AIBE 22 Registration 2026 Opens Today at 4 PM; Here's Everything You Need Before You Apply

Law graduates and final-year students across India have circled today's date for a reason — the Bar Council of India (BCI) is switching on AIBE 22 registration at 4 PM, and this year's exam comes with a genuinely notable change: for the first time, the All India Bar Examination will be held twice a year instead of once.

If you're aiming to practice law in Indian courts, this exam is non-negotiable — clearing it is what earns you the Certificate of Practice (CoP). Here's the complete breakdown of dates, fees, documents, and the registration process itself.

Mark These Dates Right Now

The full AIBE 22 calendar has been laid out well in advance, and there's a fair bit of runway before the actual exam — but that doesn't mean you should wait to start:

Notice the gap between the application deadline and the fee payment deadline — October 27 versus October 28. That one-day cushion exists for a reason, but don't treat it as a buffer to procrastinate. Submit your form and pay immediately after, rather than leaving the fee for the last possible hour.

Who's Eligible to Sit for AIBE 22?

The eligibility net here is fairly wide. You can apply if you're a final-year law student without any pending backlogs, a graduate who's received your degree but hasn't yet enrolled (or has submitted enrolment certificates), or a law graduate awaiting your degree. There's no age limit for this exam, and — perhaps more reassuringly — no cap on the number of attempts either. You hold a valid 3-year or 5-year integrated LLB degree, and that's your primary qualifying criterion.

What Will It Cost You?

Fees are category-based, and there's no waiver route — everyone pays something:

Payment is strictly online — no cash, no demand drafts, no postal submissions. If your transaction doesn't show as successful, your application won't move forward, so it's worth double-checking your payment confirmation before you close the tab.

Registering for AIBE 22: The Full Process

Here's how the application actually unfolds, step by step:

1. Visit allindiabarexamination.com
2. Click the online registration link on the homepage
3. Enter your enrollment state, enrollment number, name, and mobile number
4. Fill in your personal details
5. Select the language you'd like to appear in for the exam
6. Check your email and phone for login credentials sent by the system
7. Log back in and complete your fee payment

A few things worth flagging before you start: once you pay the fee, certain fields — your name, enrollment number, date of birth, and test centre preference — get locked and can't be edited. So take the extra few minutes to verify these details are exactly right before you hit submit.

Documents You'll Need Ready

Have these scanned and saved before you open the form, so you're not scrambling mid-application:

• Matriculation certificate
• Intermediate/diploma certificate
• LLB certificate (3-year or 5-year, as applicable)
• Passport-size photograph and signature (in prescribed format and dimensions)
• Advocate ID card, if already issued by your State Bar Council
• Enrollment certificate

Photos and signatures that are blurry, cropped, or don't match the prescribed dimensions tend to get flagged during verification — so it's worth taking a genuinely clear, recent photo rather than reusing an old scan.

Exam Day: What to Expect

The AIBE 22 exam will be conducted in pen-and-paper mode on November 29, 2026, across roughly 55 test cities nationwide. It's offered in English plus 21 regional languages, which makes it genuinely accessible to law graduates from different linguistic backgrounds across the country. Your admit card, downloadable from November 14, will carry your exam centre and reporting time — and carrying it to the exam hall is mandatory; there's no entry without it.

One point students often ask about: the exam carries no negative marking, though it's still considered medium-to-tough given the analytical nature of the questions. This cycle also brings updated criminal law content — questions now reflect the newer BNS, BNSS, and BSA provisions, replacing the earlier IPC, CrPC, and Evidence Act framework, so make sure your prep material is current.

Small Habits That'll Save You Trouble Later

A few practical tips worth keeping in mind through the process: pick up to three preferred test cities, since these choices also lock in once you pay. Print your confirmation page and keep it somewhere safe — it becomes your reference point for any future correction requests or verification queries. And remember, admit cards are only generated for candidates who've completed both the form submission and fee payment within their respective deadlines — miss either one, and you won't be sitting for this exam cycle.