Last reviewed November 2020 by the Clicklaw Editors

To not pay fees in the Supreme Court you will need to apply for an order from the Court. This order is called an Order to Waive Fees and allows you to file court documents and to attend hearings without paying court filing fees.

To qualify for this order, you will have to prove that you are receiving income assistance (welfare) or provide information about your income and assets, as well as your employment, education and workplace skills to show that you don't have much chance of earning enough in the future to pay court fees.

Good starting points are: 

• The Family Law in BC website, from Legal Aid BC, provides a step-by-step guide, "Get an order to waive fees".The guide is written for family law matters in BC Supreme Court, but the basic information for orders to waive fees may be applied to other types of matters as well. The guide is located under "Court Orders" section. From here, go to "Get an order in BC", then select "In Supreme Court".
• Court Services Branch BC has an Order to Waive Fees Package that includes information and forms for civil and family matters in Supreme Court.
   

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tags

indigency order, indigent status, court fees, impoverished, impoverishment