How Do I Change My Address for Service?

An address for service is the address at which a party to a court proceeding agrees to receive correspondence in connection with the proceeding.

This address is very important, because the other parties are able to officially deliver or serve most documents on you just by popping them in the mail to that address, or attaching them in an email. If you move and don't change your address for service, you risk not finding out about important events in your case.

Supreme Court

In the Supreme Court, addresses for service are established by the claimant in their Notice of Family Claim and by the respondent in their Response to Family Claim. To change this address later, you must fill out a Notice of Address for Service in Form F10, file it in court, and send copies to the other parties at their addresses for service.

Starting September 1, 2023, all parties to a BC Supreme Court action, whether represented by a lawyer or not, must provide an email as well as a mailing address to allow ordinary service of materials. You can insist that the other side also file their Notice of Address for Service in Form F10 with an email address if they have not yet agreed to receive materials by email.

Provincial Court

In cases before the Provincial Court, almost every court form allows you to specify your address for service, and the most recent address for service will be considered your proper address for service.

However, as best practice, if you need to change your address for service, fill out a Notice of Address Change in Form 46, file it in court and serve copies on the other parties to ensure your most updated address is on the record. You don't have to personally serve the other parties; you can mail or email the form to their addresses for service.

Forms and more information

The forms are available online. See Legal Aid BC's Family Law website's online list of forms.

You can find more information about the procedure for serving documents from Legal Aid BC’s Family Law website and the information page on Serving Documents.

This information applies to British Columbia, Canada. Last reviewed for legal accuracy by Negin Saberi, September 15, 2023.

JP Boyd on Family Law © John-Paul Boyd and Courthouse Libraries BC is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 2.5 Canada Licence.

Normally referred to as the "Supreme Court of British Columbia," this court hears most of the trials in this province. The Supreme Court is a court of inherent jurisdiction and has no limits on the sorts of claims it can hear or on the sorts of orders it can make. Decisions of the Provincial Court are appealed to the Supreme Court; decisions of the Supreme Court are appealed to the Court of Appeal. See "Court of Appeal," "jurisdiction," "Provincial Court" and "Supreme Court of Canada."

A court established and staffed by the provincial government, which includes Small Claims Court, Youth Court, and Family Court. The Provincial Court is the lowest level of court in British Columbia and is restricted in the sorts of matters it can deal with. It is, however, the most accessible of the two trial courts and no fees are charged to begin or defend a family law proceeding. The Family Court of the Provincial Court cannot deal with the division of family property or any claims under the Divorce Act. See "Divorce Act," "judge" and "jurisdiction."

The address at which a party to a court proceeding agrees to accept delivery of legal documents. An address for service must be a proper street address within British Columbia; additional addresses for service may include postal addresses, fax numbers, and email addresses.

In law, a person named as an applicant, claimant, respondent, or third party in a court proceeding; someone asserting a claim in a court proceeding or against whom a claim has been brought. See "action" and "litigant."

A legal proceeding in which one party sues another for a specific remedy or relief, also called an "action," a "lawsuit," or a "case." A court proceeding for divorce, for example, is a proceeding in which the claimant sues the respondent for the relief of a divorce order.

In law, (1) the whole of the conduct of a court proceeding, from beginning to end, and the steps in between, may also be used to refer to (2) a specific hearing or trial. See "action."

(1) In law, a court proceeding; a lawsuit; an action; a cause of action; a claim. (2) A historic decision of the court; case law. See "action," "case law, " "court proceeding," and "precedent."

The person who starts a court proceeding seeking an order for a specific remedy or relief against another person, the respondent. See "action" and "respondent."

A legal document required by the Supreme Court Family Rules to begin a court proceeding, setting out the relief claimed by the claimant and the grounds on which that relief is claimed. See "action," "claim," "claimant," "pleadings" and "relief."

The person against whom a claim has been brought by Notice of Family Claim. See “application” and “Notice of Family Claim."

A legal document required by the Supreme Court Family Rules in which the respondent to a court proceeding sets out their reply to the claimant's claim and the grounds for their reply. See "action," claim," "Notice of Family Claim" and "pleadings."

In law, to formally deliver documents to a person in a manner that complies with the rules of court. Service may be ordinary (mailed or delivered to a litigant's address for service), personal (hand-delivered to a person), or substituted (performed in a way other than the rules normally require). See "address for delivery," "ordinary service," "personal service" and "substituted service."

A court proceeding in which one party sues another for a specific remedy or relief, also called a "lawsuit" or a "case." An action for divorce, for example, is a court proceeding in which the claimant sues the respondent for the relief of a divorce order.

A person licensed to practice law in a particular jurisdiction by that jurisdiction's law society. See "barrister and solicitor."

Sending legal documents to a party at that party's "address for service," usually by mail, fax, or email. Certain documents, like a Notice of Family Claim, must be served on the other party by personal service. Most other documents may be served by ordinary service. See also "address for service" and "personal service."