Practising certificate renewals opens soon

By Sam Palmer | 18 September 2026 | 6-minute read

Practising certificate renewals are just around the corner, so I wanted to share a quick reminder of the key dates and details.

Whether you are renewing yourself or are responsible for a firm's application, taking a few minutes now to prepare can help ensure a smoother renewal process.

First, here are the key things to know:

• renewals open on 1 October
• you apply through mySRA
• there are no new questions this year, either for individuals or in the bulk renewal
• the deadline to apply is 31 October.

What solicitors and registered lawyers need to know

Your options for renewing

If you are not already opted into your employer's bulk renewal application, you can either:

1. opt in if your employer offers bulk renewal. This means they will renew on your behalf; you'll need to this as soon as possible and before your organisation submits its application in October, or
2. complete your own renewal application through mySRA.

What you should do now to get ready

A few things to check before October:

• make sure you can access your account – recover any lost passwords and check your authenticator app is working correctly
• review and update your personal and employment details in mySRA
• opt into your employer's bulk renewal application if you need to.

Competence and regulatory obligations

As part of the renewal process, solicitors and some registered lawyers will need to declare that they remain competent to practise and that their professional knowledge and skills are up to date. You must also continue to report any issues that could affect your regulatory compliance or ability to practise.

If you are a law firm or organisation doing a bulk renewal application

If your firm or organisation is submitting a bulk renewal application, now is the time to prepare and make sure your information is up to date before the renewal window opens.

Your renewal application

This year, the process remains unchanged and there are no new questions in the application.

Both authorised signatories and organisation contacts can complete it, but only an authorised signatory can submit the application.

Don't forget that all firms must complete the application and pay the annual fee, even if no practising certificates are being renewed through the firm's application.

What you should do now to get ready

A few things to check before October:

• appoint an authorised signatory if your firm or organisation has not already done so, as your application cannot be submitted until one is in place
• review the application questions in advance and gather the information you will need before 1 October
• make sure everyone involved can access their mySRA account, including checking their authenticator app, username and password.

Check who is included in bulk renewal

Confirm who needs to be included in the bulk renewal application, particularly managers who need a practising certificate.

Check that new employees and recently qualified solicitors have opted in before submitting. 

If someone who needs a practising certificate is not opted in, they will need to renew individually through their own mySRA account.

Competence and regulatory obligations

Solicitors and registered lawyers must remain competent to carry out their roles and keep their professional knowledge and skills up to date.

When renewing, you will be asked to declare whether solicitors and registered European or Swiss included in your application remain competent. 

They must also report issues that could affect regulatory compliance or ability to practise.

Complete the application and pay fees

From 1 October 2026, authorised signatories and organisation contacts can log in to mySRA to complete the renewal application.

The application will be available under 'Pay your periodic fees and apply for bulk renewal'. Once started, the draft can be found in 'My organisation' and under 'Applications and documents'.

Find out more on our renewals page.

Author profile

Sam Palmer

Head of Authorisation - Practising Certificates & Registration

Sam is a Head of Authorisation at the SRA, leading teams that make decisions on practising certificates and registration. 

She has held a number of operational and leadership roles at the SRA, giving her extensive experience in regulatory operations, service delivery and process improvement.

Sam is particularly interested in building high-performing teams, developing decision makers and improving the effectiveness of regulatory processes. She values collaboration and continuous improvement and takes pride in supporting her teams to manage complex and sometimes challenging issues in the public interest.