Court registry services

Need to file court documents or forms? Request your divorce certificate? Pay a traffic ticket? If you are doing this in person, you will need to visit a court registry. Court registries are located in 43 of the province’s staffed court locations.

The registry is the official keeper of all documents and records that are filed for cases. Registry staff manage this information and serve the public at staffed locations, from 9 am to 4 pm Monday to Friday, excluding statutory holidays, Easter Monday and Boxing Day.

Services offered include:

• filing of court documents and forms in Provincial, Supreme and Court of Appeal matters, including the areas of criminal, civil, family, divorce, adoption, probate and bankruptcy law
• processing bail applications, pardon applications and waivers
• accepting payments for fines including traffic tickets, criminal and civil matters
• filing traffic disputes and processing applications for traffic adjournments
• providing pamphlets and blank documents for Provincial court forms and some Supreme court forms
• providing access to court files as required by policies set by the Court of Appeal, BC Supreme Court and the Provincial Court  
• public access to computers to search criminal and civil case tracking systems
• and public listening stations for digital audio recordings of court proceedings

Not all registries offer the same services or include all levels of court.  Please visit the Courthouse locations page for details.

While court registry staff will try to answer your questions about court process, they cannot help complete your forms or give advice about legal problems – it’s best to check with a lawyer or legal professional for this kind of help.

Some organizations offer free legal advice in certain circumstances. Learn who can help.

In the courtroom

In the courtroom, court clerks are responsible for managing the flow of cases. They provide administrative support to court proceedings, and liaise with the judiciary, legal counsel, sheriffs and the public. Their role may include:

• calling cases
• reading charges
• administering oaths to witness and interpreters
• recording and maintaining exhibits
• monitoring court audio recordings
• recording decisions
• completing court records