High Court of Australia

Frequently Asked Questions

The DLS Portal will not launch / work
I am unable to register in the DLS
My registration is not working properly
I get an error message when I try to log in
The screen appears stuck or is not updating
There has been no confirmation that my matter is lodged.
How do I pay a fee?
I have not received any emails from the Court.
I tried to look at a document on my file by the system want to charge me.
I get a red error message when I try to upload my documents / Not all my documents are there.
My matter has not been approved yet.
How do I download a copy of my filed documents?

The DLS Portal will not launch / work
The DLS Portal works best if you use the Firefox, Chrome or Safari browsers.  It does not work well with the Internet Explorer or Edge browser.  The DLS Portal requires access to the internet to run.

I am unable to register in the DLS
Check you have received the verification code via email from ‘Microsoft on behalf of HIGH COURT OF AUSTRALIA’. It may have gone into your junk/spam folder.

Ensure that when you enter the verification code in the registration screen you also select the ‘verify code’ button below the code.

If the screen to submit your user registration still hangs, and you do not get a confirmation message, check the top of the screen for an error message in red.

My registration is not working properly
The DLS doesn’t recognise certain special characters in a username, such as apostrophes, quotes, brackets and ampersands.  So, if your email address has one of these characters in it the registration will not create the user account properly.  These characters are not recognised by the underlying Microsoft infrastructure and the Court cannot make the system accept them.  

If your email address is issued by a firm, you may be able to request an alias from your IT area so that you can register with the DLS Portal.

I get an error message when I try to log in
If the message reads “user is not activated yet!!” – see answer above about special characters. Are you sure that both your email address and password are correct?  If you need to reset your password, you can do so by clicking the ‘Forgot your password’ link.  There is an information sheet available on how to register and reset your password available on the High Court website.  If you are unclear on which email address that you used to register, you may contact the Registry and they will be able to confirm your registration details for you.

The screen appears stuck or is not updating
Sometimes it takes a little time for the system to process and save the information entered to our system.  You can refresh the screen or use the F5 button.

There has been no confirmation that my matter is lodged.
The DLS Portal uses pop-ups to acknowledge lodgment.  The application will try to display additional information in a pop-up window so pop ups have to be allowed in your browser.  The walkthrough assistance in the Portal also uses pop ups.  The system will send an email when the matter has been reviewed by the Registry.

How do I pay a fee?
Invoices and receipts can be accessed through the payments section of the DLS Portal.  Any outstanding invoices will show as unpaid.  Once you open an invoice you have the option to pay it online using a credit card or you can pay by EFT.  If you are paying by EFT, please make sure you include either a file number or invoice number for identification so that we can marry the payment up to the matter.

I have not received any emails from the Court.
Check your junk mail and make sure that DLS@hcourt.gov.au is added to your safe senders list.  This is the address which will send emails about your matter.  You will receive an email when your matter is approved and every time any document is approved for filing or the Court uploads a document.  

I tried to look at a document on my file, but the system wants to charge me.
If you access the matter, as a party, using your DLS Portal account, you will be able to access all the documents on the file freely.  If you are accessing the file using the public search facility it will charge the usual search fees.  Always log in to access your file.

I get a red error message when I try to upload my documents / Not all my documents are there.
The upload limit is currently 50 Mb.  So, if you have tried to upload 8 documents and the total upload was over 50 Mb not all the documents would have been uploaded.  

Try lodging the initiating document, such as the special leave application, and one supporting document, such as the Court of Appeal reasons for decision, when starting the case.  Then use the “File a document” button to upload the other (larger) documents.  If the files uploaded are less than 50 Mb, you will be able to upload them.  Further documents can be lodged on a lodged matter if it has not been rejected.

My matter has not been approved yet.
The Registry reviews all the files lodged.  Sometimes, particularly if you lodged late in the day, it will be looked at on the next working day.  If you are concerned you can contact the Registry and they can confirm that your matter has been lodged.  Once a matter has been rejected or approved you will receive an email.

If you have marked the matter as Confidential only a few registry staff will be able to see it. This option is generally unnecessary for most matters lodged unless there is a court order which limits access to the matter as a whole. It is NOT required where an alias is applied to one or more of the parties.  

How do I download a copy of my filed documents?
Log into your user account and click into the matter.  You can either view the document on screen, using the view button, or you can download a copy by clicking the document title itself.  

Your browser settings will determine if the downloaded document opens or remains in your download folder, and the location of the download. If the file is in your download folder you will need to open that folder so that you can print or save the document somewhere else.