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United Kingdom · Qualifications

The CISI Statement of Professional Standing (SPS)

Every practising retail investment adviser regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) needs a Statement of Professional Standing. The Chartered Institute for Securities & Investment (CISI) issues a CISI SPS to its members, though not to student members, and to staff of CISI Corporate Supporter firms. Your SPS is tied to your continuing professional development (CPD) year, and CISI aims to issue it within 10 working days of a complete application.

  • £55Fee for a first SPS application
  • 3 monthsLatest SPS start after your CPD year ends
  • 10 working daysCISI’s aim for issuing an SPS
Apply for an SPS on CISI’s site

Updated October 2026 · Written from official sources, listed at the bottom of this page

Who can apply for a CISI SPS?

You must be a retail investment adviser as the FCA defines it, and all of these must apply:

  • you have an active profile on the FCA Directory and carry on FCA activities 2, 3, 4, 6, 12 or 13
  • you’re certified on the FCA register in functions that need qualifications, or approved for the customer function (CF30) if you’re an appointed representative
  • you hold an appropriate qualification for retail advice, plus any gap-fill needed, with certified evidence for a non-CISI qualification
  • you meet the FCA’s conduct rules in its COCON sourcebook, or its APER rules for approved persons if you’re an appointed representative, and you’ve signed up to the CISI Code of Conduct and the SPS terms

To use gap-fill with a CISI qualification, it had to be lodged with CISI before 1 January 2021. If you’re not sure your qualification counts, email rdr@cisi.org.

The Investment Advice Diploma →

Choosing your SPS date

Your SPS start date must come after you’ve passed your qualification and any gap-fill, and within three months after the end of your CISI CPD year, so the CPD is current. If your CPD year ends more than 92 days before the date you want, CISI realigns your CPD year. Your CPD year record must show a pass or provisional pass.

If you’re moving employer, CISI expects you to apply only once the new firm has signed you off as a retail investment adviser, or your CF30 status is active.

CISI CPD requirements →

CISI SPS fees

ItemFee
First application, if you’ve never held an SPS£55
Renewal£42
Renewal paid in advance with your membership renewal£30
Admin fee for a renewal sent in manually£25

CISI no longer charges VAT on SPS fees.

Why applications get sent back

If anything is missing, CISI emails you and gives you three days to send it; after that the application comes back unprocessed. CISI lists these common mistakes:

  • applying as a student member or non-member
  • sending unsuitable CPD as gap-fill
  • an SPS date outside the three-month CPD window
  • an FCA number that’s wrong or missing in MyCISI, or details that don’t match the FCA register
Sources: CISI · FCA Handbook and 1 more. Checked October 2026.

Rules and fees can change, so check the official site before your test.

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