What is Form F31?
Form F31 is the Supreme Court of British Columbia Notice of Application used for the usual application procedure under Rule 10-6. It identifies the orders sought and sets out the factual and legal basis for the application.
What the notice must cover
Rule 10-6(3) and Form F31 require the applicant to identify the orders sought, briefly summarize the factual basis and legal basis, identify the material to be relied on, provide a time estimate and address the hearing information required by the current form. The rule also limits the notice to 10 pages.
What changed for F31 in October 2026?
- Prepare the F31 and supporting evidence.
- Serve the unfiled F31 and the required evidence on each required recipient.
- Wait for each response or for the relevant response period to expire.
- Set the hearing by filing Form F31.1 together with the served F31 and the application materials required by Rule 10-6(13.4).
- Serve the filed F31.1 within the relevant hearing-notice period.
Response periods you need to account for
The ordinary response period is 5 business days, but some applications have 14-day or 21-day response periods. That matters because Rule 10-6(13.1) prevents the applicant from setting the application down until each required respondent has served a response or their time has expired.
Application record: new 5/2-day window
After the hearing has been set, Rule 10-6(14) governs the application record. Under the October 1, 2026 amendments, the record is usually provided to the registry no earlier than 9:00 a.m. on the business day that is 5 business days before the hearing and no later than 4:00 p.m. on the business day that is 2 business days before the hearing, unless a registrar fixes an earlier date. The applicant must also serve the application-record index by the amended deadline. See the application record and Form F32.2 guide.
When personal service may be required
Do not assume ordinary service is enough. Rule 10-6(2.1) lists categories requiring personal service, including certain applications involving final orders, filed agreements, parenting-coordinator determinations, arbitration awards, contempt and imprisonment.
Example: separate the order, facts and legal basis
A fictional applicant seeks an order about disclosure. The order requested identifies exactly what documents and dates are sought. The factual basis describes the relevant requests and responses in chronological order. The legal basis identifies the applicable law or rule. Evidence such as correspondence normally belongs in a properly prepared supporting affidavit, not simply copied into the notice as unsworn assertions.
This is an organizing example, not filing-ready legal wording. Check Form F31 and the current Rule 10-6 requirements, including which documents must be served before filing and the applicable response period.
Common mistakes to avoid
- Following a pre-October-2026 guide that says to file F31 first.
- Booking the hearing before the response period has run or the response has been served.
- Missing the longer response period for a listed application.
- Confusing Supreme Court Form F31 with Provincial Court family forms.
- Treating the form as a place for lengthy evidence instead of a concise statement of orders, facts and legal basis.
Where cost planning fits
You do not necessarily need full representation to get legal help with an application. Depending on the situation, a person may pay for limited-scope advice to review the orders sought, legal basis, affidavit evidence or hearing strategy. The value of that review depends heavily on the stakes and complexity of the application.