iJustice: Electronic Filing of Court Documents 

In exercising its authority under Regulations 6(3) and 40 of the Electronic Justice (Electronic Filing) Procedural Rules of 2021 (as amended), on 21 December 2021 the Supreme Court announced the full implementation of the electronic filing system (iJustice) in respect to all proceedings initiated from 1 February 2022 before all Courts in Cyprus, except for the International Protection Administrative Court, and any Courts exercising criminal jurisdiction, including the Assize Court, the Military Court and the Supreme Court.

Summary of changes

The following changes have been introduced to the Court filing practice:

• From 1 January 2022 all new cases filed electronically (that is, via the iJustice platform) will continue in this form and no subsequent document filing, in relation to such cases, can be filed non-electronically (that is, via physically attending the Court Registrar which is the traditional method of filing Court documents).
• From 1 February 2022, all new cases must be filed electronically. Any subsequent filing in relation to such cases must be made electronically.
• For all new cases filed electronically on or by 31 December 2021, in which a document was subsequently filed non-electronically, any further related filings may be filed either electronically or non-electronically.
• For any cases filed non-electronically on or by 31 December 2021, any subsequent filing must be made non-electronically. Essentially, for such cases, the iJustice system has not yet been implemented. 

Features of iJustice electronic filing system

The platform for filing electronic documents can be accessed at https://ijustice.judicial.gov.cy . The user must first register through the Government Gateway Portal "ARIADNI” to access the system.

The iJustice electronic filing system has many features, including:

• The system can be accessed by judges, registrars, advocates and any other person, provided that the prerequisites for access are met.
• A user can make filings on behalf of other users, subject to them being duly authorised. For example, an advocate employed at a law firm could file documents on behalf of his employer, if the latter authorises such action.
• The electronic filing system operates on a 24-hour basis. Any filing made after 13:01 hours will be deemed to have been made the following working day.
• The fees associated with the filing are calculated automatically by the system and paid electronically.
• Any document intended to be used for service, can be sealed as a true copy by the system, without the payment of a fee.
• For every case filed electronically, the system creates an electronic file.