How do I e-file family court documents?
You can file some types of court documents electronically through Court Services Online for your family law case.
The instructions for e-filing in Supreme Court are in Rule 22-4 of the Supreme Court Family Rules. This rule gives you information about the process and tells you which documents you can’t e-file. You have to file these documents at a court registry in person. Some of these include:
- Application, petition, or hearing records
- Certificate of Pending Litigation
- Trial records
Check the rule for the full list.
If you are filing Family Court documents in the BC Provincial Court, the rules are in Part 12, Division 7 of the Provincial Court Family Rules.
Right now, you can only e-file family forms generated from the website Family Law Act Application for getting a Family Law Act order in Provincial Court.
Court Services Online
To do e-filing:
- Go to Court Services Online (CSO) to e-file your court forms. You will need a credit card and a Basic BCeID.
- Once you’re signed in and have added a credit card to your CSO account, click on the "Add and View Packages" link in the E-File box on the home page. The filling assistant option is for Small Claims documents only. You won't be able to file family forms on this part of CSO.
Helpful guides about e-filing:
- E-Filing and Frequently Asked Questions (PDF). Find answers about how to e-file, formatting your documents, fees, or when a document might be rejected. This document is from the introduction in the "Getting Started" section of CSO.
- Court Services Online Registration Guide (PDF). This guide shows you how to sign up for your Basic BCeID and how to add your credit card to your CSO account.
Fees
There is a $7 convenience fee to e-file. You will be charged this fee each time you use CSO to submit a file package. This fee doesn’t change if your package is one document, or multiple documents.
The convenience fee is on top of the fees for filing documents. You can find the fees for Supreme Court family forms in Appendix C – Schedule 1 of the Supreme Court Family Rules.
There are no filling fees for BC Provincial Court family forms.
Online Form Assistants
These websites help you fill out your court forms online if you create a BCeID account:
- Apply for a Family Law Act Order helps you fill out forms for Provincial Court Family Orders
- Online Divorce Assistant helps you fill out your joint divorce forms for BC Supreme Court
If you use either of these services to fill out your forms, your forms will not be automatically e-filed. You still need to upload them through CSO or print them out and bring them to a court registry.
Helpful resources
- Supreme Court Family Rules Forms (Government of British Columbia): This page includes all the Supreme Court forms, as fillable PDFs, for a family law case.
- Provincial Family Forms (Government of British Columbia): This page includes all the Provincial Court forms, as fillable PDFs, for a family law case.
Helpful services
- Family duty counsel: These are family lawyers who may be available at your courthouse to provide free legal advice or other help.
- Amici Curiae (AC) Friends of Court: Their volunteers can help with completing court forms. Book an appointment on their website.
- Courthouse Libraries BC: We’re a network of libraries in BC courthouses where you can access public computers, books and other print materials, and subscription legal databases. Reach us at 1-800-665-2570 or email librarian@courthouselibrary.ca.
- Find more services.