AIBE registration 2026 closes on 27 October. If you hold a law degree, or are in your final year, and want to practise in court, the All India Bar Examination (AIBE) is compulsory. This guide is written mainly for law students and fresh graduates. It explains the legal background, fees, documents and steps so you can submit the AIBE 22 application form on time.
Why the AIBE Is Mandatory: Legal Background
- Section 24, Advocates Act, 1961: a person with a recognised law degree can be enrolled on a State Bar Council roll (the official list of advocates).
- Section 49(1)(ag): lets BCI frame rules on conditions for practice.
- Bar Council of India Certificate and Place of Practice (Verification) Rules, 2015: require an enrolled advocate to pass the AIBE to earn a Certificate of Practice (CoP), the proof that you may appear in courts.
- Sections 30 and 33: Section 30 gives advocates the right to practise, while Section 33 bars non-advocates from doing so.
AIBE Registration 2026: Key Dates
| Event | Date |
|---|---|
| Notification released | 18 July 2026 |
| Registration opened | 19 August 2026 |
| Registration closes | 27 October 2026 |
| Fee payment | 28 October 2026 |
| Admit card | Around 14 November 2026 |
| AIBE 22 exam | 29 November 2026 |
You can complete your application or payment through the Official AIBE Website
Who Can Apply
To sit for the AIBE 22 exam, you must meet the updated eligibility criteria mandated by the Bar Council of India (BCI):
1. Educational Qualification
- You must hold either a 3-year LLB or a 5-year integrated LLB degree.
- Your degree must be from a university or college recognized and approved by the BCI. Candidates from non-recognized colleges are strictly ineligible.
2. Final-Year Students Allowed
- Following recent Supreme Court rulings, final-semester/final-year LLB students can now register and appear for the exam.
- Crucial condition: You must have zero backlogs from any of your previous semesters to be eligible.
3. State Bar Council Enrolment Rules
- Not Mandatory to sit for the exam: Enrolment with a State Bar Council is no longer a strict prerequisite just to register for the exam.
- Who can apply: Law graduates who have not yet enrolled, graduates whose official degree certificates are still awaited, or advocates who have temporarily surrendered their state enrolment are all eligible to apply. (Unenrolled candidates submit an official undertaking form instead of an enrolment certificate).
4. Age & Attempt Exemptions
- Age Limit: There is no upper or lower age limit to appear for the exam.
- Number of Attempts: There is no limit on the number of attempts. You can write the exam until you clear it.
- Year of Graduation: Law graduates who finished their LLB prior to the academic year 2009–10 are fully exempt from clearing the AIBE to practice law.
You can review the fine-print instructions or download the candidate undertaking form on the Official AIBE Website.
Documents Required
| Document | Who needs it |
|---|---|
| Passport photo and scanned signature | Everyone |
| Self-attested photo ID (Aadhaar, PAN, Passport or Voter ID) | Everyone |
| State Bar Council enrolment certificate | Enrolled advocates |
| LLB marksheets or degree (LLM papers, if any) | As the form requires |
| Category or disability certificate | SC/ST/PwBD applicants |
Keep an active mobile number and email ID handy. Reported file-size limits differ across sources (photo and signature roughly 10 to 50 KB, ID and enrolment copies up to 500 KB), so follow the limits shown on the portal.
Application Fee
| Category | Fee (excluding bank charges) |
|---|---|
| General/OBC | ₹3,500 |
| SC/ST/PwBD | ₹2,500 |
Finish Your AIBE 22 Application Form in 10 Minutes
Register (2 min) → Fill details (3 min) → Upload files (2 min) → Pay fee (2 min) → Save receipt (1 min)
- Open allindiabarexamination.com and register with your email and mobile number.
- Enter your personal, category and enrolment or college details.
- Upload your documents in the prescribed format.
- Pay online and download the confirmation PDF.
Exam Pattern and Passing Marks
- 100 multiple-choice questions, one mark each, with no negative marking
- Offline pen-and-paper mode, about three hours as in AIBE 21
- Open-book format in recent editions (confirm in the bulletin)
- Question papers in 23 languages
- 45% to qualify for General/OBC and 40% for SC/ST/PwD, subject to any moderation by BCI
After You Apply
Use the correction window to fix errors, download your admit card in mid-November, and carry the admit card and original photo ID on exam day. Once you pass, apply for your Certificate of Practice through BCI’s process.
Rights, Obligations and Penalties
| Provision | Meaning | Consequence |
|---|---|---|
| Section 33, Advocates Act | Only enrolled advocates may practise | Practising otherwise is unlawful |
| Section 45 | Illegal practice | Imprisonment up to six months |
| Section 35 | Professional misconduct, including false declarations | Reprimand, suspension or removal from the roll |
| Sections 318 and 336, Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023 | Cheating and forgery | Prosecution for fake documents |
Your core obligation is to submit accurate details. Your remedy for an error is the correction window or a request to BCI through the portal.
Common Mistakes to Avoid
- Applying in the last hour, when the portal is slow
- Name or category mismatches with your certificates
- Wrong file formats or sizes
- Paying without saving the receipt
FAQs
Registration closes on 27 October 2026. Fee payment is reportedly open until 28 October, though some sources say 30 October. Pay on the same day you register so a payment-date mix-up cannot cost you your application.
Not always. Enrolled advocates upload their enrolment certificate. Reports say law graduates awaiting enrolment and final-year or final-semester students without backlogs can also apply, usually with an undertaking in its place. Eligibility has changed between editions, so check the current notification.
The AIBE requirement was introduced for law graduates enrolled from 2010 onwards. Advocates enrolled earlier are generally outside its scope. Confirm your position with your State Bar Council if you are unsure.
BCI usually opens a short correction window after the closing date. Details such as name, category and enrolment number are the most common errors, so treat the window as a safety net, not a second chance to apply.
There is no negative marking, so attempt every question. Reported qualifying marks are 45% for General/OBC and 40% for SC/ST/PwD, subject to any moderation by BCI.
AIBE 22 Exam Date 2026: Registration & Syllabus Guide
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