The purpose of the CAMS recertification requirements is to ensure that Certified Anti-Money Laundering Specialists (CAMS) continue, maintain and enhance their anti-money laundering expertise. Therefore, CAMS professionals are required to earn continuing education credits through training, education and other professional development activities as outlined below.
Copies of supporting documents must be submitted with the CAMS RECERTIFICATION APPLICATION
Please refer to the CAMS RECERTIFICATION APPLICATION for complete details on acceptable forms of supporting documents
CAMS recertification candidates should retain original copies of their supporting documents in their files in the event that ACAMS should find it necessary to audit their records
Recertification Evaluation Fees
Early Application
$200
The CAMS RECERTIFICATION APPLICATION, evaluation fees, and supporting documents must be postmarked no later than October 1st (90 days before the recertification deadline)
Regular Application
$250
The CAMS RECERTIFICATION APPLICATION, evaluation fees, and supporting documents must be postmarked no later than December 31st (the recertification deadline)
Late Application
$300
The CAMS RECERTIFICATION APPLICATION, evaluation fees, and supporting documents must be postmarked no later than April 1st (90 days after the recertification deadline)
ACAMS will not accept recertification applications postmarked after April 1st (90 days after the recertification deadline)
Checks, credit cards and wire-transfers are acceptable forms of payment
For additional questions regarding recertification, please contact Tamara Ofner at 305-373-0020 x 3065 or tofner@acams.org
Recertification Policy
Application Fee
The recertification application fees are as follows: Early Application $200 ; Regular Application $250 ; Late Application $300. Fees must be submitted by the deadlines indicated in the Recertification Narrative and are non-refundable. Recertification fees are subject to change without notice. Applicants who submit applications with the inappropriate payment amount will be invoiced the difference and will remain unprocessed until the amount is paid in full. Fees can be paid by credit card, wire transfer or by check made payable to ACAMS. Please do not send cash. The certificant’s name and company must appear on all payments made by check.
Recertification Cycle
To submit an application, complete the application as requested, making sure to list the titles of the activities and the specific dates and times. Recertification credits must be accumulated during the three-year cycle.
Processing
Please allow four to six weeks from the time ACAMS receives your application for review and notification. Applications submitted near a deadline (e.g., October 1, December 31, or April 1) may take six to eight weeks to review due to the higher volume of recertification applications received.
Extensions
Occasionally, extenuating circumstances—such as prolonged unemployment or the serious illness of a close family member—may prevent certificants from meeting the required 30 credits of continuing education experience over a three-year period. One-year extensions of the recertification deadline can be requested in such circumstances. The extension can be taken only once during a certificant’s recertification career and must be approved at least 3 months prior (October 1, 2006) to the recertification deadline. The fee to request an extension is U.S. $100. Certificants may also choose to recertify by examination on or before their recertification deadline. Examples of who may be eligible for an extension:
1. Certificants who have been out of work for at least one year of the three-year recertification cycle due to being laid off or child birth/childcare. 2. Certificants who have spent a significant amount of time caring for a seriously ill family member or who have suffered serious illness themselves. 3. Certificants who are being deployed to active duty in one of the armed forces for at least a one-year assignment.
If the extension is approved, the recertification expiration date will be extended for one year, allowing enough time to accumulate the necessary continuing education credits. At the end of that period, certificants will be required to submit a completed recertification application form demonstrating that they have successfully met the continuing education requirements. The full recertification application fee is also due at that time. Upon successful recertification, the new three-year recertification cycle will begin at the end of the extension period.
To request the extension, the following materials must be submitted at least 3 months (October 1, 2006) before the recertification deadline:
1. A written request for extension providing a description of the extenuating circumstances. 2. Documentation of the extenuating circumstances. This may include a letter from a physician, notice of termination or receipt of unemployment benefits. The extension request fee is U.S. $100. 3. A completed recertification application demonstrating the efforts made to meet recertification requirements.
Those not eligible for an extension:
Certificants who have not accrued the required 30 recertification credits by their expiration date and who have not experienced extenuating circumstances or have simply not submitted a recertification application on or before their expiration date are not eligible for an extension.
Lapsed Certifications
CAMS certificants who do not submit an application within 3 months after their recertification deadline (April 1 of the year following the recertification deadline) will be considered lapsed and no longer certified. ACAMS will notify certificants if their certification expires and will also provide certification status to employers who request it. Certified memberships will be downgraded to Professional memberships for individuals whose CAMS certification has lapsed. They must cease using the CAMS designation immediately. To become certified, they must retake the CAMS examination.
CAMS certificants who do not recertify or whose recertification applications do not meet the established recertification criteria are considered lapsed and no longer certified. They must cease using the CAMS designation. To become certified, they must retake the CAMS examination.
Recertification by Examination
Those who opt to recertify by examination must submit the Recertification by Examination application with payment by the Regular Application deadline (December 31st). The cost to retake exam is $225.00 plus a $25.00 background verification fee. This fee is subject to change without notice. Applicants who submit applications with the inappropriate payment amount will be invoiced the difference and will remain unprocessed until the amount is paid in full. Fees can be paid by credit card, wire transfer, or by check made payable to ACAMS. Please do not send cash. The certificant’s name and company must appear on all payments made by check. This fee is nonrefundable.
The application to retake the exam can be found online. After the Late Application deadline for recertification has passed, the only way to regain the CAMS credential is to recertify by successfully passing the CAMS exam.
Reminders and Application Submission
Certificants should keep track of their recertification cycles and submit a completed application on or before their recertification deadline. As a professional courtesy, ACAMS will send two reminder e-mails to all certificants before the end of their recertification cycles: one approximately six months before the expiration date and one approximately 3 months before the recertification deadline. ACAMS will send the reminders to the e-mail address on file, so it is important to make sure you notify ACAMS of address changes. Recertification cycles and submission requirements will not be changed because a certificant did not receive e-mail reminders due to incorrect or bad email addresses on file with ACAMS.
