BC Form 11 Without Notice Explained

Why this guide exists

I went through the BC family-law process myself and found the forms much harder to understand than they needed to be. Once I understood what each form was actually asking for, the process became much easier to manage. These guides explain the forms in plain English.

Based on lived experience and checked against current official BC forms and rules. Not legal advice.

What this form is really for

Use Form 11 only for the types of case-management requests the rules allow without notice or attendance. The form lists the permitted categories and tells you which schedule goes with each one.

Do not use it like this: This is not a general “ex parte” family-law application and not a shortcut around notice whenever you would prefer the other party not know in advance. The form is limited to the case-management orders listed in the rules/form.

Part 2 — Without notice

You acknowledge that you are applying without notice and that, if an order is made, you may still have to serve the other party afterward with the order, application and supporting documents.

Part 3 — Choose the permitted order

The form lists the specific case-management orders available through Form 11, including different attendance methods, changing service/notice requirements, changing other rule requirements, certain information-access orders and recognition of some extraprovincial orders.

Schedules

Each category points to a different schedule. The schedule is where you explain the facts and the exact rule requirement you want changed or waived.

Urgency and short notice

Form 11 can be part of asking to change service/notice requirements for an urgent application, but that does not automatically mean the underlying substantive application is Form 11. For example, the priority-parenting form points users to Form 11 when asking to waive or shorten its notice requirement.

After an order

If the judge grants a without-notice case-management order, read the order carefully for what must be served, on whom, and by when.

Common mistakes to watch for

Treating “without notice” as a preference instead of a legally limited procedure.
Using Form 11 for an order that is not one of the permitted case-management categories.
Forgetting the correct schedule.
Assuming a without-notice order never has to be served afterward.
Confusing the request to shorten/waive notice with the underlying family-law application itself.

What happens after you fill it out?

1. File Form 11 only if the order you are asking for is one of the categories the Rules allow without notice or attendance. “I want this dealt with quickly” is not enough by itself.

2. Put the supporting facts and the correct schedule in the package. Because the other party is not there to answer you at this stage, the judge or family justice manager needs enough information to understand exactly why the requested procedural order is available.

3. The application is considered without the ordinary advance-notice process. The court may make the permitted order or give directions about what must happen next.

4. Follow the resulting directions exactly. For example, if Form 11 was used to ask for shorter notice on a Form 15 priority-parenting application, the resulting order may tell you when and how the other party must be served before the underlying hearing.