In August 2020, the Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress authorised the State Council to conduct a pilot scheme for eligible Hong Kong and Macao legal practitioners to provide legal services in the nine Chinese Mainland municipalities in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area (GBA) on specified civil and commercial matters (including litigation and non-litigation matters) to which Chinese Mainland laws apply, after passing the GBA Legal Professional Examination (GBA Examination) and having obtained the Lawyer’s License (GBA). The scope of Hong Kong-related or Macao-related civil matters in which eligible legal practitioners may act is determined with reference to the relevant Notice issued by the Ministry of Justice, covering 299 types of civil cases across 9 major categories.

The three-year pilot scheme, originally set to expire in October 2023, has been extended to October 2026 as announced in September 2023.

On 28 August 2026, the 24th Meeting of the Standing Committee of the 14th National People’s Congress passed the amendments to the Lawyers Law of the People’s Republic of China (Lawyers Law). The amended Lawyers Law, as a national law, makes clear provision for the GBA Lawyers’ scheme, thus providing the legal basis to conduct relevant work in respect of the regularisation of the practice regime. The amendments took effect on 1 September 2026.

Article 62 of the amended Lawyers Law provides that Hong Kong and Macao legal practitioners who passed the GBA Examination organised by the judicial administration department of the State Council and obtained Mainland practice qualification may practise in stipulated areas of legal matters in the Guangzhou, Shenzhen, Zhuhai, Foshan, Huizhou, Dongguan, Zhongshan, Jiangmen and Zhaoqing municipalities of the Guangdong Province. Matters such as the enrollment requirements for the examination, the application procedures to practise as lawyers and the scope of practice are stipulated by the judicial administration department of the State Council.

Since 2021, the GBA Examination has been held annually. To enrol in the GBA Examination, among other specific requirements, Hong Kong or Macao legal practitioners must possess at least three years of accumulated legal practice experience. Candidates who have passed the GBA Examination may apply for Lawyer’s License (GBA) after they have completed Guangdong Lawyers Association’s intensive training and passed the assessment.

For the latest information about the GBA Examination, please visit: https://gba.examos.cn/lawyertop/login.html (in Chinese only).