The registered European lawyer route to qualification at the Bar has now closed, following the expiry of the post-Brexit Swiss Citizens' Rights Agreement on 31 December 2024. This has brought in changes to the way in which we will process applications for two groups of applicants, detailed below.
The registered European lawyer regime gave enhanced rights to qualified Swiss lawyers to apply to practise as a barrister compared with transferring qualified lawyers from most other non-common law countries.
Another temporary post-Brexit regime, which operated via the European Union (Recognition of Professional Qualifications) Regulations 2015 has also now expired. This agreement gave Swiss lawyers enhanced rights to have their professional qualifications recognised by legal regulators, outside of the registered European lawyer regime. Under this regime, qualified Swiss lawyers could only be required to take an aptitude test, i.e. the Bar Transfer Test; they were not required to take pupillage.
New regulations came into effect on 1st January 2025 replacing both regimes. These regulations align with the terms of the replacement trade agreement between the United Kingdom and Switzerland, creating a new framework for Swiss lawyers seeking recognition of their professional qualifications in the UK. They will continue to provide a streamlined route to the Bar for eligible Swiss lawyers.
Eligibility under the new regime is based on applicants holding specific Swiss legal professional titles: Avocat, Advokat, Rechtsanwalt, Anwalt, Fürsprecher, Fürsprech or Avvocato.
Applicants whose professional qualifications are deemed by the Bar Standards Board not to be comparable with existing requirement to enter the Bar will be required to:
- Undertake an aptitude test, or
- Complete an adaptation period.
A key development under the new regime is that those Swiss lawyer applicants without comparable qualifications may now choose their preferred route into the profession; either by an aptitude test or by an adaptation period, and cannot be required to complete both.
We are now updating the Handbook in light of a trade agreement between the UK and Norway, Iceland and Liechtenstein.
The trade agreement between the UK and Norway, Iceland and Liechtenstein follows a regulatory regime similar to that for Swiss lawyers (see above). However, it gives fewer rights to lawyers from these countries than the Swiss regime (above). For example, the Bar Standards Board will decide whether applicants from Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein are required to undertake an aptitude test, complete an adaptation period, or both.
The professional titles covered by the updated regime for Norway, Iceland and Liechtenstein are: Advokat (Norway), Lögmaður (Iceland), and Rechtsanwalt (Liechtenstein).
We are now working to integrate these updated regulatory regimes into the BSB Handbook and its supporting guidance. We expect to complete this by Autumn 2025. In the interim, applications received from lawyers from Norway, Iceland, Liechtenstein or Switzerland will be processed in line with the updated regulations. Where appropriate, the BSB will exercise its discretionary waiver powers to give effect to the new regulations ahead of the Handbook update.
Contact Information
For further information or assistance, applicants are encouraged to contact the BSB Policy Team. The team is available to guide applicants through the application process and provide detailed support.
We thank you for your understanding and cooperation during this transition period.
