How to Serve Family Court Documents in BC Provincial Court

Filing puts a document into the court file. Service makes sure another party receives it in a method allowed by the Provincial Court Family Rules.

Serving a Form 3 application

Rule 27 requires personal service of an Application About a Family Law Matter (Form 3). An adult who is not a party must leave the application, registry-provided reply instructions and any relevant additional documents with the person being served. The applicant should not personally serve the Form 3 package.

How Form 7 proves service

When a Certificate of Service is required, the adult who served the documents completes Form 7. If no reply is filed within 30 days after service of Form 3, Rule 27(3) requires the applicant to file the certificate of service.

Current form check: the official Form 7 PDF is PFA 714, revision 05/2021. Always use the current government PDF rather than a saved copy.

The reply deadline

Rule 28 says a Form 6 reply, and a Form 4 Financial Statement when relevant, must generally be filed within 30 days after the party is served with the Form 3 application. Early-resolution registries add preliminary requirements before a reply is filed.

Not every document uses personal service

Different documents have different service rules. For example, a protection-order application proceeding with notice under Rule 68 must be personally served by an adult who is not a party at least seven days before the court appearance, and the server completes Form 7. Other documents may use ordinary service where the Rules allow it.

If ordinary service is not possible

Do not invent a substitute method and assume it will count. The Rules allow case-management orders about service and procedure in appropriate circumstances. Check the rule governing the document and, where necessary, the current case-management procedure.

Practical checklist

• Confirm exactly which documents must be served.
• Check whether the rule requires personal or ordinary service.
• Use an adult who is not a party when personal service is required.
• Keep a complete copy of the package.
• Have the server complete Form 7 when required.