Courts participating in the scheme
View a list of participating courts on the HMCTS website
About the scheme
Successful applicants will receive, via email, an identity card (PDF) and a Pkpass that allows you to can save your card to your Apple Wallet or Google Wallet. These ID cards come with a unique QR code that allows court security staff to confirm your identity and bypass security checks.
The scheme is run by HMCTS, which has set out clear guidelines (below in the conditions of entry section) that must be adhered to in order to participate.
Please note: as part of the scheme, Court/Tribunal Security Officers will conduct random searches on approximately 10% of scheme member visits. Further information can be found below.
- Log into your MyBar account
- Click on ‘HMCTS Professional User Access Scheme’ on the left hand-side of the homepage
- Tick the box confirming you have read and agree to HMCTS ‘Conditions of entry’ (available to view on MyBar)
- Agree to the sharing of information with HMCTS
- Upload a digital photograph of passport quality. * (See below rules for digital photo drop down)
- Click ‘continue’
* For security reasons, should your photograph not 'match' the agreed official photo identification you will not be allowed to enter the court / tribunal without going through the court security screening procedure. Exceptions will not be allowed. Full details can be found in the 'conditions of entry' document above.
The quality of your digital photo
Your photo must be:
- .jpg, .png or .gif format
- clear and in focus
- in colour
- unaltered by computer software
- a maximum of 700 pixels high
- at least 50KB and no more than 3MB
What your digital photo must show
The digital photo must:
- contain no other objects or people
- be taken against a plain light-colored background
- be in clear contrast to the background
- not have ‘red eye’
In your photo you must:
- be facing forwards and looking straight at the camera
- have a plain expression and your mouth closed
- have your eyes open and visible
- not have hair in front of your eyes
- not have a head covering (unless it’s for religious or medical reasons)
- not have anything covering your face
- not have any shadows on your face or behind you
- not wear sunglasses or tinted glasses. If you wear glasses that you cannot take off, your eyes must be visible without any glare or reflections
- Each year you will need to renew your card before the expiry date 30 April, as your current card will automatically expire on this date
- To renew your card for 2024/25: from 24 April 2024, log in to MyBar and click on 'HMCTS Professional Users Access Scheme' on the left-hand side of the homepage. Follow the steps.
- Delete all previous versions of your ID card from your Apple Wallet or Google Wallet before trying to upload your new ID card
- Reminders are also sent in Bar Council email newsletters*
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*You may need to check your junk or spam folders - and add the email address to your safe sender list to ensure you receive these email.