Apply for a practising certificate

Apply for practising certificate for the practice year 2025/2026

Applications for a practising certificate for the practice year 2025/2026 (1 April 2025 to 31 March 2026) will be received from 1 March 2025. All applications are to be made through eLitigation, or through the Service Bureau if your law practice does not have an eLitigation account.

You are advised to apply for your practising certificate as soon as possible before the end of March 2025. A practising certificate issued in March 2025 will be dated 1 April 2025. A practising certificate issued in April 2025 will be dated with the date of issue but shall be deemed to be in force from the first day of April.

Please refer to the Law Society website for more information on the application process and requirements.

Who must apply

Every solicitor who wishes to act in the capacity of an advocate and solicitor must apply for a practising certificate.

When to apply

For every practice year, every solicitor must apply for a practising certificate before acting in the capacity of an advocate and solicitor. The term "practice year" means the period from 1 April in any calendar year to 31 March in the next calendar year.

Every practising certificate issued will be in force from the date of issue to the end of the practice year, except that a practising certificate issued in April shall be deemed to be in force from 1 April.

You may submit an application to the Registrar for a practising certificate in respect of a practice year no earlier than the month preceding the commencement of the practice year. Therefore, for the practice year 2025 to 2026 commencing 1 April 2025, the application for a practising certificate cannot be submitted before 1 March 2025.

How to apply

You can apply for or renew a practising certificate online through eLitigation.

If you do not have online access to eLitigation, you may:

• Apply for limited access to eLitigation's practising certificate e-filing function.
• Visit the LawNet & CrimsonLogic Service Bureau to apply in person.

For more information, refer to:

• Part 18 of the Supreme Court Practice Directions 2021 on the procedure to apply for practising certificates.
• The Law Society of Singapore's guide on applying for a practising certificate.

Request for waiver under Section 50(2) of the Legal Profession Act 1966

The Law Society of Singapore Annual Election of Council 2026 on 28 October 2025 

For the attention of every advocate and solicitor in the Senior and Middle Categories who had in force a Practising Certificate (“PC”) on 8 October 2025 (“Nomination Day”).

The Law Society of Singapore has informed the Registrar of the Supreme Court (the “Registrar”) that practitioner members as of Nomination Day in the Senior and Middle Categories are required to vote in the Law Society Annual Election of Council 2026 on 28 October 2025 (“Election Day”). 

Please note that under section 50(2) of the Legal Profession Act 1966 (“LPA”), voting is compulsory and practitioner members who fail to vote on Election Day may not be entitled to apply for a practising certificate (“PC”).

However, practitioner members who are not in Singapore on Election Day, or have a good and sufficient reason for not voting, may request for a waiver under Section 50(2)(a) of the LPA (“Request”) from the Registrar. Kindly note that the Request may be made only after Election Day (i.e., after 28 October 2025).

Please also note that any Request must be submitted for the Registrar’s consideration before the application for a PC has been submitted. A Request that is submitted after the application for a PC has been submitted and after the penalty of $500 has been paid will not be considered. 

Find out how to apply.

Estimated fees

The Supreme Court will collect the following fees for applications through eLitigation:

Note: This table does not include the applicable subscription fees, levies, contributions, and other fees and charges payable to the Law Society of Singapore or the Singapore Academy of Law. It also does not include additional fees payable for applications made through the LawNet & CrimsonLogic Service Bureau.

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