How to Respond to a Simple Procedure Claim on Civil Online Scotland

Why Civil Online Is the Default

Since the 2022 rule change, electronic submission through the Scottish Courts and Tribunals Service (SCTS) Civil Online portal is the expected route for filing a Simple Procedure response. Paper submissions are permitted only by exception — you need to explain why you cannot use the portal and get the Sheriff's permission.

Civil Online is at scotcourts.gov.uk. It is free to use and available 24 hours a day. Your submission deadline through the portal is 23:59 on the last date for a response shown on Form 3D.

Setting Up Your Account

If you do not already have a Civil Online account, register on the SCTS website. You will need an email address and a password. Verification is straightforward — there is no identity check at this stage.

Once your account is active, link it to your case. You need two pieces of information from your court papers:

1. Case Reference Number — printed on the top right of Form 3A and Form 3D
2. Security PIN — included in the court cover letter or on Form 3D itself

Enter both into Civil Online. The portal will pull up your case details — the claimant's name, the sum claimed, and the timetable dates. Verify these match your papers.

Completing Form 4A on the Portal

Civil Online generates the Form 4A fields on screen rather than asking you to upload a PDF. You work through the sections in order:

• Select your response option — Dispute (Option A), Admit and Pay (B), Admit and Request Time to Pay (C), or Settled (D)
• Complete Section D if disputing — type your factual account and the reasons you deny the claim. Be specific and reference any evidence you are attaching
• Upload supporting documents — PDFs and standard image files are accepted, typically up to 10MB per document. Number your documents clearly

If you are also requesting time to pay (Option C), the portal includes Form 5A fields where you enter your income, outgoings and proposed instalment amount.

Submitting — Drafts Do Not Count

A saved draft on Civil Online is not a submission. The system stores your progress, but the court does not see it and the clock keeps running. You must complete the full submission process and receive an automated confirmation receipt with a timestamp.

Check that confirmation carefully. It should show your Case Reference Number, the date and time of submission, and the forms lodged. Save or print it — this is your proof that you responded on time.

Sending a Copy to the Claimant

If the claimant indicated on Form 3A that they want to communicate through Civil Online, the system sends them a copy of your response. If the claimant chose post or email, send the copy using that method by the response deadline. Keep proof of sending.

When Paper Filing Is Allowed

You can submit Form 4A on paper only if you fall under a statutory exception:

• You are an individual without legal representation who lacks internet access, suitable hardware, or the digital skills to use the portal
• You attach a written statement to the form explaining why Civil Online is not practicable for you

The Sheriff Clerk or Sheriff reviews this statement. If they accept it, the paper form is processed. If they refuse, you will need to resubmit electronically — which could push you past the deadline if you leave it late.

For paper submissions, deliver the form to the Sheriff Court counter before closing time (typically 16:00 or 17:00) or post it to arrive before the deadline. You must also post a copy to the claimant and keep proof of posting.

Troubleshooting

File upload rejected: check the file format (PDF and common image formats work) and the file size. If a document is too large, compress it or split it into multiple files.

Cannot find the case: double-check the Case Reference Number and Security PIN. If the case still does not appear, phone the Sheriff Clerk — there may be a delay in the case being registered on the portal.

Submitted but no confirmation email: check your spam folder. If nothing arrives, log back in and check the case status on the portal. If it shows as submitted, you are covered.

The Scotland Simple Procedure response guide includes a submission verification checklist and covers what happens after your response is registered.

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