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E-Filing

Introduction to the Electronic Filing System

How to submit documents online

Please read the instructions below if this is your first time using the Electronic Filing System.

If you are familiar with the System, click below to submit documents.

  1. Overview
  2. Before you submit documents
  3. Serving documents and proof of service
  4. How to use the Electronic Filing System (E-Filing System)
  5. Confidential documents
  6. Urgent submissions
  7. Notice to the Parties and the Profession: The use of artificial intelligence (AI)
  8. Payment of filing fees
  9. Filing deadlines
  10. Study Permit Pilot Project (Suspended June 30, 2025)
  11. Resources – Court Procedures and Rules

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  1. Overview of the Federal Court Electronic Filing System (E-Filing System)

    The E-Filing System offers a secure way to send documents to the Federal Court. Registry personnel then examine, accept and process the documents so that they can be filed with the Court. You can check to see what has been filed here: Court Files.

    The E-Filing System allows you to identify that a filing is urgent, to include special handling instructions for a document, and to choose the location of the Registry office where you wish to file.

    Documents for the Federal Court of Appeal will not be accepted for filing through this System. Please submit with the Federal Court of Appeal.

  2. Before you submit documents

    TIP: The Federal Court has three pilot projects which may affect your submission.

    • Procedural Bijuralism (see the latest Amended Consolidated General Practice Guidelines)
      Quebec’s Code of Civil Procedure, with the necessary adaptations, can be applied in specified judicial proceedings in which all parties are represented by lawyers who are members of the Barreau du Québec.

    • Online Access (see the latest Amended Consolidated General Practice Guidelines)
      Some documents related to matters in the areas of Maritime and Admiralty, Class Actions, Indigenous Law and Intellectual Property may be accessible for download on the Federal Court website. It is possible to request an exemption from the Court, in exceptional circumstances.

    • Study Permit (see documents below) – Suspended June 30, 2025
      The adjudication of a study permit application is streamlined, without a hearing, if there is consent of both parties and the application meets a set of criteria.

    Before you start, you must have:

    • The formatted documents that you wish to submit and proof that they have been served (if applicable) – see “Proof of service”
    • An email address and phone number that the Registry can use to communicate with you or the contact person
    • A stable internet connection (the System cannot save partial submissions)
    • The System open in only one (1) browser tab at a time
    • The Court File Number, if you are planning to submit documents for an existing proceeding
    • If you want to correct a document you have already submitted, you will need the unique confirmation number that was sent to you by email
    Document formatting guidelines
    • All documents must be in Portable Document Format (PDF files)
    • Documents cannot be password-protected
    • Documents must be formatted (fonts, page numbers, etc.) according to the format for printed documents in the Federal Court Rules and the latest Amended Consolidated General Practice Guidelines.
    • Any typed text in documents must be searchable
    • Documents cannot be longer than 500 pages
    • You should insert bookmarks in the file anywhere that you would include a physical tab in a paper filing

  3. Serving documents and proof of service: 2 steps

    Step 1 - Serving documents electronically (electronic service)

    You may serve documents electronically to the other party or parties.

    Consult the Deadline Calculator and Guideline for information on service deadlines.

    Note that if you serve a document (other than an originating document or a warrant) on a Saturday, Sunday, statutory holiday, or after 5:00 p.m. at the recipient's local time; it is deemed to be served on the following business day. Statutory holidays are defined in section 35(1) of the Interpretation Act.

    The Federal Court encourages electronic service of documents. However, it is possible to serve documents in person or by mail (see Rules 138 to 148).

    Step 2 - Proof of service

    1. If you served documents electronically (electronic service)

      To prove that you have served documents electronically, your submission must include an Affidavit of Service (Form 146A), a Solicitor’s Certificate of Service (Form 146B), or, if personal service is not required and you served the documents by email, a clear written acknowledgement of service by the person who received the documents.

      In addition, your proof of service must clearly indicate:

      • Confirmation that the documents were served electronically
      • Email or secure link ("electronic address") to which you served the documents

    2. If you served paper documents in person or by mail

      If you are submitting a document that is not an originating document through the E-Filing System, you must also submit a document containing proof that it has been served within the appropriate timeline.

    Parties should attach the proof of service together with the document in a single PDF. The proof of service should be bookmarked.

  4. How to use the E-Filing system

    1. Ensure that you have served the documents to the other party or parties, if applicable. For more information, see the section “Serving documents and proof of service.”
    2. Submit your formatted PDF documents, using the step-by-step instructions in the application. See below for the section on “Confidential documents.”
    3. After you submit, a unique confirmation number is created and will appear on the screen. You will also this confirmation number by email. Keep this number in case you need to check the status of your filing.
    4. The Federal Court Registry will review your document:
      • If the Registry accepts and processes your submission for filing, you will receive a confirmation email.
      • If it is not accepted for filing by the Registry, you will receive an email with further instructions.
      • If you do not receive a response from the Registry within 72 hours after you submit, contact the Registry office with your unique confirmation number.
      • If you encounter a problem with the Electronic Filing System, you should contact the Registry at 1-800-663-2096 between 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Monday to Friday except on statutory holidays.

    You should keep a copy of all documents sent electronically for 30 days after the expiry of all appeal periods. Also keep the original paper version of any documents that you have scanned.

  5. Confidential documents – options

    Do not use the E-Filing System to submit documents that are subject to a confidentiality order or direction.
    Submit confidential documents to the Court by email, in person or by mail.

    Option 1 - Submit by email

    1. Clearly identify your documents as “Confidential”
    2. Save your documents as a password-protected PDF file, or upload to a secure file transfer service
    3. Email the PDF or document link to the Registry
    4. Provide the password or instructions to access the documents to the Registry office in a separate email or by phone

    Registry office email addresses:

    Registry office emails

    Option 2 - Submit paper copies in person or by mail

  6. Urgent submissions

    You can use the Electronic Filing System to submit and flag urgent documents, but you are strongly advised to contact the Registry before filing electronically for urgent matters.

    Submitting documents through the E-Filing System does not guarantee that immediate processing. If you submit your urgent documents outside of regular business hours, contact the After Hours duty officers at the Registry named in the E-Filing System to ensure timely processing.

  7. Notice to the Parties and the Profession: The use of artificial intelligence (AI)

    The Federal Court requires that parties add a declaration to the beginning of any document that includes content created or generated by artificial intelligence ("AI").

    The Court will not draw a negative conclusion because you used AI.

    Here is an example of a declaration: "Artificial Intelligence (AI) was used to generate content in this document at paragraphs 20-30."

  8. Payment of filing fees

    There are no transaction fees to use the Electronic Filing System. However, fees may apply to file certain document types. Filing fees are available in IMM Rule 23 (for immigration matters) and Tariff A (for all other documents).

    If a filing fee is required, the system will prompt you to submit your payment before the filing process can be finalized.

    Online payment can only be made by most major credit cards or debit cards that support online payments, via the PayNow website. If you need to pay with a different method, please call the Registry.

  9. Filing deadlines

    Documents that you submit for filing through the E-Filing System are not considered successfully filed by the Registry until the documents have been reviewed and payment of document fee(s) are received (if applicable). When a document is submitted and is accepted by a Registry Officer, the document is deemed filed at the date/time (ET) it was submitted, unless it is submitted on a holiday.

    If you submit your documents on a holiday, it will be deemed filed the next business day. For the purposes of the Rules, “holiday” means a Saturday, Sunday or any other day defined as a holiday in subsection 35(1) of the Interpretation Act.

    If you miss a filing deadline due to technical problems, you will need to request an extension of time. There is no guarantee that an extension will be granted by the Court.

  10. Study Permit Pilot Project (Suspended June 30, 2025)

  11. Resources - Court Procedures and Rules

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Date modified: 2026-01-07

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