AIBE 21 (XXI) Eligibility Criteria 2026: Age Limit, Qualification, No. of Attempts, Minimum Marks

Candidates seeking Certificate of Practice (CoP) to practice law in India can check here the prescribed eligibility criteria for AIBE exam including, marks, degree, state bar council enrollment number and other requirements. 

AIBE 21 (XXI) Eligibility Criteria 2026: The Bar Council of India (BCI) is responsible for framing the eligibility criteria for the All India Bar Examination, which is a mandatory qualifying examination for all lawyers. Only those candidates who will fulfill the AIBE 21 eligibility 2026 will be issued the Certificate of Practice. The Bar Council exam eligibility criteria mention the minimum academic qualification, age limit, and registration with the state Bar Council etc. Candidates are advised to check  AIBE Eligibility Criteria 2026. The AIBE 21 Exam 2026 will be held on June 7, 2026.

The BCI also gave a nod to final-year LLB/ BA LLB students to appear in the AIBE Exam. AIBE 21 will be held in offline mode in pen-and-paper mode. Those who qualify as per AIBE results will be issued COPs to practice law. All the candidates who meet the AIBE XXI eligibility criteria 2026 for the exam must fill the application form for AIBE 21. 

What’s New in AIBE 21 Eligibility Criteria (2026)

On September 20, 2024, the Supreme Court of India ruled that final-year law students are now eligible to register and appear for the AIBE. However, their results will only be valid if they successfully pass all subjects in their law programme. Additionally, the AIBE results will be valid for a limited period, as specified by the BCI.

As per the updated eligibility criteria:

• Final-Year Law Students (Without Backlogs)

Candidates in the final semester of a 3-year or 5-year LLB programme from a BCI-recognised law college or university are eligible to apply, provided they do not have any pending backlogs.

• Graduates Awaiting Degree Certificates

Law students from BCI approved colleges who have completed their course but have not yet received their degree certificates are also eligible to apply.

• Graduates Without Enrolment or Who Have Surrendered Enrolment

Candidates who have obtained their LLB degree but have not enrolled with any State Bar Council, or those who had enrolled but have surrendered their enrolment certificates, are also eligible to register for AIBE 20.

• Ineligible Candidates

Students or graduates from non-BCI-recognised institutions are not eligible to appear for AIBE. 

Note: Eligible candidates will be required to submit an undertaking and upload self-attested scanned documents during the AIBE 21 registration process.

AIBE XXI Eligibility Criteria 2026-26

The AIBE 21 (XXI) eligibility criteria remained the same. Here are the AIBE exam eligibility criteria in the table below:

Also Read:

AIBE 21 (XXI) Syllabus

AIBE 21 (XXI) Eligibility Criteria 2026: Exemptions 

BCI has also set eligibility criteria for candidates exempted from AIBE exam as mentioned below:

• Law graduates who have passed the three-year LLB or five-year LLB degree before 2009-2010, don't need to take the AIBE exam.
• These candidates can thus practice law in India without the CoP.
• Those who graduated in 2008 or earlier, and enrolled later (irrespective of year of enrollment), are also exempted from AIBE.

Note: For candidates graduating from academic year 2009-10 onwards, the AIBE exam is compulsory for practicing law in India.

Also Read: Family Law for AIBE 2026

AIBE 21 Eligibility 2026-27: Number of Attempts

AIBE aspirants often question whether there is any limit on the number of attempts for the bar examination. However, BCI has made it clear to all law graduates that:

• They can attempt AIBE examination multiple times until qualified. 
• They can attempt AIBE even after they fail several times.

Therefore, attempts for the AIBE examination is unlimited till they qualify for it as per the minimum marks required. However, candidates have to qualify for AIBE within two years of provisional enrollment with the State Bar Council. 

AIBE 21 Eligibility Criteria 2026: State Bar Council Registration Validity

After the Supreme Court order in 2024, candidates do not need to have compulsory enrollment as advocates with a state bar council to appear in the AIBE Exam. Earlier, candidates were eligible to appear for AIBE any number of times. The provisional enrollment was valid for two year to become an advocate. So, in case the candidate clears the exam after two years expiry, they have to enroll as an advocate with the state bar council again. 

Also Read: How to enroll with State Bar Councils for AIBE exam? Fees, Documents Required, Eligibility

AIBE Eligibility Criteria for Obtaining COP

Candidates who appear for AIBE exam have to obtain minimum qualifying marks as set by BCI, to be eligible for issuing a Certificate of Practice. The minimum marks requirement for AIBE COP Eligibility is as under: 

• Candidates belonging to General/ OBC category must obtain at least 40% marks from the total scores of the AIBE exam. 
• Candidates belonging to SC/ST/PWD category must obtain at least 35% marks in the AIBE examination. 

AIBE 21 Eligibility Criteria for Disabled/ Physically Challenged Candidates (PwD candidates)

The academic eligibility criteria for AIBE applicants who are physically challenged or disabled is the same, however, such candidates must ensure that they have: 

• A disability certificate is issued by a medical authority.
• The disability certificate should mention 50 per cent or more disabilities under specific categories like blindness, amputated arms, or any other physical incapability.

This is a requirement if candidates want to increase their exam duration by 21 minutes per hour i.e. they will be allowed an extra time of one hour for AIBE exam duration. 

AIBE Application form 2026

The AIBE XXI Application Form 2026-27 for the certification exam will begin on February 11, 2026. Candidates who met the academic requirements and registered as an advocate with a state bar council could fill the application process of AIBE 21. Candidates will be able to fill AIBE 21 Application Form 2026 until April 30, 2026. 

How to fill the AIBE application 21 (XXI) 2026 form:

1. Online Registration - The candidate have to get registered first and create an applicant account. At the time of registration, the candidate had to enter their Advocate Enrollment No.
2. Filling of the application form - The candidate must fill in various fields in the application form, including personal, academic, and contact details.
3. Uploading of documents - Essential documents that have to be uploaded include a photograph, signature, self-attested enrollment certificate, and self-attested photo id. The uploaded documents should be in jpg/jpeg format.
4. Exam center and language selection - The AIBE 2026 exam will be conducted in 11 languages. Pick one language and also an exam center.
5. Payment of application fee - The exam fee is INR 3500 for general/ OBC candidates and INR 2,500 for SC/ ST candidates.

Read More- AIBE FAQs covering all TOPICS 

AIBE (XXI) 21 Exam Centres 2026

The AIBE (XXI) 2026-26 exam will be conducted at the following centers:

Read More:

• Best Books for AIBE 2026 Preparation: Topic-wise 
• Top 5 reasons why aspirants fail AIBE exam

AIBE 21 admit card

AIBE admit card 2026 will be released by the Bar Council of India (BCI). Candidates who will submit their AIBE XXI (20) 2026 Application Form on time will be issued an AIBE 21 hall ticket. Candidates must note that the BCI will not send AIBE 21 Admit Card 2026-26 by post. Candidates will have to use their registration ID and date of birth to download AIBE 2026 Admit Card.

How to download AIBE 21 Admit Card 2026?

Candidates can read the pointers below download the AIBE 21 admit card 2026 below.

1. Go to the official website of AIBE 20
2. Click on the “Admit Card (AIBE-XXI)” link 
3. Enter AIBE 2026 registration ID and password
4. Click on the “Submit” button, admit card will appear on the screen
5. Cross-check the below-mentioned details on the admit card, if errors found report it to the exam helpdesk and also, download the admit card (keep a copy for future reference)