Policies for Registration & Certification

Martial Arts Certification Authority

Once you submit your application we will not issue a refund for any reason whatsoever. If you discover an error in your application, please inform us as soon as possible and we will take reasonable steps to correct it. You must inform us of errors PRIOR to processing.

All applications must be fully complete and 100% truthful. Full disclosure and compliance is required in order to get registered or certified. This is for the best interests of all those in our community. We do not react kindly to intentional misrepresentation, hiding facts, bogus names/aliases, and so forth.

All information on your application WILL be verified by a private detective.

We WILL run a national criminal background check, sex offender search, verify military records, and for ALL applicants. Though we cannot make guarantees, we are very thorough.

Applications that contain information that is misleading, missing, incorrect, inaccurate, or incomplete in any way will be declined.

We believe in full disclosure when certifying martial artists, especially in cases of intentional misrepresentation and potential fraud. Therefore, all declined applicants will be listed on the web site with their name, rank on application, school name, and location with a status of “application declined.”

If your application was declined due to missing or inaccurate information, you may submit a new corrected application along with the appropriate application fee. If your new application is accepted and the certification is granted, your declined application will be permanently erased.

Use of the Certified Martial Artist™ and Registered Martial Artist™ titles and logos is restricted to those holding an ACTIVE certification or registration from the Martial Arts Certification Authority. All others will be considered in violation of our terms of trademark use and will be subject to legal action.

All applicants agree to notify us in the event of any disqualifying factor or any change in status during their active certification period. MACA reserves the right to withdraw or deactivate any certification or registration found to be in violation of our policies and terms of use without refund.

As an organization founded on the principle of practicing martial arts with responsibility, we make every effort to run our certification process with integrity and responsibility. That means that if we discover the whereabouts of known fugitives or criminal suspects through the registration or certification processes we will report them to the appropriate law enforcement agencies. Likewise those who attempt to falsify information or use licensed, trademarked, patented, or copyrighted information without the permission of the owner (including but not limited to the Certified Martial Artist and Registered Martial Artist logos as well as the licensed, copyrighted, or trademarked intellectual property of martial arts schools, instructors, and associations) will be reported to the appropriate authorities for enforcement action and/or to attorneys to bring suit. While we reserve the right to report anything discovered during background investigations to law enforcement, victims, or property owners, we are in no way obligated to do so and make no guarantee or commitment to do so in every case.

All referral payments or refunds are first applied to outstanding fees, including renewal fees that are due, past due, or come due within six months of the payment date. All other refunds or payments will be paid via PayPal. Individuals who go beyond the IRS threshold for a 1099 will be required to have a completed W-9 on file before further payments can be made.

These policies may change from time to time at the sole discretion of Certified Martial Arts.