Authorisations Team Service Update

We have been contacting applicants recently (via email) to follow up on outstanding correspondence.

We will also be publishing further information on anticipated processing times for all of our application types in the coming months, so please do look out for this on this page.

We are continuing to process a very high volume of applications across all categories, and so applications are taking at least 16 weeks to process from the date that the application is regarded as ‘complete’ (ie when we have received all relevant documents and payment of the application fee) so we will deal with the oldest outstanding applications first.

We continue to have very limited capacity to consider requests for priority processing of applications. As far as possible, we will prioritise applications:

• if the outcome is required to confirm registration on a GDL or vocational component Bar Course, or for Bar Transfer Test assessments; or
• if the outcome is required for an upcoming court appearance (eg authorisation as a licensed access client); or
• for Transferring Qualified Lawyer applicants - if the outcome is required to confirm a pupillage, tenancy, or employment offer for which you require a practising certificate for the Bar of England and Wales (offers for other forms of employment will not be taken into consideration). You must be able to evidence (eg by providing a copy of an offer email or letter) any such offer with a confirmed starting date.

We cannot otherwise guarantee to prioritise any applications, at present.

If you would like your application to be prioritised for assessment, you will need to submit a request (in writing), as follows:

• For Transferring Qualified Lawyer applications, please email [email protected]
• For all other application types, please email [email protected] 

You will need to set out any grounds for the urgent processing of your application and confirm the date by which a decision is required.

If you have already submitted a request for your application to be prioritised, this will be reviewed as soon as possible to provide you with an anticipated decision date for your application.

If you would prefer to withdraw your application, please contact us directly on [email protected]. If you have already paid an application fee and your application has not been processed by us, we will arrange a refund of that payment.

Transferring Qualified Lawyers

Please see our new Applications page for information on how to apply as a Transferring Qualified Lawyer, including creating a CRM profile, key supporting documents, fee payments, and prioritisation requests.

We will be contacting applicants in the coming months with further information about the processing of their applications and likely timescales.

Any correspondence relating to Transferring Qualified Lawyer applications should be directed to our dedicated email address –[email protected].

Pupillage Registration and Completion - [email protected].  

The Autumn peak in pupillage activity has now concluded. Pupillage completion forms and the registration of new pupillages will now be processed alongside Notification of Material Change forms. Your patience is appreciated until we are able to send email confirmations of any forms that have been recorded.

We process pupillage completion forms based on the date of expiry of the pupil’s Provisional Practising Certificate so please do bear this in mind when submitting pupillage documentation to us. Provisional Practising Certificates are valid for 30 days beyond the registered completion date of the pupillage, giving pupils time to complete their pupillage documentation and confirm their eligibility for a Full Practising Certificate.

In order for us to issue a Confirmation of Full Qualification Letter at the end of a pupillage, a pupil or their AETO must confirm that the pupil completed the Pupils’ Advocacy Course during the non-practising period of their pupillage and that they have also completed the Pupils’ Ethics Exam (if applicable).

Do ensure that you are using the latest versions of the Certificates of Satisfactory Completion, Registration, and Material Change form templates - available for download from the Bar Standards Board website. Forms must include a handwritten ('wet-ink') signature from the relevant pupil supervisor. Alternatively, forms can be sent in by the pupillage provider (Chambers or other AETO) directly to confirm the electronic signature of the sender.

Authorised pupillage provider AETOs will start to receive their formal AETO Agreements from us in the coming months. If you have received a conditional authorisation decision from us, please respond to any conditions set out in your authorisation letter, as soon as possible. We will acknowledge receipt but may not be able to provide a formal reply immediately.

Authorised pupillage providers may advertise for, and recruit, new pupils as soon as they have received an authorisation decision letter (whether conditional or unconditional).

In the Employed Bar? We have published guidance and FAQs for organisations within the Employed Bar who may be interested in become pupillage providers.

We have been contacting applicants recently (via email) to follow up on outstanding correspondence. We will also be publishing further information on anticipated processing times for all of our application types in the coming months, so please do look out for this on this page.

Pupillage Registration and Completion - [email protected]

We are now entering the Spring peak of non-practising ("first six") pupillage completion. Certificates of Satisfactory Completion of the non-practising period will be prioritised in order to ensure that provisional practising certificates ("PPCs") can be issued to pupils entering the practising period of their pupillage.

We will be dealing with a very high number of requests for PPCs over a relatively short period of time so please do bear with us while we are processing these requests, as quickly as we are able. We will require confirmation that the pupil has completed the Pupils’ Advocacy Course during their non-practising period of their pupillage in order to issue a PPC.

If the pupil is intending to change their pupil supervisor for the practising period of their pupillage, we will need to receive a Notification of Material Change form setting out the details of the change and the relevant dates.

Do ensure that you are using the latest versions of the Certificates of Satisfactory Completion, Registration, and Material Change form templates - available for download from the Bar Standards Board website. Forms must include a handwritten ('wet-ink') signature from the relevant pupil supervisor. Alternatively, forms can be sent in by the pupillage provider (Chambers or other AETO) directly to confirm the electronic signature of the sender.

Transferring Qualified Lawyers –[email protected].

Please see our new Applications page for information on how to apply as a Transferring Qualified Lawyer, including creating a CRM profile, key supporting documents, fee payments, and prioritisation requests.

We will be contacting applicants in the coming months with further information about the processing of their applications and likely timescales.

We will also be amending the application fees for Transferring Qualified Lawyer applications, from 1 April 2025. Please see our Applications page for details of the new application fees.

We are continuing to process a very high volume of applications across all categories, and so applications are taking at least 16 weeks to process from the date that the application is regarded as ‘complete’ (ie when we have received all relevant documents and payment of the application fee) so we will deal with the oldest outstanding applications first.

We continue to have very limited capacity to consider requests for priority processing of applications. As far as possible, we will prioritise applications:

• if the outcome is required to confirm registration on a GDL or vocational component Bar Course, or for Bar Transfer Test assessments; or
• if the outcome is required for an upcoming court appearance (eg authorisation as a licensed access client); or
• for Transferring Qualified Lawyer applicants - if the outcome is required to confirm a pupillage, tenancy, or employment offer for which you require a practising certificate for the Bar of England and Wales (offers for other forms of employment will not be taken into consideration). You must be able to evidence (eg by providing a copy of an offer email or letter) any such offer with a confirmed starting date.

We cannot otherwise guarantee to prioritise any applications, at present.

If you would like your application to be prioritised for assessment, you will need to submit a request (in writing), as follows:

• For Transferring Qualified Lawyer applications, please email [email protected]
• For all other application types, please email [email protected] 

You will need to set out any grounds for the urgent processing of your application and confirm the date by which a decision is required.

If you have already submitted a request for your application to be prioritised, this will be reviewed as soon as possible to provide you with an anticipated decision date for your application.

If you would prefer to withdraw your application, please contact us directly on [email protected]. If you have already paid an application fee and your application has not been processed by us, we will arrange a refund of that payment.

Authorised pupillage provider AETOs will start to receive their formal AETO Agreements from us in the coming months. If you have received a conditional authorisation decision from us, please respond to any conditions set out in your authorisation letter, as soon as possible. We will acknowledge receipt but may not be able to provide a formal reply immediately.

Authorised pupillage providers may advertise for, and recruit, new pupils as soon as they have received an authorisation decision letter (whether conditional or unconditional).

In the Employed Bar? We have published guidance and FAQs for organisations within the Employed Bar who may be interested in become pupillage providers.

We will be publishing further information on anticipated processing times for all of our application types in the coming months, so please do look out for this on this page.

Pupillage Registration and Completion - [email protected]

We are now in the middle of the Spring peak of non-practising ("first six") pupillage completion. Certificates of Satisfactory Completion of the non-practising period will be prioritised in order to ensure that provisional practising certificates ("PPCs") can be issued to pupils entering the practising period of their pupillage.

We are dealing with a very high number of requests for PPCs over a relatively short period of time so please do bear with us while we are processing these requests, as quickly as we are able. Currently, we have approximately 135 pupils who are yet to receive their PPCs. We will require confirmation that the pupil has completed the Pupils’ Advocacy Course during their non-practising period of their pupillage in order to issue a PPC.

If the pupil is intending to change their pupil supervisor for the practising period of their pupillage, we will need to receive a Notification of Material Change form setting out the details of the change and the relevant dates.

Do ensure that you are using the latest versions of the Certificates of Satisfactory Completion, Registration, and Material Change form templates - available for download from the Bar Standards Board website. Forms must include a handwritten ('wet-ink') signature from the relevant pupil supervisor. Alternatively, forms can be sent in by the pupillage provider (Chambers or other AETO) directly to confirm the electronic signature of the sender.

Please see our new Applications page for information on how to apply as a Transferring Qualified Lawyer, including creating a CRM profile, key supporting documents, fee payments, and prioritisation requests.

We will be contacting applicants in the coming months with further information about the processing of their applications and likely timescales.

Please note: the application fees for Transferring Qualified Lawyer applications have changed for applications submitted on or after 1 April 2025. Please see our Applications page for details of the new application fees.

We are continuing to process a very high volume of applications across all categories, and so applications are taking at least 16 weeks to process from the date that the application is regarded as ‘complete’ (ie when we have received all relevant documents and payment of the application fee) so we will deal with the oldest outstanding applications first.

We continue to have very limited capacity to consider requests for priority processing of applications. As far as possible, we will prioritise applications:

• if the outcome is required to confirm registration on a GDL or vocational component Bar Course, or for Bar Transfer Test assessments; or
• if the outcome is required for an upcoming court appearance (eg authorisation as a licensed access client); or
• for Transferring Qualified Lawyer applicants - if the outcome is required to confirm a pupillage, tenancy, or employment offer for which you require a practising certificate for the Bar of England and Wales (offers for other forms of employment will not be taken into consideration). You must be able to evidence (eg by providing a copy of an offer email or letter) any such offer with a confirmed starting date.

We cannot otherwise guarantee to prioritise any applications, at present.

If you would like your application to be prioritised for assessment, you will need to submit a request (in writing), as follows:

• For Transferring Qualified Lawyer applications, please email [email protected]
• For all other application types, please email [email protected] 

You will need to set out any grounds for the urgent processing of your application and confirm the date by which a decision is required.

If you have already submitted a request for your application to be prioritised, this will be reviewed as soon as possible to provide you with an anticipated decision date for your application.

If you would prefer to withdraw your application, please contact us directly on [email protected]. If you have already paid an application fee and your application has not been processed by us, we will arrange a refund of that payment.

Authorised pupillage provider AETOs will start to receive their formal AETO Agreements from us in the coming months. If you have received a conditional authorisation decision from us, please respond to any conditions set out in your authorisation letter, as soon as possible. We will acknowledge receipt but may not be able to provide a formal reply immediately.

Authorised pupillage providers may advertise for, and recruit, new pupils as soon as they have received an authorisation decision letter (whether conditional or unconditional).

In the Employed Bar? We have published guidance and FAQs for organisations within the Employed Bar who may be interested in become pupillage providers.

If you are a current undergraduate degree or Graduate Diploma in Law (GDL) student intending to start vocational Bar training in the Autumn, please read our Guidance for undergraduates affected by the University and College Union (UCU) marking boycott.

The transitional process for currently authorised Pupillage Training Organisations (PTOs) seeking authorisation as pupillage provider Authorised Education and Training Organisations (AETOs) concluded at the end of July 2024. If you have not yet received the outcome of your transitional pupillage provider application, please contact us directly ([email protected]) to confirm your current status.

Authorised pupillage providers will start to receive their formal AETO Agreements from us in the coming months.

If you have received a conditional authorisation decision from us, please respond to any conditions set out in your authorisation letter, as soon as possible. We will acknowledge receipt but may not be able to provide a formal reply immediately, while we are prioritising applications from applicants that have not yet obtained pupillage provider AETO status.

Authorised pupillage providers may advertise for, and recruit, new pupils as soon as they have received an authorisation decision letter (whether conditional or unconditional).

Have we got the right contact details for your organisation? We are unable to send you the latest information relating to pupillage provider transitional arrangements without a current email address. Please contact the team via email at [email protected] to advise us of any changes.

Contact us: [email protected]

Pupillage Registration

PLEASE NOTE - you may commence pupillage pending receipt of confirmation of registration from us. Due to current processing times, this may be up to four weeks after you submit your form. 

*The team is working on 10 outstanding emails relating to pupillage registration. 

Pupils' Advocacy Course

Once your pupillage has been registered, please contact your Inn of Court or Circuit to book on to the Pupils' Advocacy Course, as soon as possible.

PLEASE NOTE:

• You will not be able to progress to the practising period of pupillage until the Pupils' Advocacy Course has been completed. The date(s) of your Advocacy Course should be noted on your non-practising period completion form.
• If you are completing a voluntary period of non-practising pupillage, arranged between yourself and your AETO (ie not required by the Bar Standards Board), you will not be required to complete the Pupils' Advocacy Course. For example, if you have been granted a reduction in pupillage by us and we have recommended that you complete only a period of practising pupillage but your AETO would prefer you to complete a short non-practising pupillage on a voluntary basis before commencing that recommended period of practising pupillage.

Professional Ethics assessment

Following a transition period, passing the Professional Ethics assessment during pupillage is now a requirement for all pupils unless they have a specific exemption authorised by the BSB. For further details, please see our guidance on the introduction of a new Professional Ethics assessment during pupillage.

Pupillage Completion (sign off)

PLEASE NOTE - you can submit Pupillage forms up to 10 days in advance of pupillage start and end dates. This helps us to help you by preventing delays in the process created by last minute submissions.

• If you have submitted a pupillage sign off form for the non-practising period you should expect this to be processed within 10 working days or before you commence the practising period whichever is sooner. 
• If you have submitted a pupillage sign off form for the practising period you should expect this to be processed within one month or before your Provisional Practising Certificate (PPC) expires whichever is sooner. 

Any anticipated delays to the pupillage administrative process will be published on this page. 

*The team is working on 16 outstanding emails relating to pupillage completion.

Material changes

Please note that there may be delays in the processing of these forms at times when we need to prioritise pupillage completion processes and provisional practising certificate requests.

*The team is working on 76 outstanding emails relating to material changes.

Other correspondence

*Currently, we are dealing with approximately 425 unsorted pupillage-related emails, separate from explicit requests for pupillage registration and non-practising and practising period completion.

Waivers

If you have applied for a pupillage reduction or dispensation then your application will take at least 16 weeks to process, at present. When applying, please allow enough time for your application to be considered as we cannot guarantee that it will be expedited at your request. Please note that you can commence pupillage while waiting for a decision for a reduction in pupillage and amend the duration of your registered pupillage in the event of a successful outcome to your application.

If a pupillage provider AETO has advertised for a pupillage(s) commencing on a particular date and then wishes to make offers to additional candidates who applied in the same recruitment round, they may do so provided that the additional candidate(s) will be starting their pupillages within six months (either before or after) the originally intended starting date.

If the additional candidate(s) will be starting their pupillage more than six months either before or after the other pupil(s), the pupillage provider AETO will need to apply for a waiver of the advertising requirements. This is because other candidates may have responded to the advert if they were aware that alternative starting dates were being considered.

Any additional pupillage candidates offered pupillage in this way must be fully funded in line with any other pupillages offered by the pupillage provider AETO at that time. If any variance in funding is intended, the pupillage provider AETO would need to apply for a waiver of the pupillage funding requirements.

If needed, the waiver application form and guidelines may be found in the Training & Qualification section of our website.

**UPDATE** - We are dealing with a very high volume of these applications currently. Where possible, we will aim to prioritise applications from applicants who can provide evidence of a pupillage or tenancy/employment offer, with a confirmed starting date.

Please see our new Applications page for information on how to apply as a Transferring Qualified Lawyer, including creating a CRM profile, key supporting documents, fee payments, and prioritisation requests.

BSB Entity Renewals for 2025 started in the first week of March and approximately half of the existing entities have now renewed their authorisation with us.

After some initial technical difficulties, the portal is now open and available for the completion of the renewal process.

This year the BSB is asking additional questions, similar to the annual Authorisation to Practice (ATP) questions, to update and confirm our knowledge of the BSB entity community. You will also need to email us your insurance certificate, as in previous years. If you encounter any technical difficulties with the renewal process, please contact us at the email address above, with an explanation and screenshot(s), if appropriate.

Annual BSB Entity Renewal Guidance (2025)

If you have a registered entity with us but do not wish to renew your authorisation, you will still need to complete the online process, once it has launched. You should indicate that you do not wish to renew in response to the first question on the online form. We will then get in touch with you directly about any other steps you may need to complete before your authorisation is revoked.

Please see the Entities Register for the current status of any BSB entity.

If you encounter any technical issues with the online renewal process, please do contact us on [email protected] or telephone (020 7611 1444).

There are currently 156 BSB authorised Entities – you can view the Entity Register on our website. 

Please allow six to nine months for us to complete our assessment of your application, depending on the complexity of your proposed business model.   

We request that you respond to information requests from us in relation to your application within 10 working days.

For details on the application process, please visit the Becoming a BSB Entity page on our website. To arrange an informal discussion with a member of the team, please do contact us on [email protected].