SQE from outside the UK
Sitting the SQE from outside the UK
You can prepare for the SQE and sit most of it without living in the UK. SQE1 and the SQE2 written papers run at Pearson VUE test centres in about 26 countries outside the UK. Only the SQE2 oral assessments have to be taken in England or Wales, over two consecutive days.
- 37
- countries the SQE was delivered in during 2024/25, to more than 16,200 candidates (SQE annual report)
- 4
- cities for the SQE2 oral assessments, all in England and Wales: London, Cardiff, Manchester, Birmingham
- 36%
- of SQE1 candidates in 2024/25 went to school outside the UK (SQE annual report)
- 6 yrs
- to pass every part, with three attempts at each assessment
Pick your country
The rules on this page are the same for everyone. What changes from one country to the next is what the qualification is worth where you live, and what you are choosing it over.
SQE for Indian lawyersSix test cities, an SQE2 exemption that asks for the AIBE and two years of practice, and what the English title is worth in India.
SQE in SingaporeNot a route to the Singapore Bar: what the English title does do there, the 11 approved UK universities, and SQE2 exemptions.
SQE in Hong KongSQE or PCLL, PCLL places by provider, the foreign lawyer register, and the OLQE route from English to Hong Kong solicitor.
SQE in the UAE and the GulfSit in Dubai, Abu Dhabi or Riyadh, see how the SRA treats Gulf qualifications, and what Dubai and the DIFC Courts ask of an English solicitor.
SQE in Malaysia, and the CLPWhat the Qualifying Board’s list says about English solicitors, the CLP compared step by step, and sitting in Kuala Lumpur.
SQE in PakistanNo test city in Pakistan, an 18-month SQE2 exemption for advocates, and a title that Pakistani law does not name.
SQE in BangladeshSit abroad, apply through the SRA’s Dhaka advocate entry, and know what article 27 does and does not accept.
SQE in Sri LankaNo test city at home, an SQE2 exemption route for attorneys-at-law, and what the title is not worth at Law College.
SQE for US attorneysOne rule for all 50 states: SQE1 is sat, and SQE2 can be waived with two years of practice.
SQE for Canadian lawyersThirteen provinces and territories, no agreed exemption, and a different experience rule depending on where you were admitted.
SQE for Australian and New Zealand lawyersAustralian solicitors with an unrestricted practising certificate have an agreed SQE2 exemption. New Zealand lawyers apply individually.
SQE for EU and Irish lawyersIrish solicitors sit nothing, lawyers from 14 EU countries have an agreed SQE2 exemption, and the rest apply one by one.Or start from what you hold
Can I do the SQE without living in the UK?
Facts checked against the regulators’ own pages. Last updated .
- SQE1 (FLK1 and FLK2) and the SQE2 written papers are sat on computer at Pearson VUE test centres, in the UK and in other countries.
- The SQE2 oral assessments are held only in London, Cardiff, Manchester and Birmingham. Every candidate who sits SQE2 travels to England or Wales once, for two consecutive days.
- The fees are the same wherever you sit: £2,006 for SQE1 and £3,086 for SQE2, for assessments from September 2026.
- A degree from another country counts if it is shown to be equivalent to a UK degree, in any subject. You need it for admission, not to sit the exams.
- Lawyers already qualified in another jurisdiction need no qualifying work experience and can apply for an SQE2 exemption. SQE1 exemptions are very rare.
- Qualifying work experience can be done in any country and need not involve English law, but a solicitor of England and Wales has to confirm it.
Countries and cities for SQE1 and SQE2 written
This is the SRA’s published list of places its assessment provider aims to include. It says the list is "illustrative only and may change", and that the cities for a sitting are confirmed when booking opens.
| Region | Countries and cities |
|---|---|
| East and South East Asia | Singapore · Hong Kong · Malaysia (Kuala Lumpur) · China (Beijing, Guangzhou, Shanghai, Shenzhen) · Japan (Tokyo, Osaka) · South Korea (Seoul) |
| South Asia | India (Bangalore, Chennai, Gurugram, Hyderabad, Mumbai, New Delhi) |
| Middle East and Africa | United Arab Emirates (Abu Dhabi, Dubai) · Saudi Arabia (Riyadh) · Egypt (Cairo) · South Africa (Johannesburg, Pretoria) · Türkiye (Istanbul) |
| Europe | Ireland (Dublin) · France (Paris) · Germany (Berlin, Frankfurt, Hamburg, Munich) · Spain (Barcelona, Madrid) · Italy (Rome) · Netherlands (Amsterdam, Eindhoven) · Poland (Warsaw) · Austria (Vienna) · Czech Republic (Prague) · Greece (Athens) · Switzerland (Geneva, Lausanne) |
| North America | United States (New York) and Canada (Toronto): SQE1 only |
| Oceania | Australia (Melbourne, Perth, Sydney) |
- SQE2 written is not offered in the United States, Canada, New Zealand, or Central and South America.
- No SQE assessment is offered in Ukraine, Belarus or Russia.
- Pakistan, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka are not on the list. The SRA’s advice when your city is not available is to consider a neighbouring country or city. The nearest listed countries are India and the United Arab Emirates.
- You book through your SQE account, not through Pearson VUE. A centre on Pearson VUE’s own search is not necessarily one that runs the SQE.
Sources: SQE assessment locations and SQE1 and SQE2 written locations.
The one trip: SQE2 oral in England or Wales
Four of the sixteen SQE2 assessments are oral, and there is no overseas centre for them.
- You attend one oral sitting, which runs over two consecutive days. Each day runs from 8am to 8pm and you are there for 4.5 to 7 hours of it.
- The written and oral parts must be taken in the same assessment window, usually two to three weeks long. The written days can fall before, after or between the oral sittings.
- You can sit the written days at a centre near home and fly in for the oral days, where your country offers SQE2 written. Candidates in the United States, Canada and New Zealand do both parts on the trip.
- The oral sitting cannot be rescheduled once booked: it has to be cancelled and rebooked. The SQE site’s own advice is to travel home the day after your last oral day.
Do I need a visa to sit the oral assessments?
It depends on your nationality: some visitors need a Standard Visitor visa (£135 for up to six months, applied for up to three months before travel), some an electronic travel authorisation, some neither. GOV.UK lists taking an exam among the things a Standard Visitor can do, and Home Office guidance says visitors can enter to sit a test or an exam. The Immigration Rules do not name the SQE, and neither the SRA nor its assessment provider publishes visa guidance. Check the Standard Visitor page on GOV.UK for your own nationality before you book, and remember that a visitor cannot work in the UK, so the trip cannot be combined with work experience here.
Overseas degrees, English and background checks
None of the SRA’s admission requirements is about where you live or what passport you hold.
| Requirement | How it works from abroad |
|---|---|
| A degree or equivalent | In any subject. A non-UK degree is checked against UK level 6 through mySRA by the SRA’s provider, Atlantic Data, for £54.84. You can sit SQE1 and SQE2 before this is done. |
| SQE1 and SQE2 | Taken in English (or Welsh). At an overseas centre the staff and signs may be in the local language only. |
| Two years of qualifying work experience | Can be gained overseas, paid or unpaid, in up to four organisations, and need not cover English law. It must be confirmed by a solicitor of England and Wales or a compliance officer for legal practice. Not required of qualified lawyers. |
| English | Shown by passing SQE2. A lawyer exempt from SQE2 proves it separately, for example with IELTS Academic UKVI at 7.5. |
| Character and suitability | If you have not lived in the UK, the SRA works from an overseas criminal record check for each country you lived in for 12 months or more in the past five years. |
If your work experience was overseas and nobody in the organisation is an English solicitor, read QWE confirmation for overseas work and who can confirm QWE. Sources: SRA, the SQE route, SRA, degree or equivalent and SRA, qualifying work experience.
If you are already qualified in another country
The Qualified Lawyers Transfer Scheme (QLTS) closed for good on 31 March 2024. Foreign lawyers now qualify through the SQE.
- SQE1: exemptions are "very rare", in the SRA’s words, and it has granted one since 2021. Plan to sit both papers.
- SQE2: for some qualifications the SRA has an agreed exemption, listed by jurisdiction. For the rest you can make an individual application, which in general needs at least two years of professional legal work.
- The fee is £265 and the SRA decides within 180 days. Apply before you book: there is no exemption for an assessment you have failed or are waiting on.
- You do not need qualifying work experience.
Look up your own qualification in the SQE2 exemption finder by jurisdiction, and read how to apply for an SQE exemption. Source: SRA, SQE exemptions.
How overseas-educated candidates do
The SQE reports do not publish results by country. These three groups are the closest the reports come. Each is one characteristic on its own, and the report itself warns that other factors are involved.
| Group | Share of SQE1 candidates | SQE1 pass rate | SQE2 pass rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| Went to school outside the UK | 36% | 47% | 76% |
| First language other than English | 29% | 45% | 71% |
| First language English | 71% | 54% | 84% |
| Qualified lawyers | 27% | 45% | 73% |
| Not qualified lawyers | 73% | 54% | 82% |
Two things follow. More than a third of everyone sitting SQE1 was schooled outside the UK, so an overseas candidate is in large company. And the gap is widest in SQE2, the skills assessment in spoken and written English, so that is where candidates working in a second language should put extra practice. Source: SQE annual report 2024/25, tables 11 to 13.
Booking from another time zone
- Deadlines are in UK timeBooking closes about five weeks before a sitting. For SQE1 in January 2027 it closes on 23 November 2026.
- Seats go in orderMost candidates book through a seat reservation form sent by email, and then have 48 hours from the payment email to pay.
- Start times vary at international centresYour booking confirmation gives the reporting time and start time: check them when you book.
- Bring your passportSQE1 and SQE2 written need two original forms of ID, and the name must match your SQE account exactly. A photo or photocopy is refused, and the fee is lost.
- SQE1 spreads over two weeksEach paper is offered on five consecutive days and you choose one day in each week, subject to seats.
The dates for every sitting are on our SQE1 and SQE2 exam dates page. Source: SQE booking windows.
What the SQE costs, in your currency
Fees are charged in pounds and are the same at every test centre. Pick your currency below to see a guide figure for our plans.
Paid to the SRA, the same wherever you sit
- SQE1 assessment feeFLK1 and FLK2, paid to the SRA’s assessment provider when you book£2,006£2,006
- SQE2 assessment feeWritten and oral, paid when you book SQE2£3,086£3,086
- Both assessments£5,092£5,092
Preparing with FQPS
- FQPS SQE1 RevisionA month, no minimum term, cancel anytime£79£79
- FQPS SQE2 PreparationA month, includes 6 live 1:1 mocks with a solicitor£189£189
SRA fees are for assessments from September 2026. FQPS prices include VAT.
Preparing from another country
Everything in an FQPS plan is online, so the course is the same in Singapore, Dubai or Toronto as it is in London.
Start free, from anywhere
One full FLK1 and one full FLK2 mock (2 × 85 questions each, January 2027 format), free on sign-up with no card.
Create a free account
Study at your own hours
Revision cards for the whole SQE1 syllabus, 2,500+ practice questions, flashcards and full FLK1 and FLK2 mocks are there whenever you open the platform, on the web and in the mobile app.
The SQE1 courseA mentor who knows your route
Every paid plan includes a designated mentor and a personal study plan from Cleo, the FQPS study planner, built around your exam date.
How the mentor worksSQE2 oral practice before you fly
The SQE2 plans include live 1:1 mocks with a qualified solicitor, covering the oral and the written stations, with written feedback.
The SQE2 courseListen on the commute
Audiobooks of the revision material are part of the SQE1 Practice and Master plans and both SQE2 plans.
Audio revisionOverseas work experience
If no English solicitor worked where you gained your experience, a solicitor outside the organisation can confirm it after reviewing your work.
QWE confirmation for overseas workSQE1 preparation from £79 a month
5 plans, billed monthly with no minimum term. In your currency, that first plan is £79 a month.
A UK course with students well beyond the UK
FQPS is online from the first revision card to the last mock, so where you live changes your time zone and nothing else.
- 29
- countries our paying students’ cards were issued in, in the 12 months to November 2026
- 44%
- of those students paid with a card issued outside the UK
Lit: the UK and 14 of the other countries, among them France, United States, Singapore, Germany, South Korea, Türkiye.
Seven months of prep was plenty, and audiobooks made studying actually enjoyable.
ClemenceNetherlands, read the review on TrustpilotI received my results a few weeks ago and am thrilled to share that I passed!
MarceauxMalaysia, read the review on TrustpilotHonestly, it is value for money.
Yosheel Bala BangarooCanada, read the review on TrustpilotThese are three of our reviews, chosen because the reviewers are outside the UK. Read every FQPS review on Trustpilot, good and bad. Country counts are from our payment records on .
When qualifying from abroad is harder than it looks
We would rather you chose the right route than our course.
- You cannot travel to England or Wales at all. Without an SQE2 exemption there is no way round the oral assessments.
- You expect the English qualification to let you practise local law at home. In most countries it does not: the country guides below say what it is worth where you live.
- You are a qualified lawyer counting on an SQE1 exemption. One has been granted since 2021.
- You have no access to an English solicitor to confirm your work experience and are not a qualified lawyer. Sort that out before paying exam fees: our QWE checker is a free place to start.
Sitting the SQE abroad: common questions
Your situation not here? A free 30-minute call with our team goes through your route and your dates.
Book a free callCan I take the SQE outside the UK?
Yes, for SQE1 and the SQE2 written assessments, at Pearson VUE test centres in about 26 countries outside the UK. The SQE2 oral assessments are held only in London, Cardiff, Manchester and Birmingham.
Is the SQE fee higher at an international test centre?
No. The SQE cost page gives one fee in pounds for each assessment: £2,006 for SQE1 and £3,086 for SQE2 for assessments from September 2026.
Can I take the SQE2 oral assessments online or abroad?
No. They are held in person at venues in England and Wales only, over two consecutive days.
Do I need a UK degree to qualify through the SQE?
No. The SRA accepts a degree in any subject that is shown to be equivalent to a UK degree. The check is made through mySRA and costs £54.84 for an international degree.
Do I need to pass IELTS for the SQE?
Not if you pass SQE2, which is how most candidates show their English. A qualified lawyer who is exempt from SQE2 has to show it another way, such as IELTS Academic UKVI at 7.5 overall.
Does work experience outside England and Wales count as QWE?
Yes. The SRA says qualifying work experience can be gained overseas and does not need to cover English and Welsh law. It has to be confirmed by a solicitor of England and Wales or a compliance officer for legal practice.
Is there an SQE test centre in Pakistan, Bangladesh or Sri Lanka?
None is on the SRA’s list of cities for SQE1 and SQE2 written, read on 12 November 2026. The nearest countries on the list are India and the United Arab Emirates.
Does passing the SQE give me the right to work in the UK?
No. The SQE is a professional assessment and admission as a solicitor is not immigration permission. Working in the UK needs its own visa.
What replaced the QLTS?
The SQE. Foreign-qualified lawyers now pass SQE1 and either pass SQE2 or obtain an exemption from it. The final deadline to apply for admission under the QLTS was 31 March 2024.
Sources for this page (17)
- SQE: assessment locations
- SQE: SQE1 and SQE2 written locations
- SQE: SQE2 oral locations
- SQE: SQE2 assessment days
- SQE: booking windows
- SQE: ID requirements
- SQE: costs and fees
- SQE: resits
- SQE: annual report 2024/25
- SQE: the QLTS
- SRA: the SQE route
- SRA: degree or equivalent
- SRA: qualifying work experience
- SRA: SQE exemptions
- SRA: English or Welsh language proficiency
- SRA: screening for admission
- GOV.UK: Standard Visitor
Each source was read on or before 12 November 2026. Rules change: check the regulator's own page before you act on anything here. This page is general information, not legal or immigration advice. FQPS Academy is an independent SQE preparation provider, not affiliated with or endorsed by the Solicitors Regulation Authority or Kaplan. The SQE and SOLICITORS QUALIFYING EXAMINATION trade marks are the property of and are used under licence from the Solicitors Regulation Authority.
