File family court documents online
Learn how to file family court documents online – without having to go to court. You can file for a divorce, parenting orders, support, division of property and other family court orders.
Overview
You can submit most family court documents online, including to:
- apply for a joint or simple divorce
- start or answer an application for things like child support, spousal support, or division of property
- attend a family conference
- make or respond to a motion
- bring a motion to change a final court order or agreement for things like child support
- register a domestic contract, such as a separation agreement, for support enforcement
- file documents in a child protection case
- request a fee waiver certificate
Before you submit documents online, make sure you qualify and have all the required documents.
How it works
You can file online most documents you need for a family court case in the Ontario Court of Justice or the Superior Court of Justice . After you submit:
- a joint or simple divorce application, your application is automatically filed to the court
- other family court documents, court staff will notify you within five business days if your documents have been accepted or rejected for filing with the court
Filing your family court documents online may not be the right choice for you, depending on your circumstances. Contact a lawyer for more information and advice.
What you can file online
Joint and simple divorce applications
You can file online for a:
- joint divorce – you and your spouse apply for a divorce, and any other court orders together, because you both agree to a divorce and on all other family law matters such as parenting, spousal support or division of property.
- simple divorce – you apply for a divorce on your own because you and your spouse can’t agree to a divorce and you’re not asking for any other court orders.
Other family court documents
You can submit most other family court documents online, including to:
- start or answer an application for things like child support, spousal support, or division of property
- attend a family conference
- make or respond to a motion
- bring a motion to change a final court order or agreement for things like child support
- register a domestic contract, such as a separation agreement, for support enforcement
- file documents in a child protection case
- request a fee waiver certificate
Get help before you file
Contact a lawyer
It’s best to contact a lawyer before filing documents online or in court. A lawyer knows what documents you must file at every step in a case, as set out in the Family Law Rules or any court Notices and Practice Directions.
If you need to contact a lawyer, you can find one through:
Get free online help to complete your court forms
Community Legal Education Ontario (CLEO) has a free online tool to help you complete your court forms.
Guided Pathways to Family Court Forms asks you questions and puts your answers into the required court forms. When you’re finished, you can save or print your completed forms before filing them online.
You can also find more information about family law on CLEO’s Steps to Justice website.
How to file online
Before you file online, make sure you complete, sign and date all required documents according to:
- the Family Law Rules
- relevant requirements from the Ontario Court of Justice
- relevant requirements from the Superior Court of Justice
In some circumstances, you must also swear or affirm an oath in front of a notary public or commissioner of oaths that your documents are true.
Find official up-to-date forms.
Deadline to apply online
You cannot submit documents online:
- to request an urgent hearing
- for a court date that is five business days or less away (for example, if you are attending court on Tuesday, January 9, you can submit documents online up to and including Monday, January 1)
- if you need to meet a deadline established by legislation or other court rules, court practice direction or a court order that is five business days or less away
If you cannot submit online, file your documents in person at the courthouse or by email in accordance with the Family Law Rules and any orders, Notices and Practice Directions issued by the Ontario Court of Justice and the Superior Court of Justice.
Before you file online
Before you file, make sure you have:
- an online ONe-key account
- all your documents completed, signed, dated, commissioned as required and saved as individual PDFs
- your Visa, Mastercard or Interac debit card, if there are filing fees in your case
- your court file number, if you are filing documents for an existing case
Find official up-to-date forms.
You need Adobe Acrobat® Reader version 5.0 (or higher) installed on your computer to complete these forms.
Cost
The cost to file documents online is the same as the cost to file documents in person at a courthouse. For the:
- Ontario Court of Justice there are no filing fees
- Superior Court of Justice (including the Family Court branch) there may be filing fees, depending on the claims in your case and the documents you are filing
You must use Visa, Mastercard or Interac debit cards to pay filing fees online.
If you can’t afford to pay the fees in your case, you can ask the court to waive the fees by requesting a fee waiver certificate.
File your documents
Your session will expire if you’re inactive for 15 minutes. Your information will not be saved.
Privacy
Family court forms are public documents. The information you provide in the forms can be viewed by the public whether you file in-person or online. Learn more about public access to family court files or find a family court location.
Be careful when entering personal information online, where people can see and/or capture it on camera. Try not to open an online account or enter your password in public – and if you are in public, shield any forms you are completing.
Keep copies of your documents
You should keep a copy of all your documents for your records. After you submit your documents online, you cannot view the documents online.
After you submit your documents online
Joint and simple divorce applications
You will receive an immediate confirmation that your application has been filed with the court. Take a screenshot or print a copy of this screen for your records.
If you file your application on a business day between 8:30 a.m. and 5:00 p.m., you will also receive an email from the court the same day. If you file your application outside regular business hours, you will receive an email the next business day.
The email will include:
- your divorce application with a court seal to confirm your application was issued by the court
- the assigned court file number and the date it was issued
- the court location where you filed your application
If the court grants your divorce and you provided an email address, you will receive an email with a copy of your divorce order.
Other family court documents
You will receive confirmation that your documents have been submitted but not yet filed with the court. Take a screenshot or print a copy of this screen for your records.
Court staff will review your documents within five business days to determine if they are accepted or rejected for filing with the court. If your documents are:
- accepted, you will receive an email confirming your documents have been filed
- rejected, you will receive an email stating your documents have not been filed, the reasons for the rejection and confirming any payments will be refunded
If your documents are rejected, you can either:
- address the reason for the rejection and resubmit your corrected documents online (if time permits), or
- file your documents in-person or, if allowed by the court, by email
Monitor your email for communication from the court office.
Contact Us
If you have any questions about your specific case, contact the court office where your documents were submitted or filed. You can find a list of courthouse addresses and phone numbers here.