Certificates of Completion

Under the Lawyers and Conveyancers (Lawyers: Admission) Rules 2008, in order to show that the educational requirements have been completed, a candidate seeking admission to the High Court of New Zealand must obtain a Certificate of Completion from the Council. 

This page contains some helpful information regarding Certificates of Completion, but please refer to the relevant application forms below.

Note the Council only sends certificates within New Zealand, and that certain requirements may be imposed on applicants with stale qualifications. Please do not contact the Council to enquire about the status of your application as this causes further delays.

Submitting Your Application

By Email (New Zealand Law Graduates Only)

Please make the required payment, and email your application form and all supporting documents in a single PDF to  CompletionCertificatesNZ@nzcle.org.nz.

Physical Applications

If you would like to send your application in as a physical copy, please be aware that we can ONLY receive physical applications via our P.O. Box 5671 Wellington. If you use a courier for this please ensure the courier you make use of is able to deliver to a PO Box.

New Zealand Law Graduates

Application Form

Standard Processing Time

Allow for 6 to 8 weeks (up to 40 working days) processing time from the date your application is received by the Council. All applications received will be processed as soon as possible, but we cannot guarantee the date of receipt of your certificate.

Fast-track Fee

The fast-track fee is $215 (including GST) and is in addition to the standard fee of $200 (including GST). Your certificate should be dispatched within 8 working days from the date we receive the application, granted that payment and all correct documentation is received.

Note the fast-track timeframe of 8 working days is not a guarantee as we rely on external organisations and institutions to verify your supporting documentation.

Sending of Certificates

Certificates are sent to applicants via NZ Post or courier (included for fast tracks or as an option at additional cost for standard applications). If you wish your certificate to be sent by an alternative method you will need to provide a pre-paid envelope or courier bag.

Overseas Law Graduates and Practitioners

When you have completed all the requirements imposed on you by the Council, you will be entitled to apply for a Completion Certificate.

The processing time for overseas completion certificate applications is 6 to 8 weeks (up to 40 working days), the same as the standard processing time.

Stale Qualifications

Please note that if any part of your qualification is affected by staleness you will need to make an application for assessment of stale qualifications before applying for your completion certificate. Please see Stale Qualifications for more details.

If you completed any of the following LLB core subjects  before 2016, you should make a stale application:

• The Legal System
• Legal Ethics
• Public Law
• Contracts
• Torts
• Criminal Law
• Property law (or Land Law and Equity and Succession)