eCourts Portal WA — How to Lodge Your Response as a Defendant
WA Magistrates Court filings must be made electronically through the eCourts Portal unless the registrar grants a Form 69 exemption. If you have been served with a Minor Case Claim, this is where you lodge your Form 15A response, check your case status, and upload evidence bundles. The portal works, but it is not particularly intuitive — especially under a short response deadline.
Creating Your Account
Go to ecourts.justice.wa.gov.au and register for an account. You need a valid email address and some basic personal details. The system sends a verification email — check your spam folder if it does not arrive within a few minutes.
Once verified, log in and you will see the main dashboard. From here you can search for your case.
Finding Your Case
Use the case reference number printed on the Form 4 you were served. It follows a format like CIV/PER/12345/26. Enter it in the case search field. The portal will pull up the matter and show the parties, the registry location, and the current case status.
If you cannot find the case, double-check the case reference number and registry location shown on your papers, then contact the registry if needed.
Lodging Form 15A
Once you have located your matter, select the lodgment option (labelled "Assisted Lodgement" or "eLodgment" depending on the screen). Upload your completed Form 15A as a PDF or Word document. The portal confirms receipt with a lodgment reference number — save this.
There is no filing fee for a standard Form 15A response. If you are also filing a counterclaim (Part I of Form 15A), the portal will prompt for the counterclaim filing fee.
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Uploading Documents Later
After your initial response is lodged, you may need to upload additional documents ahead of the status conference or hearing — your evidence bundle, photos, contracts, receipts. The portal accepts PDF uploads. Name each file clearly (e.g., 01-Contract-Agreement.pdf, 02-Invoice-March-2026.pdf) so the magistrate can find what they need during the hearing.
Common Portal Issues
Session timeouts. The portal logs you out after a period of inactivity. If you are filling in forms online, save your work locally before uploading rather than typing directly into the portal fields.
File size limits. Large photo files sometimes fail to upload. Convert images to PDF and compress them before attempting the upload.
Case not showing. Double-check the case reference number and registry location shown on your papers. If the case still does not appear, contact the relevant Magistrates Court registry using a published number from the court's official website.
What If You Cannot File Online?
If you lack internet access, have a disability that prevents online use, or live in a remote area, you can apply for a paper-filing exemption using Form 69. If the registrar grants it, documents may be lodged over the counter at any Magistrates Court registry, or sent by post, email, or fax as directed.
The WA Minor Case Response Guide includes a portal navigation walkthrough alongside your Form 15A completion guide, so you can work through both together without switching between tabs.
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