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Who is able to use Court Services Online?
eSearch services through Court Services Online will be available to anyone with access to the Internet
and a credit card (VISA, Visa Debit, MASTERCARD, MasterCard Debit or AMEX) or BC Registry and Online Services (premium accounts only) for payment of service fees.
eFiling services will be available to anyone who wishes to become a registered user. It is anticipated
that registered users of eFiling will be regular clients of the court registries, such as lawyers or
registry agents.
How much does it cost to use Court Services Online?
Most services have an associated fee. Each fee is quoted in Canadian dollars. Fees must be paid in full before
receiving the service. Payment for service is provided through a secure and encrypted Internet site, which is
provided and managed by Provincial Treasury.
The following is a Schedule of Fees for the services that are currently available:
| Service |
Fee Amount |
| eSearch - Provincial and Supreme Court civil |
|
| Search database for existing files |
Free |
| View file details |
$6 |
| Print summary report of file details |
$6 |
| *View and print electronic documents - per file |
$6 |
| *Purchase documents online - each document |
$10 |
| |
| eSearch - Provincial Court criminal and traffic |
|
| Search database for existing files |
Free |
| View file details |
Free |
| |
| Daily court lists (all courthouses) |
Free |
| |
| Monthly statement request |
$6 |
| |
| eFiling (in addition to any statutory filing fees) |
$7 |
The accepted methods of payment are by credit card (VISA, Visa Debit, MASTERCARD, MasterCard Debit or AMEX) or BC Registry and Online Services (premium accounts only).
*An additional feature now allows CSO eSearch users to access electronic documents, where available. If a
document is electronic, the View link will appear in the document request column. For a $6 fee per
file, you can view and print any electronic documents for the file by clicking on the View link next
to the document.
If the document is not in the electronic format, you can still obtain a copy of the document using the document
Request link located in the documents tab of the file details. Clicking on the Request link will
direct you to the purchase documents online (PDO) service. There is an additional $10 fee charged for each
document purchased. Further instructions and details are located under the first time users menu on the home page.
There is an additional charge of $6 to generate a civil or appeal summary report. Generating this report is
optional. It is a formatted PDF version of all of the file detail information available through eSearch. (Adobe
Acrobat Reader version 5.0 or higher is required in order to generate a file summary report. You can download
this software for free at: http://www.adobe.com/products/acrobat/readstep.html)
What information can I expect to find?
Provincial and Supreme Civil Files
For a $6 service fee, you can view the details for one of the files located by your search.
Depending on a file's access restrictions, the information you will be able to view for Provincial and Supreme files includes:
- File number
- Type of file
- Date the file was opened
- Registry location
- Style of cause
- Names of parties and counsel
- List of filed documents
- Appearance details
- Terms of order
- Caveat or Dispute details
Access is based on publicly available information. Some files may offer you only limited information and in some
cases none at all.
In addition, Court Services Branch has started to store documents electronically as a result of eFiling
and scanning practices. When conducting a search, users have the ability to purchase copies of documents that
are currently viewable through CSO eSearch. See below for more information on document viewing and printing.
Provincial Traffic and Criminal Court Files
You can view details for one of the Provincial traffic and criminal court files in your search results. You can
refine your search to narrow down the results before choosing a file to view.
Depending on a file's access restrictions, you will be able to view some basic case profile for
Provincial traffic and criminal court files such as:
- File number
- Type of file
- Date the file was opened
- Registry location
- Name of participant
- Charges
- Appearances
- Sentences/dispositions
- Release information
Access is based on publicly available information. Some files may offer you only limited information and in
some cases none at all.
NOTE: There is no ability to view court documents within the traffic/criminal eSearch service.
Please note that eSearch does not provide access to any of the following:
- Criminal matters (Supreme)
- Provincial family files (FRA, CFCSA, FMEP, etc)
- Supreme family files (Divorce)
- Supreme adoption files
- Any Provincial or Supreme Court file subject to a judicial order restricting access
- Information from files prior to 1989
- Information on Victoria Supreme Court files prior to 2002
How current is the information in CSO?
The information that displays in eSearch is extracted directly from the database
used by all Court Registries around the province and the information is entered
on a daily basis in accordance with provincial standards that have been established.
As the information is entered into the database it will be available immediately through CSO.
Decoding a File Number
When looking at the results of a search the following information will display in the View Details Screen:
What does this mean?
Court Location: OMH - 3 letters represent one of the court registry locations. The above example
shows the court location as 100 Mile House.
Level: P - represents the level of Court (P= Provincial), (S= Supreme).
Class: C - represents the class of the court file. The example shows a C which indicates that
the
file is a Small Claims file. * See below for a list of the various classes.
File Number: 050190 - up to 13 digits or characters representing the file number.
* The types of classes used are as follows:
Provincial Court civil files use the following classes:
- C - Small Claims
- F - Family
- M - Motor Vehicle Accidents
Supreme Court civil files use the following classes:
- B - Bankruptcy and Insolvency
- E - Family Law Proceeding
- H - Foreclosure
- L - Legislated Statutes
- M - Motor Vehicle Accidents (Provincial and Supreme)
- N - Adoption
- P - Probate and Administration
- S - Supreme Civil General
- V - Caveat
Can you decode this example: VLC-S-H-065142
You are correct if you said:
Court Location: Vancouver Law Courts
Level: Supreme
Class: Foreclosure
File Number: 065142
Can I electronically file Provincial Family Court documents?
Under the new Provincial Court Family Rules, electronic filing of many Provincial Court family documents
will be allowed when Court Services Online is capable of accepting the documents (rule 22). Court
Services Branch is preparing system changes to allow users to eFile Provincial Court family documents. When
the service is available, notice and information about the service will be posted on this site.
Why can't I view my Divorce File online?
Divorce files have restricted access and cannot be viewed online. If you wish to view your file, you will,
need to attend the court registry where your divorce was filed. You should contact
the Supreme Court Registry to ensure
that your file is on site and available for viewing.
If you are unsure of the location where your divorce was filed, you should contact the
Central Divorce Registry in Ottawa, Ontario, either by phone at 613-957-4519, or by fax at 613-941-2520.
If you are not able to attend the registry in person to view your file, you can authorize
(in writing) a person to attend on your behalf pursuant to Rule 60(41) of the Supreme Court
Rules. The authorized person upon production of the written authorization and proper photo
identification may view your file, and obtain copies of documents from the file.
Where can I get a copy of my Divorce Certificate?
To obtain your divorce certificate, you will need to contact the
Supreme Court Registry
where your divorce was filed. Registry staff at the court location you contact will be
able to assist you with your questions. The cost for a divorce certificate is $40 Canadian.
If you are unsure of the location where your divorce was filed, your best course of action would be to contact
the Central Registry of Divorce Proceedings for Canada,
located in Ottawa, Ontario. They will not be able to provide you with the document; however, they will be able
to confirm at which registry your divorce was filed.
Where can I get copies of Court Judgments?
Copies of Reasons for Judgment can be obtained from either the
Reasons for Judgment database
* or from private contractors for a fee. Contact the court registry where the
hearing was held to find out what companies or individuals are authorized to produce the transcripts.
BC COURT REGISTRY CONTACT INFORMATION
*Please note that not all Reasons for Judgments will be available on the database.
For further details please visit:
About the Reasons for Judgment
Where are the Trial Lists?
Trial lists are not available for viewing on CSO as the information is contained in a separate database.
Trial lists are posted daily at the local courthouse prior to the commencement of court. If you wish to
confirm that a matter is on the trial list, please contact the appropriate court registry.
BC COURT REGISTRY CONTACT INFORMATION
Court lists for Supreme Court Chambers, Provincial Small Claims, Provincial and Supreme Court Criminal, and Court of Appeal
matters can be found on CSO underDaily Court Lists.
Are Wills available online?
Wills are not available through CSO. Wills are only filed with the court when an applicant for probate
applies to prove a will by confirming it as valid under the laws of British Columbia.
You can conduct an eSearch to determine whether or not a probate file has been opened in British
Columbia. If your search indicates that a probate file exists, please contact the appropriate
Supreme Court Registry to determine
whether they have the will and what the cost is for obtaining a copy of the will and/or the probate papers.
For further information about estates and wills: http://www2.gov.bc.ca/gov/content/life-events/death-and-bereavement/wills-estates
Please note: Wills probated in British Columbia between 1861 and 1981 are available at the British Columbia Archives.
For further information please visit: http://royalbcmuseum.bc.ca/bcarchives/.
Will CSO answer my legal questions?
No, CSO is not able to provide any legal advice to users. Information on where to obtain legal assistance can
be accessed through the following:
Self-Help Centre has a listing of services available for obtaining legal advice.
Dial-A-Law is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
- To listen to Dial-A-Law scripts, call 604.687.4680 in the Lower Mainland or 1.800.565.5297 in British Columbia.
- http://cbabc.org/For-the-Public/Dial-A-Law/FAQs
Law Society of British Columbia
What is the difference between criminal and civil?
A criminal matter is a proceeding by which a person charged with having committed an offence under the
Criminal Code or another enactment, is brought to trial and either found not guilty or guilty and sentenced.
A civil matter is a court proceeding which involves legal issues between individuals, organizations,
and governments. These matters relate to private rights and frequently result in a monetary remedy.
I am a witness on a matter and I lost the document telling me the court date?
If you are a witness on a criminal matter and you received a subpoena from Crown Counsel, you should
contact Crown Counsel's office.
To contact regional or local Crown counsel offices, you may call the Crown counsel office listed in the
Blue Pages of your telephone directory. If you do not wish to incur long distance charges, Enquiry BC will
connect you to that office. Enquiry BC: Victoria (250)387-6121; Vancouver (604)660-2421;elsewhere in
BC, call toll free, 1-800-663-7867
Victim/Link provides information to victims on a confidential basis, 24 hours a day, and 7 days a week.
Call, toll free: 1-800-563-0808
If you are a witness on a civil matter, you should contact either the party that summonsed
you to court or the Court Registry. You will need to know the parties names or the file
number for the registry to be able to assist you.
What if I can't find the file I'm looking for?
If you are not able to locate a file, you may want to use our
Search Tips
to refine your search criteria. It is important to remember that the registry enters
the information into the database as it appears on the court document, if the name(s)
on the court document is misspelled, the registry will not correct this.
If you are still unable to locate the file, it could mean that the file has not been
filed or not yet data entered into the database.
What is an Advanced Search?
An advanced search allows you to use more detailed criteria for your search and it
will refine the number of results that will display. For example in eSearch, the
basic search function allows you to search by individual using the last name, first
name, and a middle name. The advanced search function, allows you to enter
additional information such as location, level of court, class of file, party role
and a date range of when the file was opened.
Does CSO have the same information as the Courts?
The information displayed in eSearch is extracted from the database used by all
Court Registries around the province and the information is entered on a daily basis.
How long does it take to receive the documents I ordered?
If you order your documents through the Purchase Documents Online service, please
allow 2 business days to receive your copies. Document orders from court files 5
years old or older from the date of commencement may take up to 5 business days to
process as the file may be kept at an off site location.
Requests cannot be marked as RUSH, if you have any questions or enquiries about the
status of your request please direct them to the Court Services Online Support Centre,
not the Court registry.
What are the Hours of Service?
The CSO service is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week with the exception of regularly
scheduled times that are used to maintain or change the service.
Note: Documents that are electronically submitted prior to 4:00 p.m. on a business day
will be deemed to be filed on the same day, and any documents submitted after 4:00 p.m. will
be deemed to be filed the following business day. It is important that clients are aware
of the fact that although they can submit documents 24/7, the registry still operates
in accordance with the Supreme Court Rules, of 9:00a.m. to 4:00 p.m.
Who do I contact for assistance?
BC Registries and Online Service staff will be prepared to assist users with the following enquiries:
- eSearch
- Filing Assistant
- Payments/Refund Requests
- Purchase documents online
- CSO account setup (not BCeID)
BC Registries and Online Service Helpdesk:
- Toll Free within B.C.: 1-800-663-6102
- Email: BCOLHELP@gov.bc.ca
Hours of Operation (Pacific Time): 8:30 am to 4:30 pm Monday to Friday, except Statutory Holidays
For court registry specific or other enquiries, please contact CSO Support at:
Courts.CSO@gov.bc.ca
What are the minimum system requirements to use Court Services Online?
The minimum system requirements to use Court Services Online are:
Intel based PC
- 133 MHz or higher processor
- 64 Mb or higher memory
- Browser: Microsoft Edge or Google Chrome
Apple
- iMac
- Browser: Safari, Microsoft Edge or Google Chrome
These are the minimum requirements to effectively use CSO. Performance will be improved by
using a more powerful processor, more memory, or a more recent release of a browser. Browser
upgrades can be downloaded from Microsoft at no charge. For more information
refer to http://www.gov.bc.ca/com/down
As with any eService application, response time is impacted by the nature and quality of your
Internet and network connections. Cable and ADSL high-speed connections are likely to provide
the fastest response times. If you are using a dial-up connection over a regular phone line you
will likely experience slower response times.
Are services still available at the court registries?
Yes, the use of Court Services Online is completely voluntary. Court registry clients
have the option of conducting business at the registry or using Court Services Online.
Can I use a BC Registries and Online Services account for CSO transactions?
Yes, but you can only use a premium BC Registries and Online Service account for CSO transactions.
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