Family court fees. Sign, swear or affirm an affidavit. You can file your documents in person, electronically, or by post. You can pay the filing fee at the same time. Payment can be made using cash, eftpos, debit card, or credit card. You must file your documents to the correct court. This may be the court nearest to you, but sometimes it can be a court in another suburb or town, depending on the type of case.
For example, if a child is involved in the case, you may need to file your documents at the court nearest to where the child lives. If you are unsure about where to file your documents, contact a lawyer for help. You can also contact the Ministry of Justice on Get legal advice and support. If you're filing an urgent application, you should email your documents to the correct court.
Urgent applications must be in a PDF file and organised in a special order. You must send it to the correct email address to make sure your application is treated as urgent. Decide if you need an urgent application. Guidelines to file an urgent application to the Family Court by email. Find an urgent without notice email address. You can file your documents in person by dropping them off at the correct court.
If you need help to file your documents, ask your lawyer or freephone the Family Court on Find your nearest Family Court. You can file your documents using our File and Pay service.
You can upload your documents to File and Pay and pay your application fees. You can also use the file and pay service to pay your fees and then post your documents to the court. Go to File and Pay external link. Find my nearest Family Court postal address. The court will usually arrange this. For example, if you're applying for a divorce on your own. The court will give you instructions on how to do this after you have filed the application.
