FEATURES

Family EFS for the Terrified1

This article serves as a step-by-step guide on filing divorce documents using the EFS.

This article is produced for general information only. CrimsonLogic or your own information technology department should be consulted should you require technical advice on the EFS for your individual case. The authors disclaim any and all liabilities arising from and in connection with the contents of this publication. Please also note that this article only deals with documents filed in the Family Court, using the Family Court Electronic Filing System. This article does not deal with documents filed in family matters in the High Court, using the High Court Electronic Filing System.

The Family Court Electronic Filing System (‘EFS’) has electronic templates for only three types of documents, namely the Petition, the Decree Nisi and the Decree Absolute.

All other documents are to be filed as a PDF attachment.

A To Start:

To begin filing a document for Family matters:

At Main Menu, click <Filing>.

At Filing Menu, click <Create New Submission>.

At Document Selection page:

Under Court type: Select District Court (Family Division).

Under Submission type: Select Other Court Document Filing.

Click <Ok>.

Before You Begin, Please Note This: At Any Time, If You Need to Go Back, Use the <:Cancel> Button2

Do Not Click Back Button on Browser.

 B To File a Petition For Divorce/Judicial Separation/ Nullity/Presumption of Death

1 At Submission Information page, key in the following:

2 At Law Firm Remarks (Submission), key in law firm’s own file reference.

3 At Ref Doc No, select radio button for <Not Applicable>.

4 For fresh submission, proceed straight to Party List, Click <Add Party>, you will be brought to Party Information page.

5 At Party Information page, fill in particulars as follows:

i. under Party Type, select Petitioner;
ii. under Party No: enter 1;
iii. under Party Name: as per NRIC;
iv. under Party ID No: as per NRIC, to key in party ID type and country of issue;
v. under Party Address: enter party’s correspondence address (if you’ve already filled in Law Firm Details when making submission, correspondence will automatically be sent to the Law firm); and
vi. under More Party Information, click <Divorce>;
a. Enter Date of Birth or estimated age.
b. Key in all mandatory fields as indicated in red, ensure gender is correct.
c. Click <Save>.
6 You will be returned to Party Information page.

Under Law Firm Information, ensure that<Yes> button is indicated. No need to enter Law Firm Code.

7 Under List of Solicitors Representing Party, Click <Add Solicitor from List>:

i. check your own solicitor name; and
ii. click <Confirm Selection>.

8 You will be returned to Party Information page. At bottom of page, click <Save Party Details>. You will be brought back to Submission Information page.

9 Under Party List, click <Add Party>. You will be brought to Party Information page, fill in particulars as follows:

i. under Party Type: select Respondent;
ii. under Party No: enter 1;3
iii. fill in mandatory fields as indicated by red asterisks with details of Respondent; and
iv. under More Party Information, click <Divorce>:
a. fill in all mandatory fields as indicated; and
b. click <Save>.
10 You will be returned to Party Information page. Under Law Firm Information:

i. click <No> if Respondent is not represented by solicitors. ii. if Respondent is represented by counsel:
a. under List of Solicitors Representing Party, click <Add Solicitor> from list and fill in necessary details.
b. Click <Confirm Selection>.
11You will be returned to Party Information page. Click <Save Party Details>. You will be brought back to Submission Information page.

12 Go to Document List, and under the scroll down Document List, select the relevant document (eg Divorce — Petition for Divorce etc). Click <Add Document>.

13 At Document Information page, under Filing/Extracting Party, click on the name of the filing party, and then click <Add>:

i. Click <Add>.
ii. Click <More Document Information >. Key in all mandatory fields as indicated with red asterisks:
a. Under Details of Children of the Marriage, click <Add Child Details>. Key in all mandatory fields as indicated with red asterisks.
b. Click <Save>.
iii. You will be brought back to More Document Information.
iv. If there is more than one child to the marriage, Click <Add Child Details> and repeat steps above for each of the children.
v. Under Related Proceedings, Click <Add Proceeding Details> (only if applicable):
a. key in all mandatory fields as indicated with red asterisks;
b. click <Save>.
vi. You will be brought back to More Document Information.
vii. Under Grounds/Prayers, select applicable ground eg unreasonable behaviour, adultery.
viii.Under Prayers, select applicable prayers. Fill in relief prayed for in complete sentences eg that the Petitioner be granted custody care and control of the child of the marriage with reasonable access to the Respondent.4
ix. Under Details of HDB Flat,fill in all fields. Click <Save>.

14 You will be brought back to Document Information page. Click <Calculate Fees/Pages>, wait for fees information to be filled in.

15 Click <Save Document>. You will be brought back to Submission Information page.

16 To preview the Petition, click on <Preview Document>. You have the option of printing out your preview and checking for errors before submission.

17 Add the Notice of Proceedings next as the system will not let you file the Petition without one. Under Document List, select Divorce — Notice of Proceedings (Respondent). Click <Add Document>.

18 At Document Information, under Filing/Extracting Party, click on the name of the filing party:

i. Click <Add>.
ii. Click <More Document Information>:
a. fill in all mandatory fields as indicated by red asterisks; and
b. click <Save>.
iii. Under PDF File, click <Browse> and select the PDF file containing your Notice of Proceedings.5
iv. Click <Calculate Fees/Pages>, wait for fees information to be filled in.
v. Click <Save Document>.

19 You will be brought back to Submission Information page.

20 Under Document List, select Notice of Proceedings (Co- Respondent) (if applicable).

21 Under Document List, select Parenting Plan (Petitioner’s Proposal) (if applicable). Click <Add Document>.

At Document Information page, under Filing/Extracting Party, click on the name of the filing party.

i. Click <Add>.
ii. Under PDF File, click <Browse> and select the PDF file containing your Parenting Plan.
iii. Click <Calculate Fees/Pages>, wait for fees information to be filled in.
iv. Click <Save Document>.
22 You will be brought back to Submission Information page.

23 Under Document List, select Matrimonial Property Plan (Pro- posed) (if applicable). Click <Add Document>.

At Document Information page, under Filing/Extracting Party, click on the name of the filing party.

i. Click <Add>.
ii. Under PDF File, click <Browse> and select the PDF file containing your Proposed Matrimonial Property Plan.
iii. Click <Calculate Fees/Pages>, wait for fees information to be filled in.
iv. Click <Save Document>.


24 You will be brought back to Submission Information page To note: Do not add Memorandum of Appearance or any other documents other than those above.

25 Scroll down to Document List, you will see the documents which you have added.

• Click <Save Draft>.
• At dialogue box, click <Ok>. You will be brought to Draft Tray:
• In blue drop down box, click Out Tray.
• Select your document in ‘To Draft/ Send Selection’ column.
• Click <Send>.
• Enter Smart Card password, click <Ok>.

C To File Decree Nisi/Decree of Judicial Separation
 1 Go to Draft Tray.

2 Click <New>.

3 At Document Selection page:

i. under Court Type: Select District Court (Family Division);
ii. under Submission Type: Select Other Court Document Filing; and click <Ok>.

4 You will be brought to Submission Information Page. Enter Case Number (please note suffix must be correct):

i. Click <Load Parties>. System will retrieve party details as previously entered. Information in Party List should be as per the Petition.Document List will contain previous document(s) that has/have been filed. They should be removed from the current submission. (*Important* To delete documents, highlight document and click <Delete Document>. Repeat as required.)
ii. When Document List is cleared, select Decree Nisi (Submitted by Parties) from drop down menu.
iii. Click <Add Document>.
iv. At Document Information page, under Filing/Extracting Party, click on the name of the filing party.

a. Click <Add>.
b. Click <More Document Information>. Under More Document Information, fill in Further Orders Made (note: only ancillary orders and orders on costs) eg Prayers 8 (b) to (d) be adjourned to be heard in Chambers, or whatever Consent Orders that were made with regard to the ancillaries.6
c. Click <Save>.
v. You will be brought back to Document Information page.
vi. Click <Calculate Fees/Pages>, wait for fees information to be filled in.
vii. Click <Save Document>.

5 You will be brought back to Submission Information page.

6 Click <Save Draft>.

You will be brought to Draft Tray:
• In blue drop down box, click Out Tray.
• Select your document in ‘To Draft/ Send Selection’ column.
• Click <Send>.
• Enter Smart Card password, click<OK> .

(Note: there is no preview function for this document.)

D To File Decree Absolute
 1 Go to Draft Tray.
2 Click <New>.
3 At Document Selection page:

i. under Court type: Select District Court (Family Division);
ii. under Submission type: Select Other Court Document Filing; and click <OK>.

4 You will be brought to Submission Information Page. Enter Case Number (please note suffix must be correct).

i. Click <Load Parties>.
System will retrieve party details as previously entered. Information in Party List should be as per the Petition. Document List will contain previous document(s) that has/have been filed. They should be removed from this submission. (*Important* To delete documents, highlight document and click <Delete Document>. Repeat as required.)

ii. When Document List is cleared, select Certificate of Making Decree Nisi Absolute (for relevant ground) from drop down menu. iii. Click <Add Document>.
iv. At Document Information page, under Filing/Extracting Party, click on the name of the filing party. Click <Add>.
v. Click <Calculate Fees/Pages>, wait for fees information to be filled in.
vi. Click <Save Document>.

5 You will be brought back to Submission Information page.

6 Click <Save Draft>.

You will be brought to Draft Tray:
• In blue drop down box, click Out Tray.
• Select your document in ‘To Draft/ Send Selection’ column.
• Click <Send>.
• Enter Smart Card password, click <Ok>.

(Note: there is no preview function for this document.)

E To File Any Other Document Which Does Not Have An Electronic Template (eg Affidavit, Order of Court, etc)

1 Go to Draft Tray.
2 Click <New>.
3 At Document Selection page:

i. under Court type: Select District Court (Family Division);
ii. under Submission type: Select Other Court Document Filing; and click <Ok>.

4 You will be brought to Submission Information Page. Enter Case Number (please note suffix must be correct):

i. Click <Load Parties>.
System will retrieve party details as previously entered. Information in Party List should be as per the Petition. Document List will contain previous document(s) that has/ have been filed. They should be removed from this submission. (*Important* To delete documents, highlight document and click <Delete Document>. Repeat as required.)
ii. When Document List is cleared, select title of Document you wish to file (eg Draft Consent Order for Hearing, affidavits, etc)

Please note that:
a. affidavits for specific hearings (eg ancillary, SIC, divorce) must be filed under the correct heading; and
b. Orders of Court for each specific application must also be filed under the correct heading.

iii. Click <Add Document>.
iv. At Document Information page, under Filing/Extracting Party, click on the name of the filing party.
a. Click <Add>.
b. Under PDF File, click <Browse> and select the PDF file containing your document.
v. Click <Calculate Fees/Pages>, wait for fees information to be filled in.
vi. Click <Save Document>.

5 You will be brought back to Submission Information page.

6 Click <Save Draft>.
You will be brought to Draft Tray.
• In blue drop down box, click Out Tray.
• Select your document in ‘To Draft/ Send Selection’ column.
• Click <Send>.
• Enter Smart Card password, click <Ok>.

F To File Amended Pleadings (eg Petition, Cross-Petition etc)

1 Go to Draft Tray.
2 Click <New>.
3 At Document Selection page:
i. under Court type: Select District Court (Family Division);
ii. under Submission type: Select Other Court Document Filing; and click <Ok>.
4 You will be brought to Submission Information Page. Enter the Case Number (please note suffix must be correct).

i. Click <Load Parties>.
System will retrieve party details as previously entered. Information in Party List should be as per the Petition.Document List will contain previous document(s) that has/have been filed. Delete all documents save for the one which is to be amended.
ii. If the amendment is with regards to information contained in the Party Information Page of parties (eg NRIC, name, address etc), select the relevant party and click <Edit Party>. Proceed to make your amendments and then click <Save Party Details>. If your amendment is to information found elsewhere, proceed to the next step.
iii. Make sure that the radio button next to the title of the Document you wish to amend is selected (eg Petition, Cross-Petition, etc). Click <Edit Document>.
iv. You will be brought to the Document Information Page. If the amendment is with regards to information contained in the More Document Information Page (eg Child Details, Proceedings Details, Ground, Prayers, HDB flat details), click <More Document Information>. You will be brought to the More Document Information Page. Proceed to make your amendments and then click <Save>.
v. You will be returned to the Document Information page. Indicate Amendment Version as 1. Under PDF file, click <Browse> and select the PDF file in your hard drive containing your amended document.7
vi. Click <Calculate Fees/Pages>, wait for fees information to be filled in.
vii. Click <Save Document>.

5 You will be brought back to Submission Information page.

6 Click <Save Draft>.

You will be brought to Draft Tray:
• In blue drop down box, click Out Tray.
• Select your document in ‘To Draft/ Send Selection’ column.
• Click <Send>.
• Enter Smart Card password, click <Ok>.

Carol Yeo/Michelle Elias
 Harry Elias Partnership
 E-mail: carolyeo@harryelias.com.sg  and michelle@harryelias.com.sg 
Endnotes

1 Special acknowledgements and many thanks go to DJs Daphne Hong and Lim Hui Min for their input, guidance and comments during the creation of this guide, as well as to Ellen Lee for providing useful reference materials and Malathi Das for ‘test-driving’ the guide. We also thank CrimsonLogic for the kind use of their facilities.
2 Clicking the <Cancel> button will bring you back to the previous page and will erase the data that has been entered on the current page.
3 The first in each category of party (eg Petitioner, Respondent, Co-Respondent, Party-Cited) is always entered as Party No 1; in a situation where there are two Co-Respondents, they would then be 1 and 2 respectively. Please note that the Co-Respondent is separate from Respondent, both would be entered as Party No 1.
4 There are two prayers right at the end, titled ‘Costs (Divorce)’ and ‘Others’. For all prayers relating to costs, regardless of whether the Petition is for Divorce, Nullity, or Judicial Separation etc, enter them under the prayer for ‘Costs (Divorce)’. Any other miscellaneous prayers that do not fall under one of the listed categories should be entered under ‘Others’.
5 Notice of Proceedings, Parenting Plan, and Matrimonial Property Plan are all PDF docum>bent which have to be e-filed together with the Petition - they are prepared beforehand in the usual way and saved in PDF format.
6 Please note that the orders to be made should be in complete sentences with proper regard for punctuation, grammar and sentence construction.
7 Amendments to documents generated by an electronic template (eg Petition for Divorce) must be amended in two ways, by first amending the electronic template (steps 4(ii) to (iv) above) and thereafter by annotating the PDF version which was returned by Court subsequent to their processing of the original document. You would have received it when you ‘unpacked’ the replies from Court.