development

Through systematic capability certification and continuous career development planning, FCPAA helps global practitioners continuously improve professional competence and professional credibility, enabling them to play a key role in complex cross-border commercial disputes, financial investigations and judicial procedures, and contribute professional strength to maintaining global commercial order and promoting the construction of the rule of law.

International Certified Arbitrator (ICA)