BAR APPLICATION PROCESS

Step 1:
Scan each document in a single file with at least 300 DPI resolution and save
them on your device. All scanned documents must be in colored PDF file and
must be legible.
Please do not use special characters in naming your files (examples: ñ, ö, æ).
Step 2:
Click the "UPLOAD/ATTACH FILE" button located in the uploading tab, then
select the file to be uploaded. Please make sure the uploaded file corresponds
to the correct document.
For applicants with pending and/or decided case/s, you must upload the
scanned copy of the required documents. If the scanned copy of the required
documents exceeds the allowable file size, you may upload the first five pages
and the last five pages of the relevant scanned document instead of the entire
document.
If you wish to remove any uploaded files, click the “REMOVE FILE” button.
Step 3:
Once all the required documents have been uploaded, you may (a) click the
"PROCEED TO PAYMENT" button if you are ready to pay the Bar Application Fee,
or (b) click the “SAVE AND EXIT” button to save your uploaded documents and
proceed to payment at another time.
REMINDERS:

• Once you have paid the bar application fee, your application shall be
verified and processed for approval or denial by the Office of the Bar
Confidant (OBC). Any notifications, questions, or concerns regarding your
application shall be sent to your BARISTA registered email address.
• You will receive an email notification once your application has been
approved. Applicants are advised to patiently wait for the email
notification in view of the volume of applications that will be processed
by the OBC. Upon receipt of this email, you may already download your
Application Form from the BARISTA dashboard, under Downloadable
Forms.
• Each page of the Application Form must be printed on separate sheets
(i.e., not back-to-back) of folio size paper (8.5” x 13”). The dates on each
page of the application form refer to the date when the applicant affixes
his or her wet signature. E-signatures will not be accepted.
• Except for the deferred documents [i.e., documents that must be
submitted beginning August 1, 2023 but no later than October 24, 2023 or
thirty (30) calendar days from the last exam day of the 2023 Bar
Examinations (see Annex D of Bar Bulletin No. 2, Series of 2023)], the
physical copies of the uploaded documents must be securely placed in a
brown envelope, sealed with masking tape, and labeled as follows:
 Subject: Bar Application Documents
Bar Examinee Number: 2023-XXXXX
Applicant’s Surname and Initials: [e.g. Dela Cruz, J.A.]
CHIEF OF OFFICE
Office of the Bar Confidant
Supreme Court of the Philippines
Padre Faura St., Ermita
1000 Manila, Philippines
(02) 8 525 7929 | 0917 813 8543

• Hard copies of the uploaded documents must be submitted to the

OBC not later than ten (10) calendar days after the approval of the online
application. You may monitor your application status through your
dashboard.
• Meanwhile, hard copies of deferred documents may be submitted after
soft copies are uploaded on BARISTA but no later than October 24, 2023
or thirty (30) calendar days from the last exam day of the 2023 Bar
Examinations.
In accordance with Bar Bulletin No. 2, Series of 2023, all applicants must upload
clear, digital or scanned copies of the supporting documents required within
the application period. The documents required for each applicant, and the
application period, vary according to their applicant type. All applicants are
expected to carefully read the applicable requirements in the Bar Bulletin and
submit the required documents within the relevant application period.
For ease of reference, the three different applicant types and respective
application periods are as follows:
 Applicant Type Description

NEW APPLICANTS Those who will take the Bar examinations for the first time.

Formerly referred to as “Repeaters”; Those who will take the Bar

PREVIOUS TAKERS
examinations for the second or third time.

Those who will take the Bar examinations for the fourth time
REFRESHERS
or more.
The documentary requirements for each applicant type are as follows:
New Applicants

1. A legible original copy of the Birth Certificate, issued by the Philippine

Statistics Authority (PSA);
2. For married female applicants, a legible original copy of the Marriage
Contract, issued by the PSA;
3. A Government- or latest Law School- issued ID, with the applicant’s
photo and signature;
4. An unretouched photo of the applicant;
5. For New Applicants who are expected graduates of Academic Year 2022-
2023, a Certificate of Enrollment, signed by the School Registrar or
College Secretary, and duly noted by the law school Dean or Vice Dean
(for reference, a template may be accessed here);
6. For New Applicants who are graduates of a foreign law school, AND are
currently completing the required fourth-year subjects in a law school in
the Philippines, a Certificate of Enrollment, signed by the School Registrar
or College Secretary, and duly noted by the law school Dean or Vice Dean
(for reference, a template may be accessed here); and
7. For New Applicants who are NOT graduates of the Academic Year 2022-
2023, the original or certified true copy (CTC) of the Transcript of Records
(TOR), certifying the completion of both the law and pre-law degrees,
issued by the School Registrar.

For more detailed information on the documentary requirements for New

Applicants, please refer to ANNEX A of Bar Bulletin No. 2, Series of 2023.

For more detailed information on the documentary requirements for Refreshers,

please refer to ANNEX C of Bar Bulletin No. 2, Series of 2023.
ALL APPLICANTS must submit hard copies of the required documents, together
with the printed and signed Application Form, to the OBC within a non-
extendible period of ten (10) calendar days from receipt of the email notification
from BARISTA approving the application. The hard copies of the documents
shall be submitted to the OBC through private courier services (e.g., LBC, Ninja
Van, etc.).
In addition to the foregoing requirements, once conditionally admitted to take
the Bar Examinations, ALL APPLICANTS shall upload the following supporting
documents in clear, digital or scanned copies to BARISTA, and submit the hard
copies thereof through private courier service to the OBC beginning August 1,
2023 but no later than October 24, 2023 or thirty (30) calendar days from the
last exam day of the 2023 Bar Examinations.
CHARACTER REQUIREMENTS:

1. A Certificate of No Derogatory Record (CNDR), requested from the law

school where the applicant graduated, and duly signed by the Dean or
Vice Dean;
2. Joint Testimonial of Good Moral Character (TGMC) (for reference, a
template may be accessed here); and
3. For Applicants with Pending or Decided Cases, a list declaring all pending
and/or decided cases of whatever nature (i.e., civil, administrative, or
criminal), filed against the applicant before any jurisdiction and its
supporting documents.

ACADEMIC REQUIREMENTS:

1. For New Applicants who are graduates of the Academic Year 2022-
2023; AND for New Applicants who are graduates of foreign law schools
and who were still completing their fourth-year subjects at the time of
application, the original copy or CTC of the TOR, certifying the completion
of both the law and pre-law degrees, issued by the School Registrar;
2. For New Applicants who are graduates of Philippine Law Schools for the
Academic Year 2022-2023, the original or CTC of their Clinical Legal
Education Program (CLEP) Level 1 or 2 Certifications, or both;
3. For Refreshers who were still completing their Refresher and Pre-Bar
Review Courses at the time of application:
a. A notarized Certificate of Completion of Refresher Courses;
b. A notarized Certification, issued by the School Registrar and duly
noted by the Dean or Vice Dean stating that the professors in the
above are bona fide professors of the law school or university
where said courses were taken and completed; and
c. A notarized Certificate of Completion of the Pre-Bar Review Course.

For more detailed information on the supporting documents for character and
academic requirements for all applicants, please refer to ANNEX D of Bar
Bulletin No. 2, Series of 2023.
Failure to submit any of these documents within the prescribed period will
result in the disqualification of the applicant and the immediate stoppage of
the checking of his or her examination answers.
These periods and deadlines shall be strictly observed to enforce efficiency in
administrative processes. Application Forms and supporting documentary
requirements filed outside the periods set above shall not be entertained, and
the applicants thereof shall not be allowed to take the 2023 Bar Examinations
or shall be disqualified, as the case may be.

For immediate submission:

1. PSA BIRTH CERTIFICATE
2. MARRIAGE CERTIFICATE
3. CERTIFICATE OF ENROLLMENT
4. UNRETOUCHED PHOTO OF APPLICANT

To be submitted from August 1, 2023 but not later than October 24,
2023:
1. Pre-law transcript
2. Law school transcript
3. Clep certificate
4. Certificate of no derogatory records
5. Joint testimonial of good moral character

FEE: 12, 800PHP