Membership obligations and application information

When applying to join, you must answer all the questions truthfully, including the declarations you make. Any information you provide which is misleading or untrue may result in your membership being cancelled. It may also lead to disciplinary or criminal proceedings.

Membership Application Sub-Committee

When you apply for membership, you will be asked, amongst other things, about past bankruptcies, Individual Voluntary Arrangements (IVAs) or similar procedures and any judgement debts, convictions and past disciplinary history. We ask these questions as part of a screening process which considers the suitability of applicants for membership of a professional body. The process is set out in the Membership Application Sub-Committee Guidelines and Terms of Reference.

We reserve the right to refer any such membership applications to the Membership Application Sub-Committee (MASC) which is a sub-committee of the CII Professional Standards Committee for consideration where appropriate. MASC has authority to approve membership, reject membership, impose conditions on membership or defer membership applications. An independent review of a decision made by MASC is available in certain circumstances.
                                                                                                                                                                                        
Instances where applications will normally be transferred to MASC include the circumstances set out in the above paragraph however, this is not an exhaustive list. Importantly, any past failure to comply with the CII's CPD requirements, applicable to qualified members, will be deemed an appropriate trigger for referral.

Obligations of membership

As a member you are required to comply with the following and any changes which may be made to the same from time to time:

• Charter and Bye-Laws (PDF)
• Board regulations (PDF)
• Code of Ethics
• Disciplinary regulations and procedures
• CPD scheme (for qualified members only) – failure to submit CPD records will prevent your membership from being renewed
• Constitution and bye-laws of any local institute of which you become a member – these documents will be available from your local institute

Members are required to:

• Advise the CII, as soon as possible, if they are made bankrupt or are subject in any individual voluntary arrangement (or similar procedure) or any judgement debt
• Advise the CII, as soon as possible, if they are charged with any offence other than a fixed monetary penalty for speeding
• Advise the CII, as soon as possible, if they are the subject of any investigation by any professional and/or membership body (other than the CII/PFS) or regulatory authority
• Return any certificate of membership if they stop being a member of the CII/PFS

By becoming a member of the CII, you are consenting to the CII processing your data in line with the requirements of the Data Protection Act 1998. More information is contained in the CII Data Protection and Privacy Statement.

Contact Details

It is essential that the CII is able to communicate with its members fully on transactional and governance issues. It is therefore a pre-condition (and ongoing obligation) of CII membership that a valid and unique e-mail address and telephone number are listed on your account to ensure that such communications can be sent. These details will not be used for marketing purposes unless you have consented to this or another lawful basis applies to receive these communications. 

The CII reserves, and you accept, the right to cancel your membership should you fail to provide these details. 

You are also consenting to your name and membership level/chartered title being included in the CII member search.

Cancellation of membership

In accordance with The Consumer Contracts (Information, Cancellation and Additional Charges) Regulations 2013 ("the Regulations"), you have a right of cancellation in respect of your membership. This right (subject to the Regulations) expires 14 calendar days from the day on which your membership application is accepted or where written confirmation of your membership is received by you (please note that no refunds will be provided for cancellations made after these specified dates). Reimbursement for any monies paid by you which relate to the cancellation will be sent to you within 14 calendar days of receiving the notice of cancellation. Should you wish to cancel, notice should be sent to CII Customer Service at customer.serv@cii.co.uk

Applying for an individual Chartered title

You can only apply for a Chartered title if you are already a Fellow or an Associate of the CII/PFS. Applications for a Chartered title can only be accepted provided you:

(a) have applied for a descriptive title that applies to your occupation, and

(b) have five years professional experience in the industry (not necessarily post-qualification) of a kind satisfactory to the Institute. Five years professional experience must include at least three years employed full-time in the industry. For the purposes of this application, employment can include self-employment or working on a consultancy, contractual or voluntary basis provided the employment is full-time and is in the industry relevant to the Chartered title for which you are applying. Professional experience for the remaining two years can include being a full time student where the primary focus of the study relates to the Chartered title for which you wish to apply

(c) have passed such combination of examination subjects as may be specified from time to time by the CII or approved in any individual case by the CII, and

(d) are up to date with the Continuing Professional Development (CPD) requirements in line with the CII's scheme.

Chartered title regulations

In becoming a Chartered title holder you are agreeing to:

• Only use the title in an individual capacity. It should not be used in the manner applying to firms, partnerships or corporate bodies
• Use the title in full without abbreviation
• Advise the CII if your occupation or employment changes so as to cause you to cease to be eligible and return your certificate. This notification is not required in the event of a temporary period of unemployment

Please note that these membership obligations may be revised and/or updated from time to time and you agree to abide by them at all times during your membership.