New guidance on electronic submission of documents has been produced by the Sheriffs Principal in order to achieve a consistency of approach across sheriff courts. (Please note, due to a clerical error, the email addresses covering Lothian and Borders Sheriffdom were incorrect in the original guidance. This has now been updated.)
The guidance states that documents should only be lodged in hard copy form where there are exceptional circumstances or where a sheriff so directs in advance of a hearing.
All documents and items of process in relation to new or existing cases in the sheriff court should be lodged electronically.
The guidance does not apply to commissary business, which is covered by the Lord President’s Practice Note Number 1 of 2020 “Exception to electronic signatures and transmission of documents”.
Documents can be lodged electronically by emailing the relevant court mailbox set out in Appendix 1 of the guidance.
Documents in all types of ordinary actions, except initiating documents, can be submitted using civil online. Simple procedure claim forms and all documents should be submitted using the civil online portal.
Where the rules of court require specific documents to be lodged with an initiating writ or defences, such documents should be lodged both electronically and in hard copy form.
More information on how to submit documents is available in the guidance.