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The Provincial Court has special rules just for family law proceedings, the [http://canlii.ca/t/85pb Provincial Court Family Rules]. If you are involved in a proceeding in the Provincial Court, it's really important that you read and understand these rules. The rules of court say how every aspect of a Provincial Court case is run, from starting a court proceeding to scheduling a trial. They set out important deadlines and limitations, and say what court forms must be used for which purpose. You also need to have a look at the [http://www.provincialcourt.bc.ca/types-of-cases/family-matters/chief-judge-practice-directions Practice Directions] issued by the Chief Judge, which clarify certain aspects of the rules of court and describe additional processes and procedures.
====ProcedureProvincial Court procedure based on location of registry====Provincial Court Family Rules changed considerably in 2021. Provincial Court procedure now depends a lot on where the parties live and in which registry the claim is filed. At the time of writing, there are effectively four types of Provincial Court registries, and three of these have some unique procedural processes:
'''Early Resolution Registries'''
Surrey and Victoria's Provincial Court registries now follow a new procedure designed to resolve cases without the need for going to court. The early resolution process in these registries is quite a different procedure compared to traditional Provincial Court procedure. The good news is that many people will find the process more straight forward, less complex, and less adversarial.
An applicant starts by filing a form, although a different form is needed for ''[[Early Resolution Registries of BC Provincial Court]]'' than in other Provincial Court registry locations. See the page on [[Early Resolution Registries of BC Provincial Court]] for the procedures in these registry locations. In most Provincial Court registries, however, you start by filing an ''Application About a Family Law Matter'' (Form 3) and then serving it on each person named as a respondent. The form must be ''personally served'' on the respondent by an adult other than the applicant — you can't do it yourself. The respondent has 30 days to answer the claim by filing a ''Reply to an Application About a Family Law Matter'' (Form 6) at the court registry. The court clerk will send a copy of the Reply to the applicant. The Reply can also be used to make a ''counterclaim'', the respondent's own claim against the applicant. A respondent who does not file a Reply to an Application About a Family Law Matter is not entitled to notice of further hearings in the case!