Bhutan Bar Selection

Overview

The Bar Council of Bhutan (Jabmi Tshogdey) runs the selection examination that Bhutanese law graduates must pass before they are admitted as a Jabmi, the Bhutanese term for a lawyer. The Council was set up under the Jabmi Act of 2003. The exam is called the Jabmi Selection Examination, and the Council's 2026 notification calls it the Bar Examination. Earlier notices call the same sitting the Common Examination for Law Graduates. Admission needs a pass in the written exam and in the viva voce (oral exam) that follows it.

The Council also holds a separate yearly examination for aspiring paralegals. It tests drafting skills in a petition, a rebuttal, an agreement, rules of law and the judiciary system.

This page describes the exam as set out in the Council's 2018 rules and its 2026 notification. The notice for each year can change the dates, pass marks and papers, so read the current notice.

Who can apply

A person admitted as a Jabmi must:

• be a Bhutanese citizen

• be a person of integrity, good character and reputation

• not be of unsound mind, adjudged bankrupt, or convicted of a criminal offence and sentenced to imprisonment

• hold a legal qualification the Council recognises

• pass the Bar selection examination

Under the 2018 rules, you qualify to sit the exam with either the five-year law degree from the Jigme Singye Wangchuck School of Law, or a foreign law degree from a recognised institution together with the Post-Graduate Diploma in National Law. The Council keeps a list of recognised foreign law degrees.

Exam pattern

The 2026 notification describes a written exam of three papers worth 500 points, held over three days, with each paper lasting three hours.

In the drafting paper, candidates get a complicated set of facts about a transaction or dispute. In English they draft a legal opinion, petition, pleading, contract, agreement, charge sheet or conveyance. The Dzongkha options are the same, without the legal opinion. The multiple-choice questions test Bhutanese law and general principles. The long essay is a complicated fact pattern that needs an answer with reasoning. Essays and drafting are marked against a rubric covering issue identification, knowledge of law and use of authorities, and analysis.

The written exam is followed by a viva held at the Bar Council office.

Syllabus

The 2026 notification weights the subjects as 70% core, 20% secondary and 10% other.

• Core subjects: constitutional law, criminal law, commercial law, family and property law, taxation law, procedural and substantive law (including evidence and the civil and criminal procedure code), environmental law, financial law, professional ethics (the Jabmi Act) and general principles of law including international law.

• Secondary subjects: administrative law principles, labour and employment, the Attorney General's office, civil service and judicial service laws, election law, local government, citizenship, narcotic drugs law, tenancy and negotiable instruments law.

• Other: the Thrimzhung Chenmo, anti-corruption law, waste prevention, immigration, the National Assembly, National Council and referendum laws, civil society organisations and roads law.

The notification lists the specific Acts under each subject, including their years. Use that list as your syllabus.

Marking and results

For 2026, the notification sets these minimum marks in the written exam:

• at least 55% in Paper I

• at least 55% in Paper II

• at least 55% in Paper III

• at least 60% overall across the three papers

You must also score at least 55% in the viva. Under the 2018 rules, the Council announces results within 10 working days of receiving them from the examination committee and publishes the names of successful candidates. A candidate who does not pass may sit the next exam.

Important dates

For the 2026 exam:

• registration closes on 20 September 2026

• written exam: 1 to 3 October 2026, with candidates reporting by 9:00 a.m.

• viva: 12 to 16 October 2026 at the Bar Council office

The 2018 rules say registration runs from 1 March to 30 April and the exam is held in June each year, unless the Council decides otherwise. The 2026 notification shows that the Council can and does set other dates. The notification says the exam dates coincide with the Main Examination of the Royal Civil Service Examination.

Fees

Fees are in Bhutanese ngultrum (Nu.).

• Fee to sit the Bar exam: Nu. 3,000, per candidate

• Enrolment fee for lawyers: Nu. 5,000

• Para-legal exam fee: Nu. 1,500

• Para-legal enrolment fee: Nu. 2,500

The 2018 rules state that the Council can revise these fees. The Certificate of Practice, awarded to successful candidates at the oath-taking ceremony, is valid for one year and must be renewed. If it is not renewed for three years in a row, it is permanently cancelled.

How to apply

Register with the Jabmi Tshogdey Secretariat before the deadline, with a written application and these documents:

1. a copy of a valid Bhutanese Citizenship Identity Card

2. your Bachelor of Law degree certificate

3. a university recognition certificate from DAFIE

4. a medical certificate

5. a security clearance from the Royal Bhutan Police

6. two recent passport-size photographs

7. your postal address

8. a certificate of completion of the National Legal Course, or of the Jigme Singye Wangchuck School of Law

9. the examination fee of Nu. 3,000

Candidates with a foreign law degree also need the certificate for the Post-Graduate Diploma in National Law under the 2018 rules. The Council can reject registrations that do not meet the criteria or lack the documents.

After the exam

The Council issues a Certificate of Practice to successful candidates under the signature and seal of its President. It is awarded at the oath-taking ceremony, on payment of the Nu. 5,000 fee, no later than 30 working days after the results. A Jabmi who joins the civil service, judicial service or armed forces, or becomes corporate counsel, surrenders the certificate and moves to a latent category, with an annual latent membership fee of Nu. 1,000 under the 2018 rules.

FAQs