Pilot program for Hong Kong and Macau lawyers to practice in GBA extended to Oct 2026

China’s State Council has extended the pilot program for Hong Kong and Macau legal practitioners to obtain mainland qualifications and practice in nine municipalities in the Greater Bay Area by three years to October 4, 2026. 

The nine cities are Guangzhou, Shenzhen, Zhuhai, Foshan, Huizhou, Dongguan, Zhongshan, Jiangmen and Zhaoqing.

The meeting criteria of five years of experience is also lowered to three years for legal practitioners in the two SARs to apply for the Bay Area qualification exam, with effect starting October 5 this year (next Thu). 

According to data from the Ministry of Justice, a total of 357 lawyers in Hong Kong and Macau have obtained a certificate to practice in the Bay Area as of Thursday.

Hong Kong’s Secretary for Justice, Paul Lam Ting-kwok, expressed deep gratitude towards the Central Government for extending the program in order to provide more development opportunities to the industry in the Bay Area.

Victor Dawes, chairman of the Hong Kong Bar Association, welcomed the decision and said it is good news for young entrepreneurs in the Bay Area because it injects young forces familiar with the common law system into the development of legal affairs in the Bay Area. 

It is a win-win situation as well, for new barristers now have another opportunity to expand their businesses, Dawes also said. 

Chan Chak-ming, president of the Law Society of Hong Kong, also welcomed the decision and expressed his gratitude to the State Council for relaxing the admission criteria for the qualification exam. 

“Recently, there are on average over 600 newly qualified lawyers each year in Hong Kong, many of whom are young lawyers. The relaxation of the admission criteria will benefit more young lawyers,” Chan said.