SQE for European lawyers
SQE for EU, Irish and Swiss lawyers: who is exempt
Solicitors qualified in Ireland or Northern Ireland do not sit the SQE: they apply to the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) for admission directly. Other EU lawyers sit SQE1, and SQE2 can be waived, by an agreed exemption for lawyers from 14 member states (Germany and Poland among them) and by an individual application for the rest, including France, Spain, Italy and the Netherlands. Swiss lawyers have two routes of their own.
- 0
- SQE assessments a solicitor qualified in Ireland or Northern Ireland has to sit (SRA)
- 14
- EU member states whose lawyers have an agreed SQE2 exemption in the SRA’s finder of 24 September 2026 (our count)
- 7.5
- IELTS Academic UKVI score asked of an SQE2-exempt lawyer whose qualification was not assessed in English (SRA)
- 153
- solicitors admitted as "Republic of Ireland exempt" from November 2025 to October 2026 (SRA routes to admission)
Do European lawyers have to sit the SQE?
Facts checked against the regulators’ own pages. Last updated .
- Irish and Northern Irish solicitors: no. The SRA exempts them from SQE1, SQE2 and qualifying work experience. They apply for admission, so most of them do not need an SQE course at all.
- Irish barristers: yes. The exemption is for solicitors only. A barrister sits SQE1 and can apply for an individual SQE2 exemption with two years of practice after qualifying.
- Other EU lawyers sit SQE1. No EU qualification has an agreed SQE1 exemption, and the SRA has granted one SQE1 exemption to anyone since 2021.
- SQE2 depends on where you qualified. Lawyers from 14 member states, including Germany, Poland, Austria, Belgium and Sweden, have an agreed exemption. French, Spanish, Italian, Dutch and other lawyers apply individually, with different experience asked of each.
- An SQE2 exemption brings an English test with it unless your legal qualification was assessed in English or Welsh: IELTS Academic UKVI at 7.5 overall, or an equivalent.
- The Registered European Lawyer route is closed. EU lawyers lost it on 1 January 2021 and the SRA has accepted no new registrations of any kind since 1 January 2025.
SQE2 exemptions for European lawyers, country by country
From the SRA’s exemption finder, last updated 24 September 2026. "Agreed" means the SRA has already assessed the qualification. "Individual" means it assesses you. Apart from Irish and Northern Irish solicitors, everyone in this table should plan to sit SQE1.
| Where you qualified | SQE2 position | Condition the SRA sets |
|---|---|---|
| Ireland or Northern Ireland: solicitor | No SQE at all | None of the assessments is needed, unless you have already attempted and failed one. |
| Ireland: barrister (completed pupillage) | Individual | A reference showing at least two years of legal work after qualifying as an Irish barrister, plus work examples, redacted samples and supervisor references in section 8 of the application. |
| Germany (Rechtsanwalt) | Agreed | You qualified through the full German route and are not cross-qualified from another jurisdiction. |
| Poland (radca prawny and adwokat) | Agreed | Both titles are covered. Full route, not cross-qualified. |
| Austria, Croatia, Czechia, Denmark, Finland, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Sweden | Agreed | Full route, not cross-qualified. |
| Belgium (advocaat or avocat) | Agreed | You must also have completed the full period of pre-qualification work experience. |
| Luxembourg (avocat à la Cour) | Agreed | You are on List 1 of the Luxembourg Bar. |
| Hungary | Agreed for an ügyvéd. Individual for the finder’s separate "Attorney" category. | Check which of the two entries your title falls under. |
| Norway and Liechtenstein (EEA) | Agreed | Full route, not cross-qualified. |
| France (avocat) | Individual | A reference showing at least six months of legal work after qualifying as a French avocat. |
| Spain (abogado) | Individual | A reference showing at least 18 months of legal work after qualifying as a Spanish abogado. |
| Italy (avvocato) | Individual | If your law studies began before 31 December 2012: a reference confirming you completed the two years of training. If they began after that date: a reference showing at least six months of legal work after qualifying. |
| Netherlands (advocaat) | Individual, according to the entry’s status text | A reference showing you completed the mandatory period of legal work experience as an advocaat. The same entry links to the agreed-exemption form, so confirm the position with the SRA before you apply. |
| Portugal (advogado) | Individual | Six months of legal work after qualifying if you qualified after 2017. No reference if you qualified before 2017. |
| Greece, Cyprus, Malta, Bulgaria, Lithuania | Individual | A period of legal work experience: six months for Greece, 12 for Cyprus and Malta, 24 for Bulgaria. For Lithuania, read the finder entry. |
| A qualification that is not in the finder | Individual | The SRA says it has not had an application for that qualification, or may be considering one. You can still apply. |
An agreed exemption is not automatic. You still apply and pay £265, which covers one or both exemptions. The SRA decides within 180 days of a complete application and says an agreed SQE2 exemption is likely to take significantly less time. It covers only lawyers who qualified through their home jurisdiction’s full route: a lawyer who cross-qualified into Germany or Poland from somewhere else applies individually. Source: SRA, agreed SQE2 exemptions.
An individual application is judged on your own record. The SRA’s general checklist asks for at least one of five practice rights (criminal litigation, civil litigation, property practice, wills and probate, business organisations) and at least two years of professional legal work or the equivalent. Pre-qualification experience counts only where it was a mandatory part of qualifying. Source: SRA, applying for an SQE2 exemption.
- Apply to the SRA before you book. It grants no exemption for an assessment you have failed, or have sat and are awaiting a result for.
- You can sit SQE1 while an SQE2 decision is pending, and the SQE1 result does not affect that decision.
- Documents that are not in English need certified translations, and you cannot certify your own.
- SQE1 exemptions are, in the SRA’s words, "very rare", and it says it has found significant differences between English and Welsh law and the law of every jurisdiction it has reviewed.
Our exemption finder by jurisdiction covers countries outside Europe too, and the guide to SQE exemptions walks through the form. The authority for every row above is the SRA’s own finder: read your entry there before you rely on this table.
Irish and Northern Irish solicitors do not sit the SQE
The SRA’s words are that Republic of Ireland solicitors and Northern Ireland solicitors "do not need to sit the SQE assessments". If that is you, what you need is an application to the SRA, not a preparation course.
- Create a mySRA account and add the jurisdiction you are admitted in.
- Complete the SRA’s background screening.
- Apply for admission, choosing the "Solicitors Qualifying Examination route" even though you sit none of it.
- Upload a certificate of good standing, less than three months old, from every jurisdiction you are admitted in.
- Once admitted, apply for a practising certificate.
You need no qualifying work experience. The SRA’s pathways tool does ask for a UK degree in any subject, or an equivalent qualification or experience. In the twelve months from November 2025 to October 2026 the SRA admitted 153 solicitors as "Republic of Ireland exempt" and 65 as "Northern Ireland exempt". Sources: SRA, Northern Ireland and Republic of Ireland solicitors and SRA, routes to admission.
Irish barristers are not covered
The exemption belongs to solicitors. An Irish barrister who has completed pupillage is treated like any other qualified lawyer: SQE1 is sat, and SQE2 can be waived only by an individual application. Because the SRA considers that the qualification does not carry all of the practice rights it looks for, the barrister also completes section 8 of the form with work examples, redacted samples and supervisor references, on top of a reference showing at least two years of legal work after qualifying.
The other direction: an English solicitor in Ireland
- Joining the Roll is paperworkThe Law Society of Ireland says that, unless it determines otherwise, a solicitor qualified in England and Wales or Northern Ireland can apply for a Certificate of Admission without taking its Qualifying Lawyers Transfer Test. The fee is €560, the application goes before the President of the High Court, and the Society puts the process at approximately eight weeks. Source: Law Society of Ireland, certificate of admission.
- Being on the Roll is not a right to practiseThe Society says a practising certificate must be in force before a solicitor provides legal services of any kind. Source: Law Society of Ireland, solicitors qualified in Northern Ireland or England and Wales.
- The practising certificate is tied to IrelandIn a policy statement of 11 November 2020 the Society said a certificate entitles a solicitor to practise in Ireland from an establishment in Ireland, and is issued only on that basis. We found no later restatement, so check the current position with the Society. Source: Law Society of Ireland, practising certificates and solicitors outside the jurisdiction.
The Registered European Lawyer route has closed: what replaced it
Since 1 January 2021 an EU lawyer has not been able to register with the SRA as a Registered European Lawyer (REL), and there is no automatic recognition of an EU legal qualification in England and Wales.
| Date | What changed | Who says so |
|---|---|---|
| 31 December 2020 | The UK left the EU single market. The Lawyers’ Services Directive, the Lawyers’ Establishment Directive and the Recognition of Professional Qualifications Directive no longer apply in the UK. | Law Society of England and Wales |
| 1 January 2021 | Only a defined group of Swiss lawyers can be Registered European Lawyers. The route is shut to lawyers qualified in EU member states. | SRA, firm authorisation guidance |
| 1 January 2025 | No new REL registrations are accepted, Swiss lawyers included. Existing RELs continue while they keep their registration up, and a lapsed one cannot be restored. The UK-Swiss recognition agreement comes into force in the UK. | SRA, registered European lawyers and SRA, Swiss lawyers |
The numbers show the door closing. The SRA recorded 76 admissions through the REL route in 2018/19 and 60 in 2019/20. Its routes table records none in either of the last two years. The legal change was made by the Services of Lawyers and Lawyer’s Practice (Revocation etc.) (EU Exit) Regulations 2020, whose explanatory note says they revoke, with some savings, the legislation on the practice of law by European lawyers in England and Wales and Northern Ireland. Sources: SRA, education and training report and SRA, routes to admission.
Three things an EU lawyer can do now
- Take the solicitor title through the SQEAn EU lawyer is a "qualified lawyer" for the SRA: a degree or equivalent, SQE1, SQE2 or an exemption from it, and the character and suitability check. No qualifying work experience is asked for.
- Practise under your home titleThe Law Society says EU lawyers can practise in England and Wales under their home-country title in home-country law, EU law and public international law, and that foreign lawyers can provide legal services in English law, drafting contracts included, apart from the reserved legal activities, claims management, financial services and immigration. Source: Law Society, England and Wales as an open jurisdiction after Brexit.
- Register as a foreign lawyer to become a partnerRegistered Foreign Lawyer status is needed if you want to be a manager or interest holder of an SRA-authorised firm. An employee of such a firm, an in-house lawyer or a lawyer in a foreign firm who does no reserved work does not need it. A Registered Foreign Lawyer cannot be a sole practitioner or freelancer. The SRA notes it is reviewing this guidance after a Court of Appeal decision of 31 March 2026, so read the current version.
What the solicitor title adds is the reserved work: conduct of litigation, rights of audience, reserved instrument activities, probate activities, notarial activities and the administration of oaths. If your practice in London is cross-border advice under your home title, the gain from requalifying can be small. Becoming a solicitor is also not immigration permission: the Law Society notes that EU, EEA and Swiss citizens establishing themselves in the UK may need a visa unless they hold status under the EU Settlement Scheme.
Swiss lawyers: two routes under the UK-Swiss agreement
- The aptitude test routePass SQE1 and SQE2. With at least 24 months of work experience, gained as part of qualifying or after it, the SRA recognises the experience and SQE2 is not required.
- The adaptation period routeRegister as a registered Swiss lawyer and complete three years of supervised practice in the law of England and Wales.
Both apply to lawyers holding a Swiss title covered by the agreement, which came into force in the UK on 1 January 2025. Source: SRA, Swiss lawyers.
What the English title is worth back in the EU
It does not travel the way it did. The Law Society says the EU lawyers’ directives no longer apply to English and Welsh solicitors and that their practising rights now vary in each member state, so ask the bar where you work what it allows. Some solicitors of England and Wales do work on the continent: of the 8,273 solicitors based outside England and Wales in July 2024, 4% were in Germany, 4% in Switzerland, 3% in France, 2% in the Netherlands, 1% in Belgium and 1% in Ireland. Sources: Law Society, Brexit and the legal profession and Law Society, international data insights report 2025.
The English test that comes with an SQE2 exemption
Most candidates show their English by passing SQE2. A lawyer who is exempted from SQE2 has not done that, so the SRA asks for proof before admission. It is an extra step that many EU lawyers do not expect.
There are two ways to give that proof. The first is to show that the legal qualification you used for the exemption "was assessed in English or Welsh". If your qualifying examinations were set in German, French, Polish, Spanish or another language, that way is not open to you. The second is a Secure English Language Test from a Home Office approved provider, taken no more than three years before you rely on it. This applies to agreed exemptions as much as individual ones: a German Rechtsanwalt with an agreed exemption still owes the language proof.
| Test | Minimum result |
|---|---|
| IELTS (Academic) UKVI | 7.5 overall |
| Pearson PTE (Academic) UKVI | 71 overall |
| LanguageCert Academic SELT | 80 overall |
| Trinity ISE III | Distinction in reading, listening and writing, and merit in speaking |
The alternative is to sit SQE2. A candidate who passes it is asked for no separate language test. Weigh that before you pay for an exemption, and weigh it carefully, because the choice only runs one way: the SRA gives no exemption for an assessment you have already failed. Source: SRA, English or Welsh language proficiency.
Sitting SQE1 and the SQE2 written papers on the continent
These are the European cities on the SRA’s list of places its assessment provider aims to include. The SRA calls the list illustrative only, and the cities for a sitting are confirmed when booking opens.
| Country | Cities |
|---|---|
| Austria | Vienna |
| Czech Republic | Prague |
| France | Paris |
| Germany | Berlin, Frankfurt, Hamburg, Munich |
| Greece | Athens |
| Ireland | Dublin |
| Italy | Rome |
| Netherlands | Amsterdam, Eindhoven |
| Poland | Warsaw |
| Spain | Barcelona, Madrid |
| Switzerland | Geneva, Lausanne |
- Countries with no city on the list include Belgium, Luxembourg, Portugal, Denmark, Sweden, Finland, Hungary and Romania. The SRA’s advice when your city is not offered is to consider a neighbouring country or city.
- The SQE2 oral assessments are held only in London, Cardiff, Manchester and Birmingham, over two consecutive days, in the same assessment window as the written papers. A lawyer who holds an SQE2 exemption has no assessment to travel to England or Wales for.
- The exam is in English, the test centre may not be. The SQE site warns that staff at an overseas centre may speak only the local language and that signs will be in it.
- A national identity card with a photograph is accepted as your main ID, as is a photocard driving licence, though the SQE site recommends a passport. SQE1 and the SQE2 written papers also need a second ID showing your name and signature. The name must match your SQE account exactly, and digital IDs are not accepted.
Whether you need a visa or an electronic travel authorisation for the oral assessments depends on your nationality: the rules are set out on sitting the SQE from outside the UK. Sources: SQE1 and SQE2 written locations, SQE2 oral locations, the SQE1 assessment day and ID requirements.
What the SQE costs a European lawyer, in euros
The assessment fees are charged in pounds and are the same in Paris, Warsaw or Dublin as in London. A lawyer with an SQE2 exemption pays the SQE1 fee and the SRA’s £265 application fee, and no SQE2 fee.
In pounds, with eurosEURPaid 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€2,400
- SQE2 assessment feeWritten and oral, paid when you book SQE2£3,086€3,690
- Both assessments£5,092€6,090
Preparing with FQPS
- FQPS SQE1 RevisionA month, no minimum term, cancel anytime£79€94
- FQPS SQE2 PreparationA month, includes 6 live 1:1 mocks with a solicitor£189€226
SRA fees are for assessments from September 2026. FQPS prices include VAT. EUR 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 a civil-law background
SQE1 is the part almost every European lawyer sits, in English, on the law of England and Wales. Experience elsewhere does not shorten it: in the SQE annual report for 2024/25, 45% of qualified lawyers passed SQE1, against 54% of candidates who were not qualified lawyers.
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When a European lawyer does not need the SQE, or this course
We would rather you chose the right route than our course.
- You are a solicitor qualified in Ireland or Northern Ireland. You are exempt from every SQE assessment: apply to the SRA for admission and keep your money. The only exception is if you have already attempted and failed an SQE assessment.
- You advise in London on your home-country law, EU law or public international law. The Law Society says you can do that under your home title, and you can register as a foreign lawyer if you become a partner in an English firm.
- You expected your EU qualification to be recognised automatically. That ended with the Registered European Lawyer route. The SQE is the way to the solicitor title, and SQE1 is sat in full.
- You are counting on an SQE2 exemption to avoid any assessment in English. If your qualification was not assessed in English you will need IELTS Academic UKVI at 7.5 or an equivalent, less than three years old.
- You want the English title in order to practise across the EU, or to practise in Ireland through the Irish Roll. English solicitors’ rights now vary by member state, and the Law Society of Ireland separates admission to the Roll from the right to practise.
- You need the right to live or work in the UK. Admission as a solicitor does not give it.
EU and Irish lawyers and the SQE: common questions
Your situation not here? A free 30-minute call with our team goes through your route and your dates.
Book a free callDo Irish solicitors have to sit the SQE?
No. The SRA says Republic of Ireland solicitors and Northern Ireland solicitors do not need to sit the SQE assessments, and they need no qualifying work experience. They apply to the SRA for admission with background screening and a certificate of good standing. The one exception is a solicitor who has already attempted and failed an SQE assessment, who must retake and pass it.
Can an Irish barrister become a solicitor in England without the SQE?
No. The exemption covers Irish solicitors only. An Irish barrister who has completed pupillage sits SQE1 and can apply for an individual SQE2 exemption, with a reference showing at least two years of legal work after qualifying and further evidence of the work done.
Is a German Rechtsanwalt exempt from the SQE?
From SQE2 only, and on application. The SRA lists the Rechtsanwalt qualification as having an agreed SQE2 exemption for lawyers who qualified through the full German route and are not cross-qualified from another jurisdiction. SQE1 still has to be sat, and a lawyer exempt from SQE2 must prove English proficiency before admission.
Do French, Spanish and Italian lawyers get an SQE2 exemption?
Not an agreed one. Each applies to the SRA for an individual SQE2 exemption. A French avocat needs a reference showing at least six months of legal work after qualifying, and a Spanish abogado at least 18 months. For an Italian avvocato it depends on when law studies began: before 31 December 2012, a reference confirming the two years of training, and after that date, six months of legal work after qualifying.
Can EU lawyers still register as Registered European Lawyers in England?
No. Since 1 January 2021 only a defined group of Swiss lawyers could be Registered European Lawyers, and from 1 January 2025 the SRA accepts no new registrations at all. An EU lawyer who wants the solicitor title now qualifies through the SQE, and one who does not can practise home-country law under a home title.
Do EU lawyers need IELTS if they are exempt from SQE2?
Yes, unless the legal qualification used for the exemption was assessed in English or Welsh. Otherwise the SRA asks for a Secure English Language Test from a Home Office approved provider, no more than three years old: IELTS Academic UKVI at 7.5 overall, Pearson PTE Academic UKVI at 71, LanguageCert Academic SELT at 80, or Trinity ISE III at set grades. A lawyer who passes SQE2 instead needs no separate test.
Where can I sit the SQE in Europe?
SQE1 and the SQE2 written assessments are on the SRA’s list for Dublin, Paris, Berlin, Frankfurt, Hamburg, Munich, Madrid, Barcelona, Rome, Amsterdam, Eindhoven, Warsaw, Vienna, Prague, Athens, Geneva and Lausanne. The list is illustrative only and the cities for a sitting are confirmed when booking opens. The SQE2 oral assessments are held only in London, Cardiff, Manchester and Birmingham.
Can an English solicitor practise in Ireland?
Not on admission alone. The Law Society of Ireland lets a solicitor of England and Wales apply for a Certificate of Admission to the Irish Roll without sitting its transfer test, for a fee of €560. A practising certificate must be in force before providing legal services of any kind, and under a policy the Society published on 11 November 2020 one is issued only to solicitors practising from an establishment in Ireland.
Does an EU law degree count for the SQE?
Yes, if it is shown to be equivalent to a UK degree. The SRA also accepts an accredited qualification at level 6 or above of the European Qualifications Framework, and the degree can be in any subject. The check is made through mySRA and costs £54.84 for an international degree, or £36 for a UK or Irish one.
Other routes to the English title
SQE for US attorneysOne rule for all 50 states: SQE1 is sat, and SQE2 can be waived with two years of practice.
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 international studentsStudying in the UK on a visa: the Graduate visa against two years of QWE, non-law degrees, and finishing from home.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 (31)
- SRA: SQE exemptions by jurisdiction
- SRA: agreed SQE2 exemptions
- 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: Northern Ireland and Republic of Ireland solicitors
- SRA: pathways to qualification
- SRA: Swiss lawyers
- SRA: registered European lawyers guidance
- SRA: registered foreign lawyers guidance
- SRA: firm authorisation guidance
- SRA: routes to admission statistics
- SRA: education and training report
- SRA: degree or equivalent
- SRA: check and validate your qualification
- legislation.gov.uk: SI 2020/1342, explanatory note
- Law Society of England and Wales: an open jurisdiction after Brexit
- Law Society of England and Wales: Brexit and the legal profession
- Law Society of England and Wales: international data insights report 2025
- Law Society of Ireland: solicitors qualified in Northern Ireland or England and Wales
- Law Society of Ireland: certificate of admission
- Law Society of Ireland: practising certificates and solicitors outside the jurisdiction
- SQE: SQE1 and SQE2 written locations
- SQE: SQE2 oral locations
- SQE: SQE2 assessment days
- SQE: the SQE1 assessment day
- SQE: ID requirements
- SQE: costs and fees
- SQE: annual report 2024/25
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.
