Professionals meet initial and ongoing education, experience and professional development requirements, pass a rigorous exam that assesses competency, and adhere to a code of ethics, pledging to provide financial planning in the interests of clients and with the highest ethical and professional standards.

As of 1 April 2019, the CFP® certification program in India is directly administered by U.S.-based Financial Planning Standards Board Ltd. (FPSB Ltd.), owner of the international CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER certification program outside the United States. FPSB Ltd. partners with its global network of Affiliate organizations to administer CFP® certification programs in 27 countries and territories around the world, representing a global CFP professional community of 223,700+ at the end of 2023 (with 2,731 CFP professionals in India).