Taiwan residents who plan to take the Chinese mainland's annual judicial exam should apply online from June 11-25, the exam office under the Ministry of Justice announced on Friday.

This is the first time the island's residents are eligible to take the state exam. Those who succeed will get certificates.

The exam, one of the most competitive on the mainland, is to be held on September 20-21. Last year, 294,000 people took the exam.

Ding Lu, director of the ministry's exam office, said in April that in recent years, many Taiwan residents and legal professionals had asked about taking the exam.

"It was out of a need for economic and social development across the Taiwan Strait" that the exam had been opened up, Ding said.

The move would help promote cross-Strait exchanges and provide better legal service for compatriots across the Strait, she said.

Sichuan Province, hit last month by a major earthquake, will postpone the exam, according to the office.

Applicants from the Hong Kong and Macao Special Administrative Regions should also sign up for the exam between June 11-25.

(Xinhua News Agency June 7, 2008)