Scotland Simple Procedure Court Forms: Key Forms Explained

Where to Find the Forms

All Simple Procedure forms are published by the Scottish Courts and Tribunals Service (SCTS) at scotcourts.gov.uk. They are free to download as PDFs. But most claimants never touch the PDF versions — Civil Online generates the forms digitally as you move through the case. The PDFs matter mainly for claim filing on paper (which requires Sheriff approval) and for understanding what each form asks before you start filling in fields on the portal.

The Forms You File as a Claimant

Form 3A — Claim Form. This is the core document. It captures your details (claimant), the other party's details (respondent), the court you are filing in, the amount you are claiming, how the debt arose, what you tried before going to court, and any supporting documents. On Civil Online, you fill this in section by section. On paper, it runs to several pages.

Form 6B — Service by Advertisement Application. Use this if, after taking all reasonable steps to find the respondent's address, you still do not know it. Send it to the court with the Claim Form.

Form 6C — Confirmation of Formal Service. After you serve the claim on the respondent, you (or whoever carried out service) lodge this form to prove it was done — recording the date, method, and address. It has to reach the court before the last date for response.

Form 7A — Application for a Decision. If the respondent does not reply by the deadline, you lodge Form 7A within 14 days asking the Sheriff to grant a decree in your favour. Since May 2025, every claimant seeking expenses must lodge an account before the decision. If you are unrepresented, attach the SCTS Expenses Claim Form pro-forma with Form 7A. Miss the 14-day window and the Sheriff is required to dismiss your claim.

Form 9A — Additional Orders Application. Use this to ask the court for an order such as changing the timetable, pausing or restarting the case, or another order. It is not the service-by-advertisement form.

Form 10A — List of Evidence. The list and copies of the documents or evidence you plan to rely on must be sent to the court and the other party at least 14 days before the hearing.

Form 11A — List of Witnesses. Also due 14 days before the hearing. Names every witness you intend to call, with a brief note of what they will say.

Form 13B — Application to Recall. Used if your claim was dismissed because you missed a deadline or hearing. It asks the Sheriff to reopen the case. The other side gets served with a copy and both parties attend a recall discussion.

Forms the Court Issues

Form 3D — Timetable. Generated automatically after the Clerk registers your claim. It sets the last date for service and the last date for response. Everything in your case runs from these two dates.

Form 5B — Time to Pay Notice. Sent to you if the respondent admits the debt but lodges Form 5A requesting instalments. You get two weeks to consent or object.

Form 6A — Notice of Claim. Included in the service packet sent to the respondent along with the Claim Form, timetable, and blank Response Form. A blank Time to Pay Application is included if the respondent can apply for time to pay.

Forms the Respondent Files

Form 4A — Response Form. The respondent uses this to dispute all or part of the claim or challenge jurisdiction. It can also identify additional respondents who they say should share liability; it is not a counterclaim form.

Form 5A — Time to Pay Application. Filed by an individual respondent who admits the debt but cannot pay it all at once. Companies and other organisations cannot apply for time to pay using this process. The individual sets out their financial position and proposes instalments or a deferred lump sum.

The Expenses Pro-Forma

Not numbered in the traditional form sequence, but equally important since the Cabot v Walls ruling. All claimants seeking expenses must provide an account before the case is decided. The SCTS publishes an Expenses Claim Form pro-forma for claimants who are not legally represented. Lodge it with Form 7A in an undefended case or Form 5B when the respondent seeks time to pay. Failure to lodge the account at the appropriate time may result in an application being rejected.

Practical Tips

For starting a claim, do not submit Form 3A on paper unless the Sheriff approves it. Respondents can submit Forms 4A and 5A on paper as the form instructions allow. Use Civil Online where it is available, since the forms are built into the workflow.

Read each form before you encounter it in the process. Knowing what Form 7A asks before the response deadline passes means you are ready to act within the 14-day window.

The Scotland Simple Procedure filing guide provides a Form 3A Draft Preparation Worksheet that lets you compose your claim narrative offline before entering it into Civil Online, plus worksheets for evidence lists and expenses.

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