If you have been admitted to practice in a foreign jurisdiction and wish to make an application for an assessment of your foreign legal qualifications, please see steps below.
All applications for an assessment of your foreign qualifications are to be made using the online application portal. (External link) Further information can be found in the Guide for Foreign Applicants.
Once you have complied with the prescribed requirements of your skills assessment, contact VLAB for further information on commencing an application for a compliance certificate.
The two options are either:
How to apply for a foreign assessment
Contact details including change of name
Contact details including name, date of birth and residential address will be required. Note: employers address not to be provided, suburb/city cannot be a capital city unless you live in the capital.
If you change your name and it differs from that on your documentation (transcript, ID etc.) and you wish to be admitted in your new name, a certified copy of either your marriage certificate or your change of name certificate is to be uploaded in the online portal.
Supplementary collection of personal information such as ancestry and languages spoken are optional questions listed in the online portal.
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Other applications for assessment
If you have made application for assessment of your foreign qualifications with any other Australian admitting authority, you will need to list the jurisdiction/s.
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Application state
Applications made through this portal include assessments from Victoria, South Australia and Tasmania. You will be asked to indicate which state you are making an application to for your assessment.
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Academic/practical legal training assessment application
You can seek to make an application for an assessment of your foreign academic and/or practical legal training.
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Foreign legal academic qualifications
Additional academic studies may be required before applying for admission as a lawyer in Victoria. You will be asked to provide information on the type of foreign degree obtained, the name of the academic instruction, the country of study and study dates. You must upload a certified copy of your academic law transcript and degree certificate or equivalent. A certified copy can also be notarised or attested. Noncertified copies will not be accepted. It is not necessary to upload a course syllabus.
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Foreign practical legal training qualifications
Additional practical legal training may be required before applying for admission as a lawyer in Victoria. You will be asked to provide information on any practical legal training qualifications, course name and dates studied. You must upload a certified copy of your practical legal training completion certificate or equivalent. A certified copy can also be notarised or attested. Noncertified copies will not be accepted. It is not necessary to upload a course syllabus.
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Foreign practical legal training experience
If you acquired further practical legal training qualifications, or successfully completed bar exams, provide details of each qualification, the area studied, and the relevance (if any) to qualifying for admission to legal practice in your home country.
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Foreign admission
You are required to list dates and details of all jurisdiction/s in which you have been admitted. You must disclose details of any conditions placed on your admission and whether or not you have subsequently satisfied them.
You must disclose details of any disciplinary enquiry or proceedings in relation to your legal practice and whether you have been struck off the Roll. Additionally, you must upload a certified copy of your Admission Order/s.
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Subsequent experience in practice
To assist in determining what additional practical legal training may be required, set out the details of your experience in legal practice since admission. You may upload documents to support your subsequent experience.
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Further information
If there is anything further that you would like to bring to the attention of VLAB that may assist in your application, you may set out details and upload supporting documents. Duplicate copies of documents already provided throughout your application are not required and will not be considered. Documents such as academic or practical legal training records or information that is otherwise not relevant will be discarded and will delay your assessment processing time.
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Consent
Applicant consent is required for all applications made via the online portal. You will be asked to attest to VLAB sharing information or making enquiries from third persons for the purpose of applying for admission. This can include health information and identification verification.
If you do not agree to consent, an application cannot be completed, and you must make contact with VLAB.
Once you have made consent, you are required to go to the last page of your application and pay fees whereby a new tab will open to allow payment through the Service Victoria portal.
If you do not pay the fee, your application will not be assessed.
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Fees
Payment for your assessment is to be made via the Service Victoria link below. Payment can be made by either Visa, Mastercard or PayPal. Fees for assessment of your foreign qualifications are as follows:
Academic Assessment only $320
Practical legal training assessment only $320
Academic and practical legal training assessment $640
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Finalise and submit
Once you have paid your fees, hit the finalise and submit button. An assessment letter will be emailed to you as soon as your application is finalised.
Please only enquire as to the status of your application 6 weeks after submission and not prior.
Frequently Asked Questions
I have a foreign law degree and want to practice law in Victoria, what do I have to do?
You must apply for a skills assessment, this is done via the online application portal (External link).
How do I apply for a skills assessment?
You must first apply for a skills assessment, this is done via the online application portal (External link). Dependent upon your academic and work history, VLAB will seek additional academic study and practical legal training be undertaken as part of any assessment.
Accuracy of Documentation
You should refrain from providing incorrect responses to application questions, or uploading draft or dummy documents to enable you to proceed through the admission application before ready to do so as this can result in a delay in your admission.
I am required to upload in PDF however I don't have access to a scanner
All documents uploaded to your application must be in PDF format and no more than 2GB. Only matters of suitability will be able to upload up to 65GB. For all suitability matters, collate your disclosure/capacity statement, exhibit certificates and exhibit documents into one file. There are many free apps available to download to a smart phone or tablet which will convert an image to a PDF document. Please search the App Store or Google Play for a suitable application.
Who can certify my documents outside of Victoria?
Any person having authority to administer an oath or affirmation in that jurisdiction.
How do I get my documents certified?
Certain documents are required to be certified, you can find an example on how to do this here (External link).
How do I become a conveyancer in Victoria?
You will need to contact the Business Licensing Authority. More information can be found on their website (External link).
I am due to be admitted soon but require a letter for the purposes of immigration, can you provide me with a letter?
You are required to email us at overseas@justice.vic.gov.au and we can provide you with a letter for immigration.
I have just paid for and submitted my foreign assessment, how long will it be before I hear back?
The assessment process can take up to 4-6 weeks to complete, we will provide you with your assessment letter upon completion.
I have not heard from VLAB in regards to my assessment, do I click the submit button again?
No, you should email overseas@justice.vic.gov.au for a status update only if you have not heard from us 4-6 weeks after your application was submitted.
I have completed all the requirements of my foreign assessment, how do I apply for a compliance certificate?
VLAB will open up an application for a compliance certificate on your behalf, we do this so your original assessment is linked to your application for a compliance certificate. Please email us at overseas@justice.vic.gov.au when you are ready.
In what format can I upload my documents to my application?
All documents uploaded to your application must be in PDF format and no more than 2GB. Only matters of suitability will be able to upload up to 65GB. For all suitability matters, collate your disclosure/capacity statement, exhibit certificates and exhibit documents into one file.
Who should I contact if I have questions?
For all enquiries relating to assessment of foreign degrees or foreign applications for admission:
Tel: 03 9604 2416
Email: overseas@justice.vic.gov.au (External link)