Providing legal services abroad

Guidance on carrying out reserved legal activities as a solicitor of England and Wales based overseas.

23 Apr 2026

2 minutes read

To provide English and Welsh reserved legal services to the public, you will usually need to work for an employer authorised by an approved regulator in England and Wales.

This requirement applies to solicitors based or practising in England and Wales or abroad.

The requirement ensures the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) can carry out its regulatory function.

If you only carry out legal work which is unreserved in England and Wales, the organisation you work for does not need to be authorised.

When working outside of England and Wales, you are subject to the SRA Overseas and Cross-border Practice Rules.

What are the reserved legal activities?

Under the Legal Services Act 2007, the six reserved legal activities in England and Wales are:

Learn more about reserved legal activities.

Requirements for overseas reserved legal activities

If you are based overseas and wish to carry out reserved legal activities, you will usually need to work for an organisation authorised by:

the SRA, or
another independent regulatory body approved by the Legal Services Board (LSB)

If your overseas-based organisation is authorised by a regulator other than the SRA, we recommend clarifying what activities that regulator can authorise you to undertake.

An ‘authorised entity’ includes, among others:

an overseas branch of a body which is authorised in the UK, but is not an overseas subsidiary which operates as a distinct corporate entity
a sole practitioner authorised as a recognised sole practice

You must have a practising address in the UK to be authorised as:

an entity
a recognised sole practice

You must have a practising address in England and Wales to be authorised as a licensed body (or alternative business structure).

If you believe you are unable to meet the practising address requirements, you should enquire with the SRA’s ethics team.

The SRA may waive the practising address requirement through a formal waiver decision.

Read the SRA Authorisation of Firms Rules.

Exemptions to authorisation

Your employer may not need to be authorised if you are:

employed by non-commercial bodies
not providing legal services in your capacity as an employee
not providing legal services as part of the business of your employer or body
not providing legal services to the public or a section of the public

Learn more about authorisation exemptions.

Freelancers

If you’re a freelance solicitor, you may undertake reserved legal activities overseas if you meet the criteria set out in section 10.2(b) of the SRA Authorisation of Individuals Regulations.

One of these criteria is to have a UK practising address which is your regular place of practice.

If you don’t meet the requirements

If you are based overseas and are not working for an authorised entity, you will not usually be permitted to carry out reserved legal activities.

However, you are able to:

hold yourself out as a solicitor
carry out unreserved legal activity, and
provide legal advice

This will be subject to the requirements of the local regulatory regime of the country that you are practising from.

If you are employed by an overseas entity that is not authorised by the SRA, you can refer to the SRA’s guidance for solicitors employed by unregulated entities.

For further assistance on the requirements for the authorisation of firms and individuals, contact the SRA’s authorisations team.