File your documents in court
After you your partner, you must your documents and Form 6B: Affidavit of Service with the court. This means they're added to your court file.
You can file your forms and documents with the court online or in person. File your court forms and documents below explains how to do this.
Continuing record
Your partner will have started a court file, which is called the continuing record. The continuing record is court file that has all the important documents in your case.
Rule 9: Continuing Record says that you must file every document in your case in a continuing record so the judge can find it easily when it's needed.
The continuing record has 2 parts:
- The volume has all the endorsements and court orders the judge made in your case. An endorsement is the written directions a judge gives you and your partner that says what you must do or not do.
- The documents volume has all the documents you and your partner file for your case, including Applications, Answers, Replies, affidavits of service, financial statements, motions, affidavits, and briefs. It does not include briefs or briefs.
Documents are added to the continuing record after they have been served on the other person.
When you add a document to the continuing record, you also have to update the table of contents by listing each document you're filing.
Court staff can help you figure out where each document goes in the continuing record.
Make sure you keep a copy of every document you and your partner fill out. This allows you to keep track of your case yourself. You won't have to go to the court to ask the to get your file if you need to check something.
Court fees
There are no court fees at the Ontario Court of Justice. But, if your case is at the Superior Court of Justice or the Family Branch of the Superior Court of Justice you have to pay court fees. These include:
- $171 to file an Answer
- $214 to file an Answer that includes a
If you can't afford to pay the court fees, you can ask the court for a “fee waiver”. If you get a waiver, it means you don't have to pay most court fees. The Ontario government's A Guide to Fee Waiver Requests tells you which court fees can be waived and how to ask for a fee waiver.
How to:
File your court forms and documents
Rule 1.1 tells you how to file and issue your family law court forms and documents online. You can file your documents online or in person at the court. Depending on your family law issue and the court, you might also be able to file by email. Check the Family Law Rules and the court's orders, Notices and Practice Directions. Or call the court for more information.
Rule 1.2 says before you file your documents, you must remove or black out all financial account numbers and certain personal information, such as:
- social insurance numbers
- bank account numbers
- credit card numbers
- account numbers for mortgages, lines of credit, and other loans
You must keep the original documents that show this information. A judge might ask to see it.
You can file most family law forms and supporting documents:
- Online: The question How do I file court forms for my family law case online? explains how to use the online portal.
- By email to your local court: Each Ontario Court of Justice has its own email address. Each Superior Court of Justice also has an email address and instructions on how to email documents. Check the top of your court forms for the name and address of your local court.
- In person: If you cannot file online or by email, contact your local court to find out when they are open to file documents in person at the court.
Previous step:
