New Zealand practitioner
If you have been admitted to practice in New Zealand and seek to be admitted in Victoria, you must make an application via the online application portal available here (External link). The portal will take you though a series of questions listed below.
If you have not been admitted to practice and have a law degree from a New Zealand academic institution, please make an application for a foreign graduate assessment, learn more.
Further information can be found in the Guide for New Zealand Applicants.
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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Consent
Applicant consent is required for all applications made via the online portal. Questions will relate 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 commenced, and you must make contact with VLAB
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Form A - Registration Under Mutual Recognition Principle
A person who is registered in New Zealand may lodge a written request seeking registration in accordance with Trans-Tasman Mutual Recognition Principle. The written request must be made by statutory declaration.
Form A - Notice of Intention to apply under Mutual Recognition Principle (MRA) is required to be downloaded and completed. The document can be witnessed, scanned and uploaded for assessment and is available here.
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Form B - Roll of Barristers and Solicitors of the Supreme Court of Victoria
Form B Roll of Barristers and Solicitors of The Supreme Court of Victoria is to be completed, printed and witnessed by an authorised person of the High Court of New Zealand or the Supreme Court of Victoria.
In Victoria, applicants should email admissions@supcourt.vic.gov.au (External link) to arrange for the Form B affidavit to be witnessed. The document can be witnessed, scanned and uploaded for assessment and is available here.
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Oath and affirmation
You may wish to make an affirmation or take the oath of office at your admission ceremony. Please consider your response carefully as you will not be able to change it in the future. The oath of office will be read aloud, and you will be asked to say "I swear by all mighty God to do so" on your chosen religious text. If you are making an affirmation of office, you will be asked to say "I do so declare and affirm."
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Australian jurisdiction
Any applications for legal admission made in another Australian jurisdiction will need to be disclosed.
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NZ police report
All police reports must be dated no earlier than 6 months prior to the date your application has been made and include all previous names by which you have been known. The certificates must include all spent convictions.
1. Obtain a NZ police report from the Ministry of Justice (NZ).
2. Obtain an Australian police report. The report will show any criminal history in Australia. If you live in Australia apply via the Victorian Police website https://www.police.vic.gov.au/national-police-records-checks#apply-for-a-national-police-check (External link) and follow the steps.
3. If you do not live in Australia you can apply for an Australian National Police Report through the Australian Federal Police by visiting their website https://afpnationalpolicechecks.converga.com.au/ (External link) and selecting ‘Commonwealth Employment/Purpose’ and then '33-Immigration/Citizenship’.
4. If you do not live in Australia or NZ, you must also obtain a police report from the country where you are currently living.
5. You are required to log back into the portal and upload scanned copies of your police certificates.
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Certificate of good standing
As you have been admitted in a foreign jurisdiction (outside Australia), you must arrange for an original certificate of good standing from the relevant professional body in any jurisdiction that you have been admitted. The certificate of good standing must state that you are in good standing and are not subject to any current or pending disciplinary matters.
The certificate of good standing should show the date on which you were admitted in that jurisdiction and must be dated no earlier than two months prior to the date that your application has been made.
The certificate must be sent directly to vlabdocuments@justice.vic.gov.au (External link) from all relevant professional bodies in any jurisdiction you have been admitted.
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Foreign jurisdictions resided
If you have ever lived in a foreign jurisdiction, list all jurisdictions including the years and months of residence. If you have resided in a foreign jurisdiction for over three months in the past 12 months, you will be required to obtain a foreign police report from all jurisdictions. VLAB will write to you and advise if a foreign police report is required.
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Suitability
In determining what matters should be disclosed you must read the LACC Disclosure Guidelines for Applicants for Admissions to the Legal Profession.
Disclosure Statement
You must make full disclosure of any relevant matters in a statutory declaration and exhibit documentary evidence to support the details of the matter/s you are disclosing. A disclosure is only required if you have a matter to disclose as per the Disclosure Guidelines. Do NOT attempt to upload a disclosure statement that states there are no disclosures. In the event that you have nothing to disclose, it is not a requirement that you upload a declaration. All disclosures are to be uploaded in the online portal. A disclosure statement template is available here.
Capacity Statement
When deciding whether to grant a compliance certificate, VLAB must have regard to whether a person is currently able to carry out the inherent requirements of legal practice. A mental health condition may be relevant to consideration of this question and hence may need to be disclosed to the Board. If you wish to make a disclosure relating to capacity you should set out the details in a separate statutory declaration. All capacity statements are to be uploaded in the online portal. A capacity statement template is available here.
Template Certificate Identifying Exhibit to Statutory Declaration
If a statutory declaration refers to a separate document you must identify it as an exhibit. A template certificate for the exhibit is available.
Further information on suitability can be found here.
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Identification
To be eligible to apply for admission, we must confirm your identity. Two forms of ID must be provided, one must include a name and address which must match that on your application.
For applicants who have never resided in Australia you must provide a foreign passport as proof of identification. For applicants who are from a foreign jurisdiction and are residing in Australia, you must provide a foreign passport that has an Australian issued Visa (two separate documents counted as one form of ID) In addition to any foreign issued passport/visa, two other forms of ID must be provided, one must include the name and address as stated on your application. In total, three forms of ID must be provided for those relying on a foreign passport/visa. All ID docs are to be uploaded in the online portal.
The list of acceptable forms of ID are available.
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Fees
A link to the Service Victoria payment page will be emailed to you when all documentation is complete. You are unable to make any payment of fees prior to receiving this email. No early requests for payment will be granted in any circumstance until your application is completed. You can choose to make payment by either Visa, Mastercard or PayPal.
Payment must be received within 7 days of the email. If payment is not received your application for an admission ceremony may be deferred.
If you are unable to make payment within this timeframe, contact us vlab@justice.vic.gov.au (External link)
See more information on fees here.
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Frequently Asked Questions
How do I order a police report ?
Every applicant for admission must provide a Police Report which has been issued in Australia. The Report shows whether you have any criminal history in Australia.
You must disclose Spent convictions when applying for admission as a lawyer.
You are required to obtain a Police Report issued by Victoria Police. You should order your Report when you commence your online application, allow 4-6 weeks to receive the Report. It must:
- be dated no earlier than six months prior to the date your admission application is received; and
- include all previous names by which you have been known.
Applicants who reside in Australia must obtain a Police Report via Victoria Police only. Any other forms of police reports will not be accepted. This can be found here (External link) and follow the steps below.
Online National Police Check
In partnership with Service Victoria, Victoria Police have launched an online national police checking service. If you meet certain criteria, your identity and ID documents will be verified electronically and you will be provided with a PDF certificate via email.
To do the check fully online you'll need at least 3 documents, including one photo ID.
To begin, you must have two of the following documents:
- Australian birth certificate
- Australian passport (current or expired less than 3 years)
- Australian driver licence (current)
- Foreign passport (with linked Australian visa)
- ImmiCard
- Australian citizenship certificate
- If you don't meet the criteria or do not wish to transact online, please apply for a national police check via the steps below:
National Police Report via Post Application Instructions
- Section A: Type of check required - Select National Name Check
- Section B: Details of applicant - Ensure correct details are provided
- Section C: Current, postal and previous residential address/es – Ensure correct details are provided
- Section D: Payment provider – If your employer is paying for the police report check the Yes box, this section must then be completed by your employer, then go to Section E. If you are paying for the police report check the No box and go straight to Section E.
- Section E: Purpose of check - Choose Option 1 Employment or occupational licensing purposes, select Legal Admission. (If you select any other option, we will not accept your police report).
- Section F: Certification, authorisation and statement of consent and indemnity – Insert your name but do not sign or date the form.
- Section G: Proof of identity - You must provide a minimum of two (2) types of identification from the list with a minimum total of 100 points, including at least one type of photo ID from category A.
You must complete the Proof of Identify list and details.
You are required to print the application form once it has been completed and take it to a certifier with your original proof of identity documents and a copy of your proof of identity documents. A list of persons able to certify your identity documents is listed on Page 3 of the application. You must sign and date Section F in the presence of the certifier. The certifier must also sign and date each copy of your proof of identity documents (100 points) and complete and sign the Certifier Use Only in Section G of the application.
- Complete the applicant checklist below section G.
Pay online or attach a cheque or money order with the required fee. Attach all the paperwork including payment and mail to the address listed on the application form.
Payment for police records checks can be made online https://www.police.vic.gov.au/national-police-records-checks (External link) (External link) (External link) or via cheque or money order payable to Victoria Police. Cheques/bank drafts must be issued by an Australian financial institution.
Do I need to obtain a foreign police report?
If you have resided in a foreign jurisdiction, for over three months in the past 12 months, you will be required to obtain a foreign police report from that jurisdiction.
For applicants residing in Australia, International Police Reports from over 200 jurisdictions are available through Equifax Fit2Work here (External link).
Until further notice, international checks for Afghanistan, Brunei Darussalam, Comoros, Cote D'Ivoire, Curacao, Djibouti, Dominica, Eswatini, French Polynesia, Gabon, Greenland, Guadeloupe, Guinea-Bissau, Isle of Man, Kiribati, North Korea, Kosovo, Libya, Liechtenstein, Macau, Maldives, Martinique, Montserrat, Nauru, North Macedonia, Russia, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Martin, Sao Tomé and Príncipe, Somalia, Syria, Turks and Caicos Islands, Tuvalu, Ukraine, Vanuatu and Venezuela are currently unavailable via Equifax Fit2Work. If you require a police report from any of these countries, please speak to the relevant Consulate for further information.
Who can witness my statutory declaration?
A list of authorised statutory declaration witnesses can be found on the Victoria State Government website here (External link).
I have uploaded my disclosure statement will I receive a response?
You should allow a minimum of 10 business days for your disclosure statement to be fully reviewed. You will receive an email to confirm receipt and also when it has been assessed to advise approval or referral for further review. Disclosure statements that have not provided a full and frank account of matters or are significant may require an applicant to file a further disclosure statement with additional material.
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.
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 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 order a police report if I do not live in Australia?
You cannot apply for a Police Report through Victoria Police or a Nationally Coordinated Criminal Check and instead you must apply through the website of the Australian Federal Police here (External link) and select ‘Commonwealth Employment/Purpose’, and then '33-Immigration/Citizenship’.
You must also obtain a police report from the country where you are currently residing. The report must be dated no earlier than six months prior to the date your admission application is received.
How do I apply for a skills assessment?
You must first apply for a skills assessment, this is done via the online application porta (External link)l. Dependent upon your academic and work history, VLAB will seek additional academic study and practical legal training be undertaken as part of any assessment.
Who can witness my Form B for my MRA admission?
You must arrange an appointment to appear before the Principal Registrar/Prothonotary of the Supreme Court of Victoria or the High Court and Supreme Court of New Zealand and produce your Form B affidavit. You must swear the oath or take the affirmation and sign the affidavit before the authorised Court representative and complete all details on the Form B affidavit.
Do I need to appear in-person for my MRA admission?
MRA Admissions proceed without the necessity for applicants to appear in person in Court.
What is a Certificate of Good Standing and how can I order this?
A Certificate of Good Standing is a report stating you are in good standing in a particular jurisdiction. The report must be requested from the law society of each jurisdiction in which in you have admitted to practise law. The Certificate of Good Standing must be emailed directly to VLAB from the relevant law society.
We are unable to receive Certificates of Good Standing directly from applicants.
Who is an Authorised Affidavit Taker?
A complete list of authorised affidavit takers can be found on the Victoria State Government website via the following link (External link).
When should I commence an application for a compliance certificate?
It is recommended that you commence your application a minimum of 3 months prior to your intended admission date.
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) (External link)
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