Electronic filing – Magistrates Court
The Uniform Civil Procedure Rules 1999 (UCPR) include rules about electronic filing.
New rules were introduced in 2018 that allow the Principal Registrars of the Magistrates Courts to decide which documents are approved for electronic filing and conditions that apply (if any).
Below is a list of approved documents, and information about any conditions that apply.
In the Magistrates Court electronic filing through an approved service provider was established under the UCPR before the 2018 changes were introduced. Magistrates Courts electronic filing continues to apply under the amended rules.
Sworn documents
Sworn or affirmed documents are a special category of documents where additional rules apply for electronic filing.
To electronically file an affirmed or sworn document, it must be sent to the registry as an imaged document in the approved electronic file format, Portable Document Format (PDF) (refer to Principal Registrar (Magistrates Court) Approval 3 of 2018 ) and Principal Registrar (Magistrates Court) Approval 1 of 2024 .
The original affirmed or sworn document must be retained for 7 years from the date of filing. The party or solicitor filing the document must produce the paper form of the document if required by the court during that timeframe.
Exempt sworn documents
Prescribed information from a sworn or affirmed document can, in some cases, be electronically submitted to the registrar instead of filing the document or an imaged copy of it. The registrar must acknowledge receipt of the information. The Principal Registrar of the Magistrates Court has approved the documents below as exempt where these documents are being filed by an approved service provider:
- affidavit of service of the claim on the defendant
- affidavit of debt
- affidavit in support of Enforcement Hearing application
- statement in support of an Enforcement Warrant application.
For details about prescribed information for the above documents, refer to Principal Registrar (Magistrates Court) approval 2 of 2018 .
In practice, the rules relating to exempt sworn documents apply to eLodgement.
Electronic filing via QCase in the Magistrates Court
All approved forms for use in Magistrates Court civil matters may be filed through the online QCase portal which is managed by Queensland Courts. Some forms may be completed online directly within the portal (guided forms) and others must be completed separately and uploaded. The details of how to lodge the forms and which ones may be lodged by these methods are available on the portal.
Refer to Principal Registrar (Magistrates Court) Approval 1 of 2024
Electronic filing via a service provider in the Magistrates Court
Below is a list of UCPR forms that the Principal Registrar of the Magistrates Court has approved to be electronically filed in the Magistrates Court via the approved service provider CITEC Confirm. Refer to the approvals detailed in the list below for this and other conditions which may apply to the approval.
UCPR form name and number | Does a condition attach to the approval | Approval |
Claim (Form 2 ) | Yes | 1 of 2018 |
Application (Form 9 ) | Yes | 1 of 2018 |
Statement of Claim (Form 16 ) | Yes | 1 of 2018 |
Request for default judgment (Form 25 ) | Yes | 1 of 2018 |
Affidavit (Form 46 ) | Yes | 1 of 2018 |
Enforcement hearing summons (Form 70 ) | Yes | 1 of 2018 |
Request for consent order of registrar (Form 59A ) | Yes | 1 of 2020 |
Proposed draft order (Form 59) | Yes | 1 of 2020 |
Notice of discontinuance (Form 27 ) | Yes | 1 of 2020 |
You may find information about Electronic lodgement (eLodgement) helpful.
Approvals of the Principal Registrar of the Magistrates Court
The following approvals are relevant to electronic filing:
- Approval 1 of 2018 – Documents that may be electronically filed – rule 967(3)
- Approval 2 of 2018 – Exempt sworn or affirmed documents – rule 975D(3)
- Approval 3 of 2018 – Electronic file format – rule 975C(1)(b)
- Approval 4 of 2018 – Approval of an entity as a service provider – rule 959B
- Approval 1 of 2020 – Documents that may be electronically filed – rule 967(3), 975E
- Approval 2 of 2020 – Electronic file format – rules 975C(1)(b), 975E
- Approval 1 of 2024 – Electronic filing of documents via the QCASE Portal for Civil Proceedings– rule 967(3), 975C, and 975E