Requalifying into Scotland

We welcome applications from lawyers all over the world who are interested in requalifying into Scotland.

Any lawyer wishing to requalify as a Scottish solicitor must apply to undertake our Qualified Lawyers Assessment. We are here to guide you through the process from beginning to end.

We can also give advice and information about working in the Scottish jurisdiction, to help you identify what career options might be available to you. If you would like some assistance in relation to career options, please contact careers@lawscot.org.uk.

Otherwise, if you are looking to begin the requalification process, please read the information below and follow the steps provided. If you have any questions relating to the requalification process, please contact exams@lawscot.org.uk.

The Application Process

Solicitors who are qualified in another jurisdiction and wish to requalify as a Scottish solicitor must first obtain a Certificate of Eligibility from us, before they can sit the Qualified Lawyers Assessment. This certifies that you are a fit and proper person to sit the Qualified Lawyers Assessment. You can find out what it means to be a fit and proper person here.

Once you have been granted a Certificate of Eligibility you have one year from the issue date of the certificate to commence your first Qualified Lawyers Assessment exam. Following the expiry of that calendar year, we require a fresh Certificate of Good Standing from you, in order to grant a new Certificate of Eligibility.

We aim to issue Certificates of Eligibility within six weeks from the date that a fully completed application is received.

Please note the QLA exams are held remotely however they may return to “in person” exams, we will advise candidates if this change happens and give candidates at least 6 months notice.

How do I apply for a Certificate of Eligibility?

You must complete the Certificate of Eligibility application form. There is a link to this form at the bottom of this page.

All applicants are also required to obtain a Level 2 Disclosure Scotland certificate. You can only apply for a Level 2 certificate through the Law Society of Scotland. Do not apply for a Level 1 Disclosure Scotland certificate directly - this is different. If you pay for a Level 1 certificate, you will have to pay for second Level 2 certificate, in addition.

We will use the information you have provided in your Certificate of Eligibility application form to start your Disclosure application for you. You will then get an email from Disclosure Scotland with a link to complete the application and will pay their fee, before you submit it. Once you have been sent your online certificate by Disclosure Scotland, you will have to request that it is sent on to the Law Society. Disclosure Scotland will provide guidance on how to do this.

Lastly, you will have to consider whether you would like to apply for any exemptions from the Qualified Lawyers Assessment exams. If so, you will also need to submit those exemption applications, when you apply for your Certificate of Eligibility. Full details of applying for exemptions can be found on our Qualified Lawyers Assessment webpage.

When do I need to apply for a Certificate of Eligibility?

It is recommended you apply for a Certificate of Eligibility four months before the date of the first examination of the Qualified Lawyers Assessment you intend to sit.

What supporting evidence will I need?

You will need to submit the following with your application for a Certificate of Eligibility:

A Certificate of Good Standing from your home Bar Association (for details of what this must show, see Schedule 5 of the Admission as Solicitor (Scotland) Regulations 2019)
A recent photograph of yourself
A copy birth certificate or abbreviated birth certificate
One form of photographic identification
One form of identification showing your current home address
Any Qualified Lawyers Assessment exam exemption applications that you would like to make.

Advice on obtaining a Level 2 Disclosure Scotland certificate

From 1 April 2025, Disclosure Scotland changed the way it processes and sends Disclosure certificates. Full details can be found on their website. The main changes you need to be aware of are:

You will now be required to obtain a Level 2 disclosure. This is identical to the old Standard disclosure.
You will need to create a ScotAccount to apply for a certificate. The new process is all online. You no longer fill out a form and submit it to the Law Society for countersigning. Now, we will start the application for you, using the information in your Certificate of Eligibility application. You then get an email from Disclosure Scotland with a link to complete the application and will pay their fee, before you submit it.
Once you have been sent your online certificate by Disclosure Scotland, you will have to request that it is sent on to the Law Society. Disclosure Scotland will provide guidance on how to do this.

Full details of the new process are at the “Level 2 disclosure” link above.

Please note that although we are here to help, the Law Society may be unable to answer any questions that you have about the new process. Any questions about the changes or your ScotAccount should go to Disclosure Scotland.

If any of the information on this page, about the Law Society’s processes, is unclear, we’d be happy to answer those.

Are there any fees involved in the application process?

The fee for obtaining a Certificate of Eligibility is £600 You will receive an invoice from the Society once your application has been processed. Payment method is by bank transfer or over the phone.
There is a fee for each exemption application that you submit with your Certificate of Eligibility application. Details of that fee are on the appropriate form.
The Disclosure Scotland fee is £25. Pay Disclosure Scotland directly, using the payment portal within the application form.

Where do I send the forms once complete?

Your Certificate of Eligibility application form, any exam exemption applications and all supporting documentation, including your identification documents, should be emailed to exams@lawscot.org.uk .

It is helpful if the documents are in pdf format.

Forms

Certificate of Eligibility application form

What happens once you have been granted a Certificate of Eligibility?

Once you have been granted a Certificate of Eligibility by us, you can enrol in the Qualified Lawyers Assessment exams.

Once all required exams have been sat and passed, you are eligible to apply for admission to the Roll of Solicitors. Under Regulation 16(4) of the Admission as Solicitor (Scotland) Regulations 2019, applicants must apply for admission within five years after passing the Qualified Lawyers Assessment. The Society will provide you with the admission paperwork following your final exam.

Once admitted to the Roll of Solicitors, you will then be provided with paperwork to obtain a Practising Certificate to allow you to practice as a Scottish solicitor.