Singapore Bar Exam for Foreign Lawyers: Part A and Exemptions

Independent — not affiliated with SILE (the Singapore Institute of Legal Education) or the Ministry of Law. The exam facts on this page come from SILE’s own web pages and its 2027 Session 1 application guide, read on 31 October 2026 and listed at the end. Our practice questions are written by us from Singapore legislation; they are not SILE questions.

Which route applies to you

Route 1: Part A for citizens and permanent residents

SILE’s eligibility for Part A starts with being a Singapore citizen or permanent resident, then an approved law degree from an overseas scheduled university with at least lower second-class honours or a top-70% ranking, as applies to your university. The scheduled universities are in the UK, Australia, New Zealand and the US (four J.D. programmes). If you meet those, Part A is your first exam: five open-book papers of 60 MCQs, plus an online Ethics quiz you must pass at 100% first.

Route 2: foreigners and the exemption application

The qualified-person rules for overseas graduates require Singapore citizenship or permanent residence, but the Ministry of Law lists that requirement among those the Minister may exempt. Its list of exemptible requirements also includes the scheduled-degree requirement (with dual, accelerated, external and twinning degrees, and third-class degrees named), Part A, Part B and the practice training period. The Ministry says exemptions are granted sparingly and it cannot advise on your chances.

SILE’s Part A application guide asks applicants who do not meet the citizen/PR or degree requirements to have applied for, or obtained, the exemption by the time they apply for Part A. For 2027 Session 1, the approved exemption must reach SILE by 26 February 2027, and you must tell SILE the outcome, with the Ministry’s letter, within 3 working days of receiving it; if the conditions are not met in time, the candidature is treated as withdrawn. If the exemption is later refused, you must withdraw, and SILE’s withdrawal fees apply. Applicants who are not citizens or PRs also need their own valid pass or visa to stay in Singapore to prepare for the exams; SILE does not apply for one. SILE’s fee table includes a foreigner rate for the Part A Course and examinations.

Route 3: experienced common-law lawyers and Part B

The Ministry of Law accepts applications for exemption from the practice training period and Part B from people who meet all three conditions: an approved law degree from an approved university plus all the other qualified-person requirements; admission to practise in a common law jurisdiction; and at least 2 years of relevant legal practice or work and/or relevant legal training as defined in the QP Rules. It stresses that meeting the conditions does not make the exemption automatic.

Separately, section 14(1) of the Legal Profession Act lets a person who is not a Lawyer (NP) apply to the Minister for discretionary approval as an “eligible person” for admission as an Advocate and Solicitor, based on qualifications, expertise, standing or relevant experience that would contribute to the quality of legal services in Singapore, or to Singapore’s economic or technological development. That is a discretionary route, not an exam. (The Ministry of Law’s older exemption page, last updated in June 2018, describes section 14 approval as approval as a “qualified person”; SILE’s current admission page calls it approval as an “eligible person”.)

Route 4: the Foreign Practitioner Examinations

Foreign-qualified lawyers who pass the FPE can apply to the Director of Legal Services to be registered to practise in permitted areas of Singapore law, such as banking and finance, mergers and acquisitions and intellectual property. To sit it you must be a foreign lawyer; after becoming one, have at least 3 years of relevant legal practice or work in permitted areas of foreign law in the 5 years immediately before applying (active practice outside Singapore, practice as a foreign lawyer in Singapore, or work of a legal nature as legal counsel for a corporation or other entity whose equity securities are listed on the official list of a securities exchange in Singapore or elsewhere; periods of study, other than continuing professional development, and articles, pupillage or other supervised training do not count); and be practising in Singapore as a foreign lawyer in a Joint Law Venture, Qualifying Foreign Law Practice, licensed foreign law practice or Singapore law practice, or hold a job offer to do so.

SILE says the FPE is undergoing a comprehensive review following the 2025 examinations, applications are closed, and updates, including dates for future sessions, will come in due course. We do not give dates or fees for it, and we do not offer FPE practice.

Practical points if you are moving to Singapore

Active practice as a lawyer outside Singapore, or as a foreign lawyer in Singapore, is “relevant legal practice” under the QP Rules, one of the ways to meet the six-month requirement for overseas graduates. It counts only if it comes after you passed the final examination for your approved law degree and adds up to at least six months within a continuous eight-month period, under SILE’s calculation rules.

Independent — not affiliated with SILE (the Singapore Institute of Legal Education) or the Ministry of Law. The exam facts on this page come from SILE’s own web pages and its 2027 Session 1 application guide, read on 31 October 2026 and listed at the end. Our practice questions are written by us from Singapore legislation; they are not SILE questions.