Commonwealth Courts Portal Divorce Application

The Commonwealth Courts Portal (CCP) is the official standard pathway for filing for divorce online in Australia. For the federal-court jurisdictions, whether you're in Darwin, Sydney, or a remote community, the same portal handles divorce applications. Western Australia uses its own court system. No paper forms need to be mailed. Here's how the system works from registration to hearing date selection.

Step 1: Register Your Account

Go to the Commonwealth Courts Portal and create an individual user account. You'll need a working email address and to set a secure password. Each party needs their own account — even for joint applications, both spouses register separately and link their applications.

Step 2: Start the Application

Once logged in, select "Start a new case" and choose "Application for Divorce." The portal presents a guided form broken into Parts A through F:

Part A — Your personal details (name, date of birth, address, contact information)

Part B — Marriage details (date of marriage, place, certificate number)

Part C — Separation details (exact date of separation, whether you lived under one roof for any period, any reconciliation attempts)

Part D — Children under 18 (names, ages, current living arrangements, school, health care, financial support details)

Part E — Application type (joint or sole) and service arrangements

Part F — Declarations and affidavit generation

Each part saves automatically as you go. You can log out and return without losing progress.

Step 3: The Affidavit for eFiling

After completing Part F, the portal generates your Affidavit for eFiling Application (Divorce). This is the critical step most people mishandle:

1. Print the generated affidavit
2. Sign it in front of a witness — must be a Justice of the Peace, lawyer, or other authorised person. Check the current NT Justice of the Peace directory and appointment requirements for an available witness.
3. Scan the signed affidavit as a PDF (under 10MB)
4. Upload it back to the portal

The affidavit confirms that everything you entered in Parts A–F is true. Without a properly witnessed and uploaded affidavit, your application cannot proceed.

Step 4: Upload Supporting Documents

Along with the affidavit, upload:

• Certified copy of your marriage certificate (mandatory)
• NAATI translation if the certificate is not in English
• Proof of Australian citizenship, domicile, or 12-month ordinary residence
• Separation under one roof affidavits (if applicable)
• Concession card copy (if applying for the reduced fee)

All files must be in PDF format and under 10MB each.

Step 5: Lock, Pay, and Select Hearing Date

Review your entire application carefully. Once you click "Lock and Continue," no further changes are possible. This is the point of no return — if you spot an error after locking, contact the registry about the correct next step rather than assuming the locked application can be edited.

After locking:

• Pay the filing fee (A$1,170 standard or A$390 concession)
• Select a virtual hearing date from the available calendar slots
• Download your sealed Application for Divorce (needed for service if filing sole)

Common Portal Issues

File too large: Compress scanned PDFs or reduce scanner DPI to 200. The 10MB limit is strict.

Affidavit rejected: Check that the authorised witness has completed all required details and signatures on the affidavit before you upload it.

Can't find hearing dates: If no suitable date is available, follow the portal instructions or contact the registry about available hearing dates.

Session timeout: The portal times out after extended inactivity. Save each part before stepping away.

The Northern Territory Divorce Filing Process Guide provides screen-by-screen instructions for every portal field, including which common answers trigger additional requirements — so you don't hit surprises at the Lock stage.

See more Northern Territory guides →