Official guidance Government guide

Serving your documents — Guide to procedures in family court

Ontario Ministry of the Attorney General

Source sectionServing documents; who may serve; methods of service; proof of service

Source checked2026-08-07

Related explanation

Process

Serving family court documents

Court: Ontario family courts — court-specific procedure may differ

Service is the formal delivery of court documents to another person in a way permitted by the Family Law Rules.

Serving a document and filing it with the court are different acts. Service gives the document to the other party or person in a permitted way; filing puts the document into the court record. The Family Law Rules distinguish between regular service and special service, and some documents must be served by a person other than the party.

After service, the person who actually served the document normally completes the proof of service required by the rules, commonly Form 6B. The method, date, recipient and documents served matter because they can affect whether service was valid and when a later deadline begins.

Source summary

What this source covers

Ontario’s procedural guide explains serving family-court documents, including who may serve, methods of service and the need to follow applicable time limits.

Key points

Serving and filing are different steps

Serving gives another party the documents in a permitted way. Filing is the separate step of giving accepted documents to the court.

Who may serve

The Ministry guide says a person serving documents must be at least 18 years old. Some documents have additional service requirements under the Family Law Rules.

Check the method and deadline

The required service method and deadline depend on the document and the applicable Family Law Rule.

Proof of service

After service, proof may have to be filed with the court. Form 6B is the Affidavit of Service used in many family proceedings.

For exact wording, dates, exceptions and current requirements, read the original source. Binding law and court directions take priority over explanatory material.

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Law and rules

Related official provisions

Binding law / official textCentral West Region Practice Direction

Rule 13 — (3.1) of the Family Law Rules sets out which documents MUST be included with a Financial Statement where child or spousal support has been sought. An updated Certificate of Financial Disclosure must be provided to the other party.

A party who has not made all reasonable efforts to comply with their disclosure obligations may be subject to a cost sanction, directions/terms imposed and/or the adjournment of any motion brought by that party until compliance. In egregious cases, upon motion, continued non-compliance may result in a party’s pleadings being struck or found in contempt of Court. C. Motions to Change The Family Law Rules direct the Court to determine the next steps in a Motion to Change, with a view to ensuring that these motions proceed in the most efficient manner appropriate in the circumstances. The Court is directed to determine the most appropriate process for reaching an expeditious and just conclusion of the case in the circumstances. A new Motion to Change Endorsement form is available here. Parties are encouraged to provide a draft Motion to Change Endorsement form with their materials for the first judicial conference to obtain early direction regarding the most appropriate process for the case.…

Ontario Superior Court of JusticeSuperior Court of Justice — Central West

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Binding law / official textFamily Law Rules

Rule 6 — SERVICE OF DOCUMENTS

6. Service of documents

Government of OntarioO. Reg. 114/99

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Binding law / official textConsolidated Provincial Practice Direction for Family Proceedings

Rule 1.3 — of the Family Law Rules requires a member of the public to give 10 days’ written notice to the parties before the member of the public may access a family court file involving:

Decision-making responsibility, parenting time or contact with respect to a child under the Divorce Act or Part III of the Children’s Law Reform Act ; Orders under Part I of the Children’s Law Reform Act (parentage); or International child abduction. The member of the public must also send notice to the Children’s Lawyer if the Children’s Lawyer is representing a child in the case or conducting an investigation for the court. After receiving notice, a party who wishes to restrict access to the file has 10 days to file a 14B motion. If such a motion is brought, court staff may refuse the requested access until the court decides the motion. Before the member of the public is granted access to the file, they must file an affidavit (Form 14A) confirming 1) the date on which they gave notice under Rule 1.3, to whom and by what method; and 2) that they have not been served with a motion for a restricted access order. The following persons are exempt from the notice requirement under Family Court Rule 1.3: A party or their counsel;…

Ontario Superior Court of JusticeSuperior Court of Justice — province-wide

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Binding law / official textToronto Region Practice Direction

Rule 57.01 — (6) requires that every party who intends to seek costs of a proceeding must serve and bring to the hearing, a costs outline (Form 57B) not exceeding three pages in length. Parties seeking costs of a motion shall serve their costs outlines on all other parties, and file them using the Ontario Courts Public Portal .

Factums and draft Orders submitted through the Ontario Courts’ Public Portal should also be submitted in Word format. Compendiums shall be filed and uploaded to Case Center in accordance with Rule 4.05.3 and section 28 of the Consolidated Civil Provincial Practice Direction . No adjournment for any motion before a judge or associate judge will be granted within 2 days of the scheduled hearing date, except in extenuating and exceptional circumstances. D.2 Civil Matters before a Judge The following civil matters are being heard before judges in Toronto: Trials : To set a date for trial, parties must appear before “To Be Spoken To Court” (if the trial is anticipated to require 10 or fewer days), or Long Trial Scheduling Court (if the trial is anticipated to be over 10 days) (collectively referred to as Trial Scheduling Court). To Be Spoken To Court sits every Monday at 9:00 a.m. by Zoom and Long Trial Scheduling Court sits every Wednesday at 9:00 a.m. by Zoom. An appearance for either Trial Scheduling court should be requested through https://calendly.com/toronto-region .…

Ontario Superior Court of JusticeSuperior Court of Justice — Toronto

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Binding law / official textCentral South Region Practice Direction

Part 5 — : Family Proceedings

A. Filings Counsel and parties in family proceedings are advised to refer to the Consolidated Provincial Practice Direction for Family Proceedings at the Superior Court of Justice, for the filing of court documents and limited filing by email. The Consolidated Provincial Practice Direction is available at: Consolidated Provincial Practice Direction for Family Proceedings at the Superior Court of Justice The Court will accept limited filing by e-mail at the specific e-mail addresses indicated below in accordance with Family Proceedings Part 1 A 2, Limited Filings by Email of the Consolidated Provincial Practice Direction.Click here for the Limited Filing by Email section Hamilton (Family) — HamiltonFamilyCourt@ontario.ca Kitchener /Waterloo — WaterlooRegionFamily@ontario.ca St. Catharines- SCJStCatharinesCourthouse@ontario.ca Welland – SCJWellandCourthouse@ontario.ca Brantford — brantfordscjcourt@ontario.ca Cayuga — haldimandcountycourt@ontario.ca Simcoe — simcoe.scj.courts@ontario.ca B. Case Conferences…

Ontario Superior Court of JusticeSuperior Court of Justice — Central South

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Binding law / official textConsolidated Provincial Practice Direction for Family Proceedings

Rule 13 — (3.1) of the Family Law Rules addresses the documents that must be included with a party’s financial statement where child or spousal support has been sought. A party should provide an updated Certificate of Financial Disclosure (Form 13A) to the other party with this documentation.

If disclosure cannot be resolved prior to the case conference, the party seeking disclosure must include in their materials a list of the outstanding disclosure in accordance with Rule 13(11.01) of the Family Law Rules . The court may award costs pursuant to Rules 17(18) or 24(7) where a party has failed to comply with their disclosure obligations. Counsel and parties should address all disclosure issues in advance of the settlement conference. Any motions for disclosure must be heard in advance of the settlement conference. More information about financial statements and the documents that shall be exchanged to support a financial statement is available here . 1. Automatic Disclosure Orders Under Rule 8.0.1

Ontario Superior Court of JusticeSuperior Court of Justice — province-wide

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Related subjects:Serve and file documents · Forms and documents