How long does the NCA Certificate of Qualification take? Next steps by province

You request the Certificate of Qualification in the NCA portal; the NCA says it notifies your law society within up to 10 business days and mails the paper certificate within three to six weeks.

From the NCA's FAQs and costs and timelines page (checked 18 Oct 2026):

Requesting it

• In the NCA portal, go to Manage Yourself → Request Certificate, then complete and submit the form.
• If you completed any assignments through law school courses, make sure the school has sent your final transcripts first.

How long it takes

• The NCA notifies your law society within up to 10 business days.
• The hard copy is mailed within three to six weeks of your request.

What it does and doesn't do

• It doesn't expire, but each law society has its own rules on how long you can wait before entering its licensing process.
• It doesn't admit you to the bar. Bar admission requirements, such as articling and licensing exams or courses, are set by each provincial or territorial law society. The NCA's bar admissions page links to each one.

In Ontario specifically

You can apply to the Law Society of Ontario's licensing process before you have the certificate, as long as you'll be eligible for it within six months. Our post on licensing before your certificate has the details.

Use this thread for licensing questions. Start your reply with your province, because the rules differ a lot. If you've been through a law society's process recently, your experience is the most useful thing here, so tell us how long your certificate took to arrive. When a rule matters, link the law society's page.

This is peer discussion, not legal advice.

Sources: NCA FAQs, Costs and timelines