Justice Services Online and Ontario Family Court Forms: Filing Your Application Digitally

Filing From Your Kitchen Table

Ontario's digital court filing portals let you submit a family court application without travelling to the courthouse. For grandparents and relatives filing for decision-making responsibility, this means you can upload your Form 8, Form 35.1, police record check, and supporting documents from home — then wait for the court clerk to review and issue your filing.

The electronic submission portal depends on your court and municipality. Case Center is a separate document-sharing and e-hearing platform, not a filing portal.

Justice Services Online (JSO)

Justice Services Online is the broader platform operated by the Ministry of the Attorney General. It handles electronic submissions for most Ontario municipalities across both the Ontario Court of Justice (OCJ) and the Superior Court of Justice (SCJ).

What you can file through JSO:

• Form 8 (Application)
• Form 35.1 (Affidavit for Decision-Making Responsibility)
• Form 35.1A (Child Protection Information — filed separately from the continuing record)
• Form 10 (Answer)
• Motions and supporting affidavits
• Financial statements

How the process works:

1. Create an account on the JSO portal
2. Select the correct court location (the municipality where the child habitually resides)
3. Upload your completed, signed documents as PDF files
4. Pay any applicable fees online (remember: OCJ filings and standalone CLRA claims in the SCJ are $0)
5. Submit the package

After submission, a court clerk reviews the package for completeness. A submission is not a formal filing until the clerk accepts it and the court issues it.

Ontario Courts Public Portal and Case Center

The Ontario Courts Public Portal is the newer submission portal. It was expanded to Superior Court of Justice family proceedings in Toronto in October 2025 and has been progressively rolled out to additional municipalities.

Case Center is a separate document-sharing and e-hearing platform. Uploading documents to Case Center does not replace filing them through the applicable submission portal or court office.

Check the Ontario Courts website for your specific courthouse to determine whether it uses Justice Services Online, the Ontario Courts Public Portal, or another filing method. Follow separate Case Center instructions if the court directs you to upload filed documents there.

Submission Is Not Filing

This is the critical distinction that catches first-time filers. When you upload documents to the applicable filing portal, you have made a submission, not a filing. The court clerk reviews the submission for compliance with the Family Law Rules before accepting it. Uploading documents to Case Center does not replace this filing step.

If everything is in order — Form 35.1 is complete with Part B, the police record check is attached and dated within 60 days, Form 35.1A is included where required — the clerk accepts the submission, stamps it with a court seal, assigns a file number, and issues it as a formal filing.

If something is missing or incorrect, the clerk rejects the submission. Under Rule 35.1(6), the clerk is legally required to refuse filings that lack Form 35.1 or the police record check. A rejected submission is deemed never to have been filed — the clock does not start, and you need to fix the problem and resubmit.

Common Rejection Reasons

Missing Form 35.1 Part B. Non-parent applicants seeking decision-making responsibility must complete both Part A and Part B of Form 35.1. Submitting only Part A triggers an automatic rejection.

Expired or missing police record check. The check must be dated within 60 days before starting the claim. If it is more than 60 days old when you submit the application, the filing may be rejected. If the check has not arrived yet, you can submit proof of request and file the actual check within 10 days of receiving it.

Wrong court location. Under Rule 5(1)(b), your application must be filed in the municipality where the child habitually resides. Confirm the correct courthouse before submitting.

Unsigned or improperly commissioned documents. The affidavit must be properly sworn or affirmed before a licensed commissioner. Virtual commissioning is accepted under O. Reg. 431/20, but the jurat must note that videoconference was used.

Wrong form version. Forms updated on March 1, 2021, must be the current version. Old versions using "custody" and "access" terminology will be rejected.

Tips for Digital Filing

Convert documents to searchable PDF. Court clerks and judges need to read your documents on screen. Scanned images that are blurry or at odd angles slow down review and can lead to requests for resubmission.

Name your files clearly. "Form_35-1_Applicant_Name.pdf" is better than "scan_001.pdf." When a clerk is reviewing dozens of submissions, clear file names help.

Keep confirmation receipts. The portal generates a confirmation when you submit. Save it as a record of submission; it does not show that the clerk accepted or issued the filing.

Check the portal regularly. After submission, log back in to check the status. If the clerk has questions or needs a correction, you want to know immediately rather than discovering weeks later that your filing was rejected.

File Form 35.1A separately. Under Rule 35.1(2), this document must not be filed in the continuing record. Follow the court's current instructions for submitting it separately.

The Complete Filing Package

The digital portals are the delivery mechanism — but getting the documents right before you upload is what determines whether the clerk accepts your filing. The Ontario decision-making order toolkit includes a pre-submission checklist calibrated to Rule 35.1 requirements, so you catch rejection triggers before they reach the clerk.

See more Ontario guides →