In order to become eligible to take the Bar Examination in Georgia, an individual must receive Certification of Fitness by the Board to Determine Fitness of Bar Applicants. The first step in this process is to submit to the Office of Bar Admissions a complete Application for Certification of Fitness to Practice Law (Fitness Application).

Prior to filing the Fitness Application, you should carefully review the Policy Statements, Admission to the Bar - Character and Fitness Considerations, and Frequently Asked Questions.

INSTRUCTIONS FOR COMPLETING YOUR FITNESS APPLICATION

ANSWERS

• All questions must be typed on this form (no handwritten responses will be accepted).
• All questions must be answered completely.
• If a particular question is not applicable, you should indicate by typing "N/A.”
• You may not answer questions by incorporation, e.g., ". . .see Florida application.”
• Do not use abbreviations except for standard abbreviations such as 2-letter state codes.

SOCIAL SECURITY NUMBER

You are REQUIRED to provide your Social Security number that is issued by the United States Social Security Administration.

LEGAL NAME

• You must indicate your full legal name (first, middle & last).
• If you do not have a middle name, you should type "NMN.”
• All records will be retained and certification(s) issued in your full name.

BIRTH CERTIFICATES

You must provide a copy of your birth certificate.

FINANCIAL RESPONSIBILITY

Of particular interest to the Fitness Board is whether applicants have dealt honestly and responsibly with their creditors.  Specific criteria regarding the handling of financial obligations is addressed in Admission to the Bar-Character and Fitness Considerations. The deadline for the submission of the required documentation is May 15 for applicants for the July Bar examination and December 15 for applicants for the February examination. These deadlines set by the Board are firm and will not be extended.

CANDOR

Absolute and complete candor is required.  Failure to be completely candid may result in denial of certification.  If there is concern whether your situation falls within the scope of a particular question, it is best to assume it does.

CITIZENSHIP

Applicants who are not U. S. citizens or do not have Permanent Resident status in the U. S. must print, complete, and submit the NonImmigrant Affidavit and required documentation along with the Fitness Application.

NARRATIVES

• You are required to file narratives for all criminal and DUI offenses.
• You are required to submit arresting officers’ reports and certified court documents.
• If your narrative is larger than the space provided you should type "see attached" in the box, type your narrative on a separate page and attach it to your Fitness Application.   Make sure you date, sign and include your Social Security number on the separate page.

CONTACT INFORMATION

• The mailing address you provide is the address the Office of Bar Admissions will send all correspondence and any other time-sensitive materials.
• The daytime telephone number you provide is the number the Office of Bar Admissions will contact you with any questions.
• If your name or contact information (address, phone number) changes you should immediately submit a written Amendment to your Fitness Application.

DRIVING RECORDS/MOTOR VEHICLE REPORTS are required from

• Every state/jurisdiction (including Georgia) in which you currently hold a Driver’s License.
• Every state/jurisdiction (including Georgia) in which you have held a Driver’s License during the last 12 months.
• This report must be the original official driving record obtained directly from the State Agency/Jurisdiction, and not issued by a third party and dated not earlier than 6 months prior to the date of the filing of your Fitness Application.
• Although your Driving Record is a part of your Fitness Application, you may file your Fitness Application and forward your Driving Record or have it sent directly to the Office of Bar Admissions subsequent to the filing of your Fitness Application.  DO NOT MISS YOUR FILING DEADLINE BECAUSE YOU DO NOT HAVE YOUR DRIVING RECORD TO INCLUDE WITH YOUR FITNESS APPLICATION.

FILING THE FITNESS APPLICATION

In order for your Fitness Application to be accepted, it must be received no later than 4:30 p.m. on or before the Filing Deadline and contain all of the following:

• The appropriate Filing Fee (including late fee, if submitted during a late filing period)
• A printed version of the Fitness Application with
  • a signed and notarized Continuing Application and Verification
  • a signed and notarized Authorization and Release
• Downloaded Version – Include a CD, USB or other external storage medium containing your saved answers (medium must contain a “data.usr” file)

Fitness Applications received in the Office of Bar Admissions after the filing deadline, or Fitness Applications which do not contain all of the required documentation will NOT be accepted and will be returned to you.

The Fitness Application is available in two formats, the Fitness Application Program File and the PDF Format File.

DOWNLOADABLE VERSION FITNESS APPLICATION PROGRAM

This program MAY NOT BE COMPATIBLE with VISTA operating system.  This program IS NOT COMPATIBLE with Apple Macintosh operating system.

IMPORTANT:  THIS VERSION OF THE FITNESS APPLICATION MUST BE DOWNLOADED AND INSTALLED ON A COMPUTER WHICH HAS:

• A drive to which you can save your answers on a CD, USB or other external storage medium.
  • You must click on "Save Answers to an External Storage Medium" from the Main Menu of the installed application.
  • The medium to which you save your answers must be labeled with your full name and submitted with your Fitness Application.
• An installed printer
  • You must click on "Print Application" from the Main Menu of the installed application and submit the entire form including:
    • a signed and notarized Continuing Application and Verification
    • a signed and notarized Authorization and Release

 Click here to access the downloadable version of the Fitness Application Program.

PDF FORMAT

This is a manual version of the Fitness Application. The use of this version will result in slower processing of your Fitness Application File.