Who can file online and how?
CSO requires a registered user and electronic-services agreement. The BC government’s eFile service allows registered users to submit eligible PDF court documents to a registry without attending in person. The relevant family rules still determine what must be filed and when. You remain responsible for the right form, correct registry, accurate court-file information and readable documents.
Start by preparing the correct official form, then see CSO's current Getting Started guide. A filing package can contain several documents, but they must all relate to the same case file.
What cannot be filed through CSO?
Rule 22-4(5)(b)(ii) excludes application records, petition records and hearing records from electronic transmission for filing; subrule (5)(b)(iii) also excludes trial records. Other paragraphs of Rule 22-4(5) exclude certain certified enforcement records and other specified documents. Do not upload a hearing binder merely because other documents in your case can be eFiled.
For excluded materials, contact the registry and follow the relevant record-delivery process. The petition record and application record have separate rules about when they must be provided.
Signed documents and the Form F96 question
Electronic filing of signed documents used for evidentiary purposes is subject to Rule 22-4(6), which refers to a statement in Form F96 about the original signature and accuracy of the electronic copy. Check the current form and the complete rule before submitting an affidavit or other signed evidence. Do not assume that typing a name in a PDF always meets signature or swearing requirements.
A practical eFiling checklist
- Identify the exact rule and form; check whether your type of document is excluded.
- Download the current official PDF and complete mandatory parts.
- Confirm signatures, commissioning and any F96 statement requirements.
- Save each file as a readable, correctly oriented PDF; open it to check that no pages are missing.
- Sign in to CSO and select the correct court and existing case, or start a new filing where supported.
- Upload eligible documents for that one case; review filing fees before payment.
- Keep the submission reference and check acceptance. A submission that is rejected is not a successfully filed document.
- Serve required filed documents through a method allowed by the rules; CSO upload alone does not automatically accomplish service.
Filing fees, privacy and timing
Schedule 1 of the Supreme Court Family Rules identifies ordinary court fees, and the rules include an additional electronic-filing charge per document package. Amounts and exemptions can change; use the current CSO calculation rather than relying on a quoted price on this page.
Family court files may involve restricted access and sensitive personal or child information. Remove unnecessary personal identifiers from material where the rules permit, and do not include information you are not authorized to file. Check cutoff times and processing requirements well before an actual deadline.
Related guides
Important: This page is general legal information, not legal advice. Court rules, practice directions, fees and forms can change. Court orders, exceptions and the circumstances of your own case can change the procedure.