Order a court transcript

Court Transcripts

A transcript is a true and accurate written record of the audio recording of a court proceeding. It is evidence of the official audio record and is certified by the person authorized to produce the transcript. In British Columbia, transcripts must be prepared by contracted service providers or authorized reporters.

Access to Court Transcripts

Access to transcripts of a court proceeding by the public is determined by policies set by the Court of Appeal, BC Supreme Court and the Provincial Court. The policies provide direction on access to criminal, family and civil court records.

For more information on records access policies please refer to access to court records.

How to order a transcript that is publicly accessible

Publicly accessible transcripts of court proceedings can be prepared, upon request, for a fee.

To order a transcript:

• Authorized Reporters for
  • Any Supreme Court Civil proceeding across B.C.
  • Supreme Court Criminal and Supreme Court Civil proceedings where the authorized reporter attends the proceeding in person

On or before September 30, 2024

• J.C. WordAssist Ltd. for
  • Vancouver Island, Robson Square, Vancouver Provincial, North Vancouver, Vancouver Coastal circuit locations, and all locations in Northern and Interior regions
  • Any Supreme Court Criminal or Supreme Court Civil proceedings across B.C.

• Verbatim Words West Ltd. for
  • Abbotsford, Chilliwack, Coquitlam, New Westminster, Richmond and Surrey (Provincial Court proceedings only)​

On or after October 1, 2024

• Veritext Canada for
  • All Supreme and Provincial court proceedings across B.C.

You will need to know the following information when ordering a transcript:

• Whether the proceedings took place in Supreme Court or Provincial Court
• The date of the proceeding
• The court file number
• Transcript order form

Timelines

Fees are based on the turnaround time. You can choose one of the following turnaround times:

• Daily: prepared/delivered by 9:00 am on the next business day after the date it was ordered. Daily transcripts can be ordered for:
  • proceedings 2 days or longer upon providing 2 business days' notice to the contracted service provider or authorized reporter for one day (approximately 5 hours) of digital audio recording to be prepared for the next business day.
  • a standing (single) order may be placed for lengthy proceedings, with the dates being confirmed with the contracted service provider or authorized reporter 2 business days in advance. 
• Expedited: prepared/delivered by the 3^rd business day after the date it was ordered (transcripts in paper format to be delivered by the 5^th business day). Expedited transcripts can be ordered for:
  • proceedings 3 days (approximately 15 hours of digital audio recording) or less;
  • proceedings 2 days (approximately 10 hours of digital audio recording) or less if one or more persons have attended by videoconference (including MS Teams) or audioconference (telephone);
  • bail, appeal release hearings, hearings for appointment of counsel, or transcripts which must be served on interested parties.
• Priority: prepared/delivered by the 10^th business day after the date it was ordered.
• Standard: prepared/delivered by the 22^nd business day after the date it was ordered. 

The turnaround times mentioned above do not apply:

• If the requested transcript includes a judge's reasons, ruling, sentence, judgment, or charge to the jury. The judge will receive and review the draft before it is finalized and released. If the transcript is urgent (i.e. required for appeal, release hearing, bail review) this should be noted on the order form.
• To Appeal books and Appeal transcripts, which must be prepared within 60 days of the filing of the appeal.

Transcript Estimates and Fees

The Province is divided into 12 Service Areas. The map shows how those areas are divided and lists the court locations within each service area.  

Estimates can be obtained from the contracted service provider who services the court location where your matter was heard, or by contacting an authorized reporter if applicable.

The schedule of fees provides a detailed listing of the rates of the contracted service providers.

Information for contractors

If you are a transcription company or authorized court reporter, find more information about the policies and forms on the transcriber’s forms and information page.