eLodgment is a free web service for electronically filing documents in Federal Court of Australia and Federal Circuit and Family Court of Australia General Federal Law proceedings. Practitioners, law firms, corporate bodies, and self-represented litigants can register. Users may lodge initiating or supporting documents, or file on an existing matter if they know its file number; third parties such as interveners cannot lodge documents on a file through the service. Registered users can submit any day or time, although documents received after 4:30pm are deemed filed the next business day. Lodgment History lets users monitor progress and retrieve processed documents, which remain accessible for three months. Large-volume users can create reusable templates. Uploads include .docx, .pdf, .rtf, .xls, .xlsx, and .jpg, with a 30MB limit per file; PDF Portfolios and PDFs with Attachments are not accepted. There is no fee to use eLodgment, but certain filing types may incur court fees. It shares single sign-on with eCourtroom.
Who it is for
eLodgment suits eligible practitioners, firms, corporate bodies, and self-represented litigants filing in the covered Australian federal courts. It does not allow third parties such as interveners to lodge documents on a file.
What is good
- No fee to use the service.
- Users can lodge any day and at any time.
- Lodgment History tracks progress and retrieves processed documents.
- Large-volume users can create reusable templates.
What to know first
- Documents remain accessible for only three months.
- Each upload is limited to 30MB.
- PDF Portfolios and PDFs with Attachments are disallowed.
- Some filing types may incur court fees.
Verdict
eLodgment provides free electronic filing for specified federal court proceedings, with status tracking and reusable templates for large-volume users. Check the file eligibility, upload restrictions, and applicable court fees before filing.
Get started with eLodgment
- Open the eLodgment website.
- Register as a first-time user and wait for approval, which may take up to one business day.
- Sign in and lodge an initiating or supporting document, or enter the file number for an existing matter.
- Upload files accepted by the checklist, within the 30MB per-file limit.
- Check Lodgment History to follow progress and retrieve processed documents.
What the free plan stops at
There is no fee to use eLodgment, but particular document types may incur court fees. Each uploaded file can be no larger than 30MB; PDF Portfolios and PDFs with Attachments are not accepted. Processed documents remain available in eLodgment for three months.
Questions about eLodgment
How much does eLodgment cost?
There is no fee to use the service. Particular document types may incur court fees payable by card or an approved court account.
Who can register and file?
Practitioners, law firms, corporate bodies and self-represented litigants can register. Interveners and other third parties cannot lodge documents on a file through eLodgment.
Which courts and proceedings does it cover?
It covers Federal Court of Australia proceedings and General Federal Law proceedings in the Federal Circuit and Family Court of Australia.
What file types and sizes can I upload?
The checklist accepts .docx, .pdf, .rtf, .xls, .xlsx and .jpg files up to 30MB each. PDF Portfolios and PDFs with Attachments are disallowed.
Can I use eLodgment from a phone or tablet?
The listed platform is web.
How long does registration approval take?
First-time users must register, and approval may take up to one business day.
eLodgment plans and pricing
All plansCompared on legal e-filing software
- Free plan
- Yes
- Court coverage
- Federal Court of Australia; Federal Circuit and Family Court of Australia (General Federal Law)
- Filing status tracking
- Yes
- Electronic service
- No
- Supported platforms
- web
