(a) Initial certification of a production.  The applicant shall properly prepare, sign, and submit to the film office an application for initial certification of the Rhode Island production. The application shall include such information and data as the film office deems necessary for the proper evaluation and administration of the application, including, but not limited to, any information about the motion picture production company, and a specific Rhode Island motion picture. The film office shall review the completed application and determine whether it meets the requisite criteria and qualifications for the initial certification for the production. If the initial certification is granted, the film office shall issue a notice of initial certification of the motion picture production to the motion picture production company and to the tax administrator. The notice shall state that, after appropriate review, the initial application meets the appropriate criteria for conditional eligibility. The notice of initial certification will provide a unique identification number for the production and is only a statement of conditional eligibility for the production and, as such, does not grant or convey any Rhode Island tax benefits.

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(b) Final certification of a production.  Upon completion of the Rhode Island production activities, the applicant shall request a certificate of good standing from the Rhode Island division of taxation. The certificates shall verify to the film office the motion picture production company’s compliance with the requirements of § 44-31.2-2(11). The applicant shall properly prepare, sign, and submit to the film office an application for final certification of the production and which must include the certificate of good standing from the division of taxation. In addition, the application shall contain such information and data as the film office determines is necessary for the proper evaluation and administration, including, but not limited to, any information about the motion picture production company, its investors, and information about the production previously granted initial certification. The final application shall also contain a cost report and an “accountant’s certification.” The film office and tax administrator may rely without independent investigation, upon the accountant’s certification, in the form of an opinion, confirming the accuracy of the information included in the cost report. Upon review of a duly completed and filed application, the film office will make a determination pertaining to the final certification of the production. Within ninety (90) days after the division of taxation’s receipt of the motion picture production company final certification and cost report, the division of taxation shall issue a certification of the amount of credit for which the motion picture production company qualifies under § 44-31.2-5. To claim the tax credit, the division of taxation’s certification as to the amount of the tax credit shall be attached to all state tax returns on which the credit is claimed.

(c) Final certification and credits.  Upon determination that the motion picture production company qualifies for final certification, the film office shall issue a letter to the production company indicating “certificate of completion of a state-certified production.” A motion picture production company is prohibited from using state funds, state loans, or state guaranteed loans to qualify for the motion picture tax credit. All documents that are issued by the film office pursuant to this section shall reference the identification number that was issued to the production as part of its initial certification.

(d)  The director of the Rhode Island council on the arts, in consultation as needed with the tax administrator, shall promulgate such rules and regulations as are necessary to carry out the intent and purposes of this chapter in accordance with the general guidelines provided herein for the certification of the production and the resultant production credit.

(e)  The tax administrator of the division of taxation, in consultation with the director of the Rhode Island film and television office, shall promulgate the rules and regulations as are necessary to carry out the intent and purposes of this chapter in accordance with the general guidelines for the tax credit provided herein.

(f)  Any motion picture production company applying for the credit shall be required to reimburse the division of taxation for any audits required in relation to granting the credit.