PERMANENT residents in Hong Kong and Macao are allowed, for the first time, to register for the nationwide legal examination in Shanghai, scheduled to start in September.

Examinees must be Chinese citizens with a university educational background, said Gui Xiaomin, deputy director of the Shanghai Judicial Bureau.

"They should show identity paper and degree certificates, which must be authenticated by the Minister of Education, if they are awarded by universities outside the mainland," said Gui.

Those who work in Shanghai can enter their names in the city, in Hong Kong or in Macao, he said.

According to sources with the bureau, more than 3,400 people have entered their names through the website: www.sk.justice.gov.cn to date.

"The city is expected to have about 10,000 persons entering their names for the examination," said Chen Jianping, deputy chief of the bureau's Judicial Examination Department.

The forthcoming examination is the second nationwide test for legal qualification, with the aim of upgrading the quality of lawyers, judicial officers, judges and prosecutors.

Last year, the city had 8,500 examinees but only 1,355 passed, ranking top in the nation, said Chen.

"This year, the number of examinees is expected to surpass that of last year," he said.

He said one-third of examinees are expected to be police, judges, judicial officials and prosecutors, one-third to be university graduates majoring in law and one-third to come from other industries.

More than 400 examinees have become lawyers after being awarded certificates last year. Some are acting as legal consultants for enterprises, Chen said.