SQE for Australian and New Zealand lawyers
SQE for Australian and New Zealand lawyers
An Australian or New Zealand lawyer qualifies as a solicitor of England and Wales by passing SQE1, then passing SQE2 or being exempted from it. Australian solicitors who hold an unrestricted practising certificate have an agreed SQE2 exemption. Other Australian solicitors and all New Zealand lawyers have to apply individually, with two years of work after qualifying.
- 1
- qualification on this page with an agreed SQE2 exemption: Australian solicitors holding an unrestricted practising certificate (SRA)
- 2 yrs
- of work after qualifying that the SRA asks of New Zealand lawyers, and of Australian solicitors without an unrestricted certificate
- 3
- Australian cities on the SQE list for SQE1 and SQE2 written: Melbourne, Perth and Sydney. New Zealand has none
- 4%
- of the 8,273 English solicitors based outside England and Wales in July 2024 were in Australia (Law Society)
Can an Australian or New Zealand lawyer become an English solicitor?
Facts checked against the regulators’ own pages. Last updated .
- Yes. You need a degree, a pass in SQE1, a pass in or exemption from SQE2, and to meet the SRA’s character and suitability rules. As a qualified lawyer you do not need two years of qualifying work experience.
- Australia, unrestricted practising certificate: your qualification has an agreed SQE2 exemption. You still apply for it, and it covers only lawyers who qualified through the full Australian route and did not cross-qualify from another jurisdiction.
- Australia, no unrestricted practising certificate: you can apply for an individual SQE2 exemption, with a reference showing at least two years of legal work after qualifying.
- New Zealand: there is no agreed exemption. A barrister and solicitor can apply for an individual SQE2 exemption on the same two-year basis.
- Everyone sits SQE1. Neither country has an agreed SQE1 exemption, and the SRA says it has granted one SQE1 exemption to any lawyer since 2021.
- Melbourne, Perth and Sydney are on the SRA’s list of cities for SQE1 and the SQE2 written papers. New Zealand has no listed city. The SQE2 oral assessments are held only in England and Wales.
Agreed for some Australian solicitors, individual for everyone else
From the SRA’s exemption finder, last updated 24 September 2026. It has one entry for Australia with two categories, and one entry for New Zealand.
| Qualification, as the SRA lists it | SQE1 | SQE2 status | What the SRA asks for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Australia: Legal Practitioner (Solicitor) holding an unrestricted practising certificate | Sat. No agreed exemption. | Agreed exemption | An application for the agreed exemption. Open only to lawyers who qualified through the full Australian route and are not cross-qualified from another jurisdiction. |
| Australia: Legal Practitioner (Solicitor) who does not hold an unrestricted practising certificate | Sat. No agreed exemption. | Individual application | A reference showing at least two years of legal work after qualifying as an Australian Legal Practitioner (Solicitor). |
| New Zealand: Barrister and Solicitor | Sat. No agreed exemption. | Individual application | A reference showing at least two years of legal work after qualifying as a New Zealand barrister and solicitor. |
- Agreed does not mean automaticThe SRA has already assessed the qualification, but you still apply and pay the £265 fee. It allows itself 180 days and says an agreed exemption "is likely to take significantly less time".
- The line is the practising certificate, not the stateThe SRA does not list New South Wales, Victoria, Queensland or any other state or territory separately. One Australian entry covers them all.
- Cross-qualified lawyers are assessed individuallyA New Zealand lawyer later admitted in Australia cannot rely on the agreed exemption through the Australian admission.
- Australian barristers have no entry of their ownWhere a qualification is not on the list, the SRA says it has not had an application for it or may be considering one, and that an individual SQE2 application can still be made.
- Individual means assessed on your own evidenceThe SRA looks for practice rights in at least one of five areas (criminal litigation, civil litigation, property, wills and probate, business organisations), experience across the SQE2 skills, and the standard of a newly qualified solicitor. Experience before you qualified counts only if it was a mandatory part of qualifying.
With an SQE2 exemption you show your English separately before admission. The SRA accepts that the legal qualification you relied on "was assessed in English or Welsh"; otherwise it asks for an approved test. Details are on the SRA’s language page. Our guide to applying for an SQE exemption goes through the form, and the exemption finder by jurisdiction has every country.
Sitting in Sydney, Melbourne or Perth, and what New Zealanders do
The SRA’s city list is "illustrative only and may change", and some cities may be offered only at certain times of year. The cities for a sitting are confirmed when booking opens.
| Assessment | From Australia | From New Zealand |
|---|---|---|
| SQE1 (FLK1 and FLK2) | Melbourne, Perth and Sydney are on the list of cities the SRA’s provider aims to include. No other Australian city is listed. | No New Zealand city is on the list. The nearest listed cities are the three in Australia. |
| SQE2 written (three days) | The same three cities. Australia is not among the countries where SQE2 written is not offered. | Not offered in New Zealand. Sit it in a listed country. |
| SQE2 oral (two consecutive days) | England and Wales only: London, Cardiff, Manchester or Birmingham. | England and Wales only: London, Cardiff, Manchester or Birmingham. |
- With the agreed exemption, SQE1 is the whole examAn Australian solicitor who holds it can finish the assessments without leaving Australia, when one of the three cities is offered for the sitting.
- Without it, SQE2 means a tripThe written and oral parts must be taken in the same assessment window, usually two to three weeks long, and there is no fixed order between them. Sitting the written days in Australia and the oral days in England or Wales has to fit inside that one window.
- New Zealand is left out by nameThe SQE site says SQE2 written is not offered there because of "time zone or operational limitations". Its advice when a location is not available is to consider a neighbouring country or city.
- Check your start timeThe SQE site says start times vary at international centres, and booking deadlines are in UK time. For SQE1 in January 2027, booking closes on 23 November 2026.
Entry to the UK for the oral days depends on your nationality: some visitors need a Standard Visitor visa, some an electronic travel authorisation, some neither. GOV.UK lists taking an exam among the things a Standard Visitor can do, although the Immigration Rules do not name the SQE. Check the Standard Visitor page on GOV.UK for your own passport. Dates for every sitting are on our SQE1 and SQE2 exam dates page, and the rules every overseas candidate shares are on sitting the SQE from outside the UK. Sources: SQE assessment locations and SQE1 and SQE2 written locations.
Working in London on a Youth Mobility Scheme visa
Passing the SQE does not give anyone the right to live or work in the UK. For Australian and New Zealand nationals aged 18 to 35, GOV.UK’s Youth Mobility Scheme is one way to be there.
| Rule | What GOV.UK says |
|---|---|
| Who | Nationals of Australia and New Zealand aged 18 to 35 on the day they apply. |
| How long | Up to 2 years, plus one extension of one year. The extension is applied for from inside the UK, no more than 28 days before the visa expires. |
| What you can do | "Work in most jobs", study, and be self-employed within limits. No access to public funds. |
| Who cannot apply | Anyone who has already been in the UK under the scheme, and anyone with children under 18 who live with them or whom they support financially. |
| Family | Family members cannot be included on the application. |
| Cost | A £340 application fee, a healthcare surcharge of usually £776 a year, and £2,530 in savings held for at least 28 days. |
| Timing | You can apply up to 6 months before you travel. A decision usually comes within 3 weeks. |
The clock on a two-year visa
- The SRA can take 180 days to decide an exemption. On a two-year visa that is about a quarter of your time.
- SQE1 runs only in January and July, with results about five to six weeks later. A missed booking deadline costs six months.
- You do not have to wait until you land. The SRA’s admission criteria contain no UK residence condition, and SQE1 is on the list for Melbourne, Perth and Sydney.
- The SRA lets you sit SQE1 while the SQE2 exemption is pending, so the two can run at the same time.
What the English title adds, in London and at home
For many roles in London, requalifying is a choice for an Australian or New Zealand lawyer, not a requirement.
In London without it
The SRA’s guidance says a foreign lawyer who is an employee of an authorised firm, works in-house or works in a foreign law firm, and does not carry out reserved legal activities, does not need to register with it. Registered Foreign Lawyer status is for foreign lawyers who become managers or owners of an English firm.
In London with it
The reserved activities open up: conducting litigation, rights of audience, reserved instrument and probate activities, and administering oaths. A foreign lawyer who is not a solicitor cannot provide those, and a registered foreign lawyer cannot be a sole practitioner.
Back in Australia or New Zealand
The title is a qualification for England and Wales. It sits beside your home admission and does not replace it. The Law Society counted 8,273 English solicitors based outside England and Wales in July 2024, about 4% of them in Australia.
The case for carrying both titles is English-law work. The Law Society of England and Wales reports that English law governs around 40% of global business and financial transactions. Sources: SRA, registered foreign lawyers, Law Society, an open jurisdiction and Law Society, international data insights report 2025.
This page is about qualifying in England and Wales. It does not cover how an English solicitor is admitted in Australia or New Zealand, which is for the admitting authorities there.
What the SQE costs, in Australian dollars
Fees are set in pounds and are the same in Sydney as in London. An Australian solicitor with the agreed exemption pays the SQE1 fee and the SRA’s £265 exemption fee, and never the SQE2 fee. The table converts to Australian dollars. New Zealand dollars are one of the currencies on the pricing page.
In pounds, with Australian dollarsAUDPaid to the SRA, the same wherever you sit
- SQE1 assessment feeFLK1 and FLK2, paid to the SRA’s assessment provider when you book£2,006A$3,900
- SQE2 assessment feeWritten and oral, paid when you book SQE2£3,086A$6,000
- Both assessments£5,092A$9,900
Preparing with FQPS
- FQPS SQE1 RevisionA month, no minimum term, cancel anytime£79A$154
- FQPS SQE2 PreparationA month, includes 6 live 1:1 mocks with a solicitor£189A$367
SRA fees are for assessments from September 2026. FQPS prices include VAT. AUD figures are a guide at the European Central Bank rate of 12 November 2026: you pay in pounds, and your card provider sets the final rate.
Preparing for SQE1 from Australia or New Zealand
A common law training does not shorten SQE1. The SRA says the law of every jurisdiction it has reviewed differs significantly from that of England and Wales, and in the SQE annual report for 2024/25, 45% of qualified lawyers from all jurisdictions passed SQE1, against 54% of other candidates.
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SQE1 is two papers, FLK1 and FLK2, each with its own fixed set of subjects in English and Welsh law. With the agreed exemption, these two papers are everything you sit.
What FLK2 coversAudio for the hours away from a desk
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- 44%
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Seven months of prep was plenty, and audiobooks made studying actually enjoyable.
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When the SQE is not worth it for an Australian or New Zealand lawyer
We would rather you chose the right route than our course.
- Your London role is transactional or advisory and stays out of the reserved activities. You can do it under your home title, and the solicitor title would change little.
- You plan to stay at home and do local work. Your Australian or New Zealand admission already covers that.
- You assumed a Commonwealth, common law background would exempt you from SQE1. It does not: plan for both papers.
- You are a New Zealand lawyer, or an Australian solicitor without an unrestricted certificate, with under two years of work after qualifying, and you cannot travel. Without the exemption there is no way round the oral assessments in England or Wales.
- You cross-qualified into Australia and expected the agreed exemption. The SRA will assess you individually.
- You are well into a Youth Mobility Scheme visa and have not started. An exemption decision of up to 180 days and two SQE1 sittings a year can outlast the time you have left.
- You want to "try" SQE2 before asking for the exemption. A failed attempt has to be retaken and passed, and the exemption is gone for that assessment.
Australian and New Zealand lawyers and the SQE: common questions
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Book a free callAre Australian lawyers exempt from the SQE?
Partly, and only some. Australian solicitors holding an unrestricted practising certificate have an agreed SQE2 exemption, which they still apply to the SRA for. Australian solicitors without one can apply for an individual SQE2 exemption with two years of work after qualifying. Neither group has an agreed SQE1 exemption, so SQE1 is sat.
Do New Zealand lawyers get an SQE2 exemption?
Not an agreed one. A New Zealand barrister and solicitor can apply to the SRA for an individual SQE2 exemption, with a reference showing at least two years of legal work after qualifying. The fee is £265 and the SRA decides within 180 days of a complete application.
Can I sit the SQE exam in Australia?
Melbourne, Perth and Sydney are on the SRA’s list of cities it aims to include for SQE1 and the SQE2 written assessments. The list is illustrative, and the cities for each sitting are confirmed when booking opens. The SQE2 oral assessments are held only in London, Cardiff, Manchester and Birmingham.
Is there an SQE test centre in New Zealand?
No New Zealand city is on the SRA’s list, read on 12 November 2026, and the SQE site says the SQE2 written assessments are not offered in New Zealand. The nearest listed cities are Melbourne, Perth and Sydney.
Does it matter which Australian state I was admitted in?
No. The SRA’s exemption finder has one entry for Australia and does not list states or territories separately. What matters is whether you hold an unrestricted practising certificate as a solicitor.
Can an Australian barrister get an SQE2 exemption?
The SRA’s finder has no separate entry for Australian barristers. The SRA says that where a qualification is not listed, a lawyer can still make an individual SQE2 exemption application, which is assessed on the applicant’s own practice rights and experience.
Can Australian lawyers work in London without the SQE?
As a matter of professional regulation, yes, for work that is not a reserved legal activity: the SRA says a foreign lawyer employed by an authorised firm who does no reserved work does not need to register with it. The right to live and work in the UK is a separate immigration question, which the SQE does not answer.
How long can Australians and New Zealanders stay on a UK Youth Mobility Scheme visa?
GOV.UK says the visa lasts up to two years, and that nationals of Australia, Canada and New Zealand can extend it once by one year, making three years at most. Applicants must be aged 18 to 35 when they apply and cannot have used the scheme before.
How much does the SQE cost in Australian dollars?
The fees are set in pounds: £2,006 for SQE1 and £3,086 for SQE2, for assessments from September 2026, and they are the same in Australia as in the UK. The Australian dollar amount depends on the exchange rate your card provider applies on the day you pay. An exemption application costs £265.
Other routes to the English title
SQE for Canadian lawyersThirteen provinces and territories, no agreed exemption, and a different experience rule depending on where you were admitted.
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.All 15 international guidesWhere you can sit, what has to be done in the UK, and a guide for each country.Sources for this page (24)
- SRA: SQE exemptions by jurisdiction
- SRA: applying for an agreed SQE exemption
- SRA: applying for an SQE1 exemption
- SRA: applying for an SQE2 exemption
- SRA: SQE exemptions, questions and answers
- SRA: English or Welsh language proficiency
- SRA: qualified lawyers
- SRA: Authorisation of Individuals Regulations
- SRA: registered foreign lawyers
- SRA: practising in England and Wales without becoming a solicitor (Swiss lawyers page)
- SQE: assessment locations
- SQE: SQE1 and SQE2 written locations
- SQE: SQE2 oral locations
- SQE: SQE2 assessment days
- SQE: booking windows
- SQE: costs and fees
- SQE: results and resits
- SQE: annual report 2024/25
- GOV.UK: Youth Mobility Scheme visa
- GOV.UK: Youth Mobility Scheme eligibility
- GOV.UK: extending a Youth Mobility Scheme visa
- GOV.UK: Standard Visitor
- Law Society of England and Wales: an open jurisdiction after Brexit
- Law Society of England and Wales: international data insights report 2025
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.
