If your question is not covered below, contact your local Sheriff Court.
There are full user guides for members of the public and solicitors.
How do I register as a Civil Online user?
If you are a member of the public, the Public User Guide has details of how to register.
If you are a legal professional, the Solicitor User Guide has details of how to register. You will need your company ID.
Who can I contact for assistance?
If you require assistance completing the forms, you should contact your local Sheriff Court.
Court staff cannot give legal advice but the Law Society of Scotland can provide contact details for solicitors in your area who can advise you.
Do I need to complete forms in one sitting?
If you do not have all the information you need to complete your submission, the system will save a draft that you can continue to work on later. There is a user guide that explains draft submissions.
What do I have to pay?
Submitting a simple procedure claim costs £20 for claims for payment of money only of £300 or less; or £110 for all other claims.
This can be paid online by credit or debit card. If your claim is rejected by the court, any fee paid will be refunded automatically.
Professional users can use a SCTS credit account.
There is no fee for lodging a response to a claim raised against you.
Am I exempt from court fees?
You may be entitled to an exemption. If you are, you must upload your completed fee exemption form and
supporting document during the submission process.
How do I raise a new claim?
Log-in to Civil Online and follow the on-screen instructions.
There are user guides for members of the public and solicitors that explain the steps for raising a new claim.
Before you start, you should have:
- Details for the person(s) or organisation(s) making the claim (the claimant)
- Details for the person(s) or organisation(s) you are making the claim against (the respondent)
- Details of the dispute you want to resolve
- Any supporting documents that you want to upload
- If you are acting as a lay representative, your completed lay representative form
- Your credit or debit card to pay the court fee; or
- A completed fee exemption form (see Am I exempt from court fees?)
Do I have to submit my claim online?
Claims should be submitted online. If you feel you cannot do this, you must seek approval from the sheriff for the claim to proceed in paper form. You should complete the claim form on
paper and send this to the court with the appropriate fee and a note detailing:
- the names and addresses of the parties; and
- the reasons why the form cannot be submitted online.
The sheriff will consider the circumstances set out in the note. Where approval is not given and the claimant wishes to proceed with the claim, it must be submitted online.
Can I retain a copy of my online claim form?
You can download a completed PDF copy of your claim form when you have submitted it to the court. This can be saved and printed at any stage, for example to use for service on the respondent.
How do I respond to a claim raised against me?
Log-in to Civil Online and follow the on-screen instructions.
When you respond to a claim as a member of the public, there are user guides that explain how to:
A separate user guide covers lodging a response as a solicitor.
Before you start, you will need:
- The case reference and the name of the claimant (you will find both on the claim form you have received)
- Any supporting documents that you want to upload
- If you are applying for time to pay, your completed Form 5A Time to Pay Application
- If you are acting as a lay representative, your completed lay representative form
How do I access my case details online?
There is a user guide that explains how to track your case.
What information do I need to have when I contact the court?
When you complete and submit your claim, a submission ID will be displayed on the confirmation screen - it will look like this: sid456-23.
When the claim is registered, a case reference will issued and will appear on case documents - it will look like this: ABE-SG123-23. (The prefix identifies the court – the example is for Aberdeen.)
Please quote either of these when contacting the court.
Can my representative see my case details?
If you have a legal or lay representative they will also be able to use Civil Online to access the case on your behalf. They will first need to register for access.
What should I do if the information on Civil Online is incorrect?
Contact the court dealing with your case, quoting the case reference.
As a legal representative, how do I control who from my firm can access case details online?
There is a user guide that explains user administration for solicitors.
I am a legal representative but am not sure how to access to Civil Online. What Company ID should I use?
If your branch/firm is not registered for Civil Online please contact civilonlinelab@scotcourts.gov.uk to arrange access.
If your branch/firm has previously been set-up with access for Civil Online and you do not know the Company ID please ask a colleague in the first instance, if this is not possible please contact the Civil Lab on the email above.
If you have access to more than one branch just pick one of the Company IDs for the purpose of signing-up.
I am a legal representative and have taken over responsibility for an existing case. Can I use Civil Online?
If you have been instructed following a change of agency and wish to use Civil Online, you must make a request in writing for the representative details to be updated and send this to the appropriate Sheriff Clerk, quoting the case reference.
Can I submit simple procedure claims in bulk?
Solicitors may use the Civil Online API to transfer Simple Procedure claims directly to the court from their own case management systems.
If you are interested in setting up your firm to use the API, email civilonlinelab@scotcourts.gov.uk