Review the application
You'll need:
- The applicant's completed documents
- Notice of Application (Form F31)
- Affidavit (Form F30)
Read the Notice of Application and Affidavit carefully to understand what the applicant is asking for.
You have five business days from the time you're served with these documents to respond to the application. If you receive the documents after 4 pm, calculate the time limits beginning on the next business day. If you don't respond, the other person can continue with the application and will appear at the court hearing without you. Orders can be made in your absence.
If the applicant doesn't arrange a Judicial Case Conference (JCC) before making their court application, you may want to consider arranging one. A JCC is optional, but having one can save you time and money. The JCC gives you and the other person the opportunity to sit down with the judge and either resolve your case without going to court, or help you to prepare for the court hearing. For more information on JCCs, see Judicial Case Conferences in Supreme Court.
Even if you'd like to have a JCC before the hearing, you still need to respond to the application in time or ask the applicant to postpone the hearing until after the JCC.
Even if you'd like to have a JCC before the hearing, you still need to respond to the application in time or ask the applicant to postpone the hearing until after the JCC.
Legally reviewed in October 2026
Updated on 2 October 2026