How Do I Find Court Forms?
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This page from JP Boyd on Family Law—and other pages from this Wikibook that discuss BC family law litigation topics—are under editorial review to provide more thorough, current, and practical guidance. Since 2020, procedures, forms, and laws have changed significantly. While gross inaccuracies have been corrected, some details may still be outdated. These pages were not included in the 2024 print edition, and have been highlighted in orange where they appear in the navigation menu on this website. |
What Are Court Forms?
Court forms are official court documents that must be used when you bring a dispute to court. If you are not sure which form to use, you may want to speak with a lawyer, see the section How Do I Find Help with My Problem?.
Where Can I Find Court Forms?
Clicklaw’s quicklinks to online laws, cases and rules includes links to the forms for all levels of court. You can search these forms by name, or by number.
Court Forms: Clarifying Your Question
Do you have specific information about the form you need? For example: “The registry said I need Form F51 for Supreme Court Family.” In this case, go directly to the Supreme Court Family court forms page to find the one you need.
Or do you have a question that requires the help of other sources? For example: “I need child support forms.” In this instance, you may need to find some additional information from a source such as the Family Law in BC child support page to explain different kinds of forms and procedures. In some cases, there are examples of completed forms, such as [JP Boyd on Family law Supreme Court Forms].
The Clicklaw website will help you find resources to help you understand which forms are used in each level of court, for example going to small claims court.
What if I have limited information?
If you have the form number:
The form number helps determine which level of court it is from since each level of court numbers forms in different ways:
| Type | |
| Small Claims Forms | SCR or COEA followed by the #: |
| Provincial Court Family Forms | Often PCFR followed by the #: |
| Supreme Court Family Forms | F followed by the #: |
| Supreme Court Civil Forms | Just the #: |
If you know the level of court:
Click on the appropriate court forms link and you can look through the alphabetical list. If you still cannot find the form, you may need to look through secondary sources.
If you know the form name:
Look through the alphabetical list of forms for a few different levels of court. Sometimes different levels of court have forms with the same name. For example, if you are looking for a Requisition, you will need to know the level of court since nearly every level of court has a Requisition form.
If you know the level of court but even after searching do not have the form name or form number:
You may need to find an Affidavit (sworn written statement) form. However, nearly every level of court has an Affidavit form, and some have more than one type of Affidavit form, such as an Affidavit in Support to Waive Fees. If you do not know the level of court or the form number, you may need to consult your information or look at secondary sources to help determine what the correct form is.
If you are just getting started and/or you do not know which forms you need:
If you cannot find the form you’re looking for or if you are just getting started, you’ll need to look at a secondary source. You may also wish to consult with one of the legal advice services described in section How Do I Find Help with My Problem?.
Court Forms: Examples/Guides
Staff at Courthouse Libraries BC can help you find resources to find forms, but cannot help clients fill in court forms.
However, there are a number of guides and examples that may help with filling in court forms. Some of the most used resources include the following:
Family Forms (Supreme & Provincial)
- The JP_Boyd_on_Family_Law JP Boyd Wikibook has clearly laid out pages linking to blank and completed example family court forms. From the home page, scroll down to the Court Forms & Documents section.
- Family Law in BC Court Forms page includes descriptions of how each form is used.
Small Claims Forms
- Small claims court forms are available online from the provincial government. The forms are in a PDF format that you can fill out and print.
- The Small Claims Court Filing Assistant is designed to help you complete small claims court forms online.
Civil Forms
Clicklaw provides Two Clicklaw Common Questions provide lists of other resources and guidebooks:
Evin Ross’ Guide to Civil Litigation is a helpful resource, available in print at Courthouse Libraries, and some public libraries.
Court of Appeal Forms
The Court of Appeal BC Online Help Guide website has guides for individuals appealing civil/family and criminal matters.
What if you are having technical trouble filling in your form?
Filling in the PDF version of the forms can be quite tricky and frustrating. The Ministry of Justice site has a guide for tips on how to use the forms. However, if you are still having trouble with the online forms, one of the services at How Do I Find Help with My Problem? may be able to help
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 Beginner's Guide to Finding Legal Information © Courthouse Libraries BC 2015 is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 2.5 Canada Licence.
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