If you can't agree with the other party

How to get a final family order

Before using these guides

Staying out of court

Before you start using these guides, think about your situation. Is it possible for you and the other party to agree about parenting or support issues?

If you can agree, you won't have to go to court and a judge or master won't make the decisions about these important personal issues for you. Instead, you can:

  • file an agreement with the court that will be as legally binding as a judge's decision, or
  • get a consent order.

Consider the following options to help you work things out:

For more information, see our fact sheet Making an agreement after you separate.

If you must go to court — Choose Provincial or Supreme Court

If you:

  • have tried to resolve your issues on your own and can't, or
  • have tried to resolve your issues with the help of a mediator or other service and can't, or
  • don't think it will be possible to resolve your issues,

you can apply for parenting or support orders in either the Provincial (Family) Court of British Columbia or the Supreme Court of British Columbia.

See our fact sheet Do you need to go to Provincial (Family) Court or Supreme Court? to find out which court would be best for your case. You can also read our fact sheet Which laws apply to your case? for more information about which court you should go to and which law(s) you can use to get your order.

Once you've decided which court is the right one, select the link below that applies to you to go to the self-help guide.