Supreme and District Courts electronic lodgment

The Supreme and District Courts of Queensland offer the option to lodge certain documents electronically, either online or via email.

Some lodgement options are available only for specific courts, or only to legal practitioners and specific agencies, as outlined below.

Electronic lodgement is faster than the post and removes the need to visit the court registry, saving time and costs.

If you prefer traditional methods, you can still lodge documents in person or by post.

Self-represented litigants

Self-represented litigants involved in civil proceedings must lodge their forms and supporting documents either in person at the court registry or by post.

For guidance, refer to the procedural fact sheets for civil proceedings.

Civil claims

Notices under the Uniform Civil Procedure Rules 1999 (UCPR)

Certain notices related to Supreme or District Court civil proceedings can be lodged via email. These are:

  • Notice of address for service (Form 8)
  • Notice of discontinuance (Form 27)
  • Notice of change of address for service (Form 90)
  • Notice of change of solicitor (Form 93).

The documents must be emailed to the court registry hearing the case.

Brisbane Supreme Court civil claims

Solicitors with a Queensland practising certificate can lodge Brisbane Supreme Court civil claims and supporting documents via the Queensland Courts and Tribunals Online Services Portal.

Examples of documents that can be lodged online include:

  • Claim (Form 2)
  • Notice of intention to defend (Form 6)
  • Statement of claim (Form 16)
  • Request for default judgment (Form 26).

Full list of documents

For the full list of Brisbane Supreme Court civil claims documents that can be lodged online, see page 3 of the Principal Registrar’s Amended approval 1 of 2025 (PDF, 201.4 KB).

Looking ahead

In 2026, online lodgement will expand to include all Queensland courts that handle civil matters, including the Supreme, District, and Magistrates Courts.

This expansion will cover all civil originating processes and appeals and will also be available to self-represented litigants.

This initiative is part of the new civil case management system, which aims to modernise and streamline court processes across the state.

Consent orders of the registrar

Documents required to obtain a consent order of the registrar can be lodged via email.

These documents are filed pursuant to Supreme Court Practice Direction 11 of 2023 and District Court Practice Direction 2 of 2010.

Those documents are: :

  • Request for consent order of registrar (Form 59A)
  • Proposed draft order (Form 59)
  • Affidavit (Form 46)

The documents must be emailed to the court registry hearing the case.

Wills and estate applications

Legal practitioners and the Queensland Public Trustee can lodge wills and estate applications and supporting documents with the Brisbane, Cairns, Rockhampton and Townsville Supreme courts via the Online Services Portal (OSP).

These documents include:

  • Application (Form 9)
  • Consent of litigation guardian (Form 13)
  • Affidavit (Form 46)
  • Certificate of exhibit (Form 47).

Full list of documents

For the full list of wills and estates documents that can be lodged online, see pages 2–3 of the Principal Registrar’s Amended approval 1 of 2025 (PDF, 201.4 KB).

Guide

For detailed guidance, refer to the Guide to wills and estates online lodgment.

Affirmed or sworn documents

Documents such as affidavits and statutory declarations can be lodged in some civil proceedings in the Supreme and District Courts via email as imaged documents in the approved portable document format (PDF), preferably text-searchable.

Examples include:

  • Affidavit (Form 46)
  • Certificate of exhibit (Form 47).

The documents must be emailed to the court registry hearing the case. For clarity, refer to the Principal Registrar’s Amended approval 1 of 2025.

Exempt documents

Prescribed information from a sworn or affirmed document can, in some cases, be emailed to the registrar instead of filing the document or an imaged copy of it.

Electronic lodgement guidelines

To ensure successful electronic lodgement, please note the following:

IssueRequirement/tip
File formatDocuments must be submitted in PDF format (preferably text-searchable).
File size limitsEnsure documents are under the maximum file size specified by the platform (must be PDF and no larger than 20MB).
Document namingUse clear and consistent naming conventions, such as ‘20250401_SMITH_Affidavit.pdf’.
Retention of originalsFor sworn or affirmed documents, the original must be retained for seven years.
AcknowledgementThe registry will acknowledge receipt of electronically lodged documents (eg. by return email confirming receipt).
Avoid errorsDouble-check the correct form is selected, all required fields are completed, and payment details (if applicable) are included.

More information

For more information about documents that can be electronically filed, read the Uniform Civil Procedure Rules 1999, Chapter 22, Part 1, Division 4.