Registry committals
A registry committal is an administrative process completed by the registrar or clerk of the court. It can save time and costs because it replaces the need for a Magistrates Court committal hearing.
When you can apply for a registry committal
- The offence must be serious: Registry committals apply to indictable offences only and parties must ensure the charges are indictable before applying.
- The parties must agree: The defendant must be legally represented and the parties must agree to the charge(s) being committed to the Supreme Court or District Court for sentencing or trial. The registrar can’t decide whether there’s enough evidence to put the defendant on trial for the indictable charge.
When you can’t apply for a registry committal
Registry committals don’t apply to minor or summary offences—a less serious offence or charge punishable on conviction by a Magistrates Court—or matters in the Childrens Court.
Additionally, you can’t use a registry committal if the defendant:
- is not legally represented
- is on bail but is in breach of bail conditions relating to the charges
- has been referred to a specialist court or program relating to the charges
- intends to give evidence or call witnesses.
If charges don’t meet these conditions, they can’t be included in the registry committal.
Important deadlines
At the committal callover, the defendant’s charges should have been adjourned for 28 days to allow time for briefs to be prepared and documents to be filed.
The registry committal may be refused if the prosecution’s full brief of evidence (i.e. all the evidence they will rely on) is not correctly filed in the registry within 14 days and/or you don’t submit this form within 28 days.
If the registry committal is refused, the matter will be heard in court on the date set at the committal callover.
How to apply
The Registry Committal application has now been transitioned to the Queensland Courts and Tribunals Online Services Portal (OSP) and will be rolled out across Queensland over six stages to ensure the rollout is well supported and transition is seamless.
Ahead of each region’s go-live date, Courts and Tribunals will deliver webinars for law firms and police prosecutions in the region. These sessions will provide a demonstration of the portal in action and an opportunity to ask questions about registration and using the service.
Defence lawyers will be able to apply for registry committals for relevant matters in Magistrates Courts per the below roll out schedule:
- Stage 1: Pilot sites: Brisbane, Rockhampton, and Cairns: 28 July 2025
- Stage 2: North Queensland: w/c 13 October 2025
- Stage 3: Central Queensland: w/c 24 November 2025
- Stage 4: South-West and Central Queensland: w/c 2 March 2026
- Stage 5: South Queensland: w/c 20 April 2026
- Stage 6: Logan and Gold Coast: w/c 15 June 2026
To access the OSP, you will need to log in and verify your digital identity using myID or QDI. For more information, refer to the guide on accessing and navigating the OSP.
For matters outside of Brisbane, Cairns and Rockhampton, defence lawyers can still apply for a registry committal by filing one or both of the below forms at the relevant Magistrates Court
- Notice of intention to proceed via registry committal or
- Notice of intention to proceed via registry committal on amended/substituted charge or
Online Services Portal and Registry Committal webinars
Queensland Courts and Tribunals hosted two webinars for legal practitioners ahead of the 28 July 2025 transition date to help facilitate a smooth transition.
Defence webinar - Registry Committal Application transition to the OSP
Topics covered:
- How to connect to the OSP
- How to create, edit, submit, withdraw or delete a Registry Committal application
Prosecution webinar - Registry Committal Application transition to the OSP
Topics covered:
- How to connect to the OSP
- How to locate and review, approve, return or reject a Registry Committal application