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→Access and privacy
There is no central registry for court records and documents. To get a copy of a court document you must go to the particular court that dealt with your proceeding, since that's the court registry that <span class="noglossary">will</span> have your file. The BC Government has an [https://bit.ly/3QSrp7y online directory of courthouse locations with contact information].
==Access Policy, legislative, and privacyrestrictions on access to court records==Family law files are sealed from Overall, the Chief Judge of the Provincial Court and the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court have the primary responsibility for establishing policies on access to court records for their respective courts. The Court Services Branch of the Ministry of Attorney General, which runs the registries, is responsible for maintaining court records and following these policies. In general , these court records access policies aim to strike a balance between sometimes conflicting objectives: * promoting transparency and the established rule that courts be open to the public, except * ensuring compliance with legislation that restricts disclosure in certain cases, and * curtailing access as necessary: ** to protect social values of critical importance (for lawyers example the privacy of children), ** where the ends of justice would be subverted by disclosure, or** where documents in the court file might be used for an improper purpose. Due to their nature, family law proceedings are among the more restricted types of court files. Generally speaking, a family law proceeding is any case that involves:* the ''[[Divorce Act]]''* the ''[[Family Law Act]]''* the ''Family Maintenance Enforcement Act''* adoption proceedings, * child protection proceedings, or anything under the ''Child, Family & Community Service Act'' (''CFCSA''), and * ''Adult Guardianship Act'' proceedings. For most family law proceedings, with the exception of adoption, child protection, or adult guardianship proceedings, the public can learn about the basic ''docket information'' of the proceeding, which includes the names of the parties , the file number, and where and when it was filed, but nothing more. You must be a party or a lawyer to get access to the actual court documents in most family law proceedings. And even then, there are limits:* In adoption proceedings, only the Director of Adoptions can search the file without an order of the court.* For ''CFCSA'' proceedings, only the parties and their lawyers (not just any lawyer) can search the file without a court order.* For any family law proceeding, only the parties and their lawyers (not just any lawyer) may search for ''court exhibits'' (things entered as evidence at trial or a hearing, but not things attached to an affidavit) without a court order. * For transcripts of informal hearings (e.g. Make ''judicial case conferences'', ''case planning conferences'', and ''settlement conferences, as opposed to trials or chambers hearings), no one can get access without a court order. Be sure to read the relevant records access policy for the court you're in. And make sure you bring some photo IDif you are a party and want to go to the registry to see your court file.
==Requesting copies and costs==