Step by step: from your degree to your license

1. STEP 1

   Gather your documents

   Almost every application asks for the same things. Official documents from your country can take time, so it is worth starting here.

   • Your law degree and your transcript or curriculum
   • Proof of your license or bar membership and a certificate of good standing from the bar or authority in your country
   • Your passport or another identity document
   • Your résumé

   Documents that are not in English need a certified translation. See translations and apostilles (in Spanish)

   If you want help: The membership orientation reviews with you what you have and what you are missing. Learn more

2. STEP 2

   Have your degree evaluated

   Before you invest time and money, find out what your education is worth in the United States, in which states you are eligible and what you are missing.

   If you want help: UNPAM, NAFA's credential evaluation organization, prepares that diagnosis. Learn more

3. STEP 3

   Choose your state and your route

   Foreign Legal Consultant, the bar exam or in-house counsel: what you can do depends on the state and on your education.

   Think about the second state too: the license is issued by a state, and moving to another one later depends on its rules. Practicing in other states

   If you want help: We explain each route, with its official sources. Learn more

4. STEP 4

   Open your NCBE account

   Many states use NCBE for the character and fitness investigation and for the MPRE exam. Your account gives you an NCBE Number, which identifies your applications and your results. Have only one account, and before opening it check with NCBE whether you already have one.

5. STEP 5

   Complete the education your state requires

   If your state requires it: an equivalency determination, an LL.M. or credits at an ABA-accredited law school. In Louisiana, for example, 14 semester credits; in New York, a 24-credit LL.M. Some routes, such as Foreign Legal Consultant, require no additional study.

   If you want help: Our courses are complementary and optional: they strengthen your U.S. law and your legal English, but they do not replace this study. Learn more

6. STEP 6

   File your application

   With your state's board of bar examiners or bar, together with the character and fitness investigation. Review every answer carefully: errors and omissions delay the process.

   If you want help: With one-on-one guidance, we prepare it with you, if you want. Learn more

7. STEP 7

   Pass the exams

   If you take the bar exam route: your state's exam and the MPRE, the professional responsibility exam required by 54 of 56 jurisdictions (all except Wisconsin and Puerto Rico).

   If you want help: Our legal English course prepares you for the language of both. Learn more

8. STEP 8

   Keep your license or certification

   Each state has its own rules for keeping it: renewals, fees and, often, continuing legal education (CLE). In Florida, for example, Foreign Legal Consultant certification is renewed every year.

   If you want help: Several of our courses are approved by The Florida Bar for CLE credit. Learn more

Sources

Reviewed on October 13, 2026.

• NCBE: What is an NCBE Number used for?
• NCBE: Multistate Professional Responsibility Examination (MPRE)
• NCBE: Comprehensive Guide to Bar Admission Requirements 2026, Chart 4 (Foreign Legal Education)
• Louisiana Supreme Court Committee on Bar Admissions: Application Requirements
• New York State Board of Law Examiners: Foreign Legal Education
• The Florida Bar: Rules, chapter 16 (Foreign Legal Consultancy Rule), edition of October 1, 2026