Principal place of practice

If you intend that New South Wales will be your principal place of practice in Australia, you are entitled to make an application for a practising certificate to the Law Society of NSW pursuant to section 44(4) of the Legal Profession Uniform Law (NSW). If your principal place of practice in Australia will be in another Australian jurisdiction, please contact the local regulatory authority in that jurisdiction.

You may hold only one Australian practising certificate at any time, if however, you are holding an Australian practising certificate from another jurisdiction, you may be entitled to practise in New South Wales. For further information on interstate practitioners in NSW, please read the information on Interstate Practice.

Application process

To apply for an Australian practising certificate in New South Wales, please follow these steps:

1. Download the Application form for Grant of an Australian Practising Certificate as a Solicitor.
2. Complete the application form – answer all questions, sign the form and attach any additional documentation (e.g. Certificate of Fitness from another jurisdiction).
3. Send the completed application, together with payment of fees, to The Law Society Registry.
4. Incomplete applications cannot be accepted by The Law Society Registry and will cause delays in processing. Please be attentive when completing the form.

For information on categories of and conditions on practising certificates issued by the Council of The Law Society of New South Wales, see Your Practising Certificate.

What happens next?

Your application will be assessed and processed. Please contact the Law Society Registry for current processing times on 02 9926 0156. The Registry team will contact you if further details are required.

In the event that your application is non-standard, it will be referred to the Licensing Committee for consideration.