How to e-file your own Florida court papers without paying a filing service
If you are representing yourself, you can send documents to any Florida trial court from your own computer through the Florida Courts E-Filing Portal. Here is the whole process, from creating your account to the clerk's acceptance email.
What "free" really means
Creating a portal account costs nothing, and the portal does not charge you a service fee for using it. You do not need to hire a lawyer or pay a private filing company to submit your papers.
Two costs can still apply. First, the court's own filing fee, which is set by Florida law and is the same whether you file online or at the counter. Second, a small payment-processing charge when you pay that fee online. If you cannot afford the filing fee, you can ask the clerk to waive or defer it (see step 7). Many documents filed in a case that is already open carry no fee at all.
Before you start
- A desktop or laptop computer. County clerks advise that a phone or tablet is not enough.
- An email address you check often. The court and the other side will send you documents there.
- Your documents, completed and signed, saved as PDF files. Use one file per document.
- Your case number, if your case is already open.
- The county where your case is, or will be, filed.
- A debit card, credit card, or bank account if a filing fee is due, or a completed fee waiver application.
Step by step: filing through the portal
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Go to the portal and register
Open www.myflcourtaccess.com and choose the option to register for a new account. When the site asks for your role, select Self-Represented Litigant. This is the role for anyone filing without a lawyer.
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Fill in your account details
Choose a username and password, set a security question, and enter your name, email, mailing address, and phone number. Complete the "I'm not a robot" check and select Register.
Write down your security answer. You will need it in the next step and whenever you reset your password. -
Activate your account from your email
The portal sends an activation message to the address you registered. Open it, follow the link, answer your security question, and select Activate. Then log in with your new username and password. If the message does not arrive in a few minutes, check your spam folder.
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Tell the portal you are ready to file, then pick your county
After you log in, choose the option that says you have your document prepared and are ready to e-file. The portal shows a map of Florida. Select the county where your case belongs, then select File Now.
Check the county twice. A filing sent to the wrong county is the most common avoidable mistake, and it can cost you days. -
Choose new case or existing case
Starting a case: select New Case, then pick the court division (for example family, small claims, county civil, or circuit civil) and the case type. Enter the names and addresses of the parties exactly as they appear on your documents.
Filing in an open case: select Existing Case, enter your case number, and confirm that the case name shown is yours.
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Upload your documents
For each document, pick the document type from the list that best matches it, then choose the PDF file from your computer. Add documents one at a time.
The portal will ask whether your filing contains confidential information. Florida court rules require you to answer this. Items such as Social Security numbers, bank account numbers, and the names of minor children in some case types are protected. If your document includes them, say so, and follow the on-screen instructions.
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Pay the filing fee, or ask to have it waived
If a fee is due, the portal shows the amount before you pay. You can pay by card or by electronic check from a checking or savings account.
Cost Who sets it What to expect Portal account E-Filing Authority No charge Court filing fee Florida law Varies by case type. Same amount online or in person. Payment processing E-Filing Authority County clerks report about 3.5% on a card or a flat $5 for an e-check. Confirm the amount on the payment screen. If you cannot afford the fee, complete the Application for Determination of Civil Indigent Status, available from your county clerk, and file it with your case. The clerk decides whether you qualify.
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Review and submit
The portal shows a summary of everything you entered. Read it carefully, then select Submit. You will see a confirmation that your filing was received.
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Watch for two emails
The first email confirms that the portal received your filing. The second arrives after the clerk's office reviews it and tells you it was accepted. Your filing is not complete until you get the second one.
If the clerk returns your filing for a correction, it will appear in your account under My Filings. Fix the problem described and resubmit promptly.
Do not also file on paper. Once you e-file a document, do not bring a paper copy of the same document to the clerk.
After the clerk accepts your filing
Filing a document and serving it are two different things. Filing puts your papers in the court's record. Service is how the other party officially receives them.
- New cases: the other party usually must be served in person by a sheriff or a certified process server. E-filing does not do this for you.
- Open cases: later documents can usually be served by email through the portal on parties who are registered for e-service.
- Keep records: save both confirmation emails and a copy of every document you filed.
Common questions
Do I have to e-file if I do not have a lawyer?
No. E-filing is required for lawyers but optional for self-represented litigants. You may still file paper documents at the clerk's office if you prefer.
Can I file at night or on a weekend?
Yes. The portal is open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Clerk staff review filings during business hours, so your acceptance email may arrive the next business day.
Can I e-file in any Florida county?
Yes. One portal account works for the trial courts in all 67 Florida counties. You choose the county each time you file.
How do I sign a document I am filing electronically?
Sign the document before you convert it to PDF. If a form must be notarized or signed in front of a deputy clerk, do that first, then scan the signed and notarized pages.
Who can help if the portal is not working?
The portal's support desk handles technical problems such as login and upload errors. Contact details and training videos are on the portal website. For questions about your case or a returned filing, contact the clerk of court in your county. Neither the support desk nor the clerk can give legal advice.
My court form is not filled out yet. What should I do first?
Complete and sign your documents before you open the portal. The portal sends documents to the court. It does not check whether you chose the right form or filled it in completely.
Need the documents before you can file them?
The portal handles delivery. Getting the right Florida forms completed correctly is the harder part. JusticeXpress Florida helps you prepare your court documents so they are ready to upload.
See how document preparation worksJusticeXpress Florida is not a law firm and does not provide legal advice. This guide is general legal information about using the Florida Courts E-Filing Portal. Portal screens, fees, and procedures change, and some counties have local requirements. Confirm current details with the portal or your county clerk of court. If you need advice about your specific situation, consult a Florida-licensed attorney.
New · Add-on service
Filing is the starting line. JusticeXpress Navigator gets you to the finish.
Most self-represented cases don't fail at the clerk's window. They stall afterward, at service, at a missed deadline, at a hearing nobody scheduled. Navigator is a flat-fee add-on that keeps your case moving from the day you file to the day the judge signs.
See Navigator pricing →Why cases stall after filing
You filed your papers. The clerk stamped them and gave you a case number. Now what?
For most Floridians handling their own case, this is where the silence starts. The court doesn't call to tell you the other side must be served. Nobody reminds you that a deadline is running or that you have to ask for a hearing date yourself. Cases sit for months, and some are dismissed for lack of activity, even though the paperwork was right.
Your JusticeXpress package gets your documents prepared, clerically reviewed, and ready to file. Navigator picks up where the package ends. It gives you a clear map of the steps after filing, reminders when dates matter, and document preparation help for the follow-on court forms you choose to file.
What Navigator covers, and what it doesn't
Navigator is available only as an add-on to these six JusticeXpress Florida packages, all built on Florida court-approved forms: Uncontested Divorce, Simplified Divorce, Landlord Eviction, Small Claims, Child Support Modification, and Relocation by Agreement.
What you get
- Your case roadmap. A step-by-step outline of the post-filing stages for your type of case in your county, in plain language.
- Deadline reminders. You tell us your filing, service, and hearing dates. We send reminders by email or text as the time periods set by Florida's rules approach.
- Follow-on form preparation. When you select a court-approved form for your next step, we complete it from the facts you give us and run the same clerical check as your original package.
- Rejection fixes. If the clerk returns a filing for a clerical problem, we help you correct and resubmit it.
- Hearing logistics. General information on how hearings are requested in your county, and what to bring with you.
- Written answers to process questions. Message us through your JusticeXpress Vault. We answer with general legal information and citations to the Florida rule or court instruction.
- One flat fee through the end of your case. Coverage runs until your final judgment or order is entered, or 12 months from purchase, whichever comes first.
What Navigator can't do
- Give legal advice or tell you what you should do in your situation.
- Tell you what your rights or remedies are, or predict how a judge will rule.
- Tell you what to say or how to testify in court.
- Represent you, appear for you, or speak to the court or the other side on your behalf.
- Negotiate or draft terms for you. You decide the terms; we prepare the documents.
- Handle a case that becomes contested. If the other side hires a lawyer or disputes your case, we'll point you to Florida attorneys who offer limited-scope help for a fixed fee.
- Guarantee an outcome or a timeline. Court calendars are outside our control.
The road after filing, case by case
Here is what typically comes after filing for each covered action. Your own roadmap is tailored to your county and the dates in your case.
Uncontested Divorce
- Your spouse is formally served, or signs an answer and waiver.
- Both sides exchange required financial disclosure and file the certificate showing it was done.
- If you have minor children, the parenting course is completed and the certificate filed.
- You request a final hearing date from the court.
- You attend the final hearing, and the judge signs the Final Judgment.
Simplified Divorce
- Both spouses sign the petition in front of the clerk or a notary.
- The waiting period required by Florida law runs.
- You schedule the final hearing with the court.
- Both spouses attend the hearing together.
- The judge signs the Final Judgment, and you get certified copies.
Landlord Eviction
- The clerk issues the summons, and the sheriff or a process server delivers it.
- The tenant's short response period runs.
- If there is no response, you may ask for a default. If the tenant responds, the court sets a hearing or mediation.
- The judge enters a Final Judgment for Possession.
- The clerk issues the Writ of Possession, and the sheriff carries it out.
Small Claims
- The defendant is served with the Statement of Claim and notice to appear.
- Both sides attend the pretrial conference. Many courts offer mediation the same day.
- If the case doesn't settle, the court sets a trial date.
- You organize your documents and witnesses for trial.
- The judge enters a judgment. Navigator coverage ends here; our free articles explain collection.
Child Support Modification
- The other parent is personally served with the supplemental petition.
- The response period runs.
- Both parents exchange updated financial disclosure.
- Mediation takes place if your court requires it.
- You request a hearing, and the judge enters the order on modification.
Relocation by Agreement
- The signed agreement and the motion asking the court to approve it are filed in your case.
- The period for anyone to request a hearing runs.
- If no hearing is requested, the court may approve the agreement on the papers. If one is requested, you attend.
- The judge signs the order approving the relocation.
- You get certified copies for schools and other records.
Navigator pricing
One flat fee per case. No subscriptions, no hourly billing, and no charge per message. Court costs, sheriff or process-server fees, mediation fees, and notary fees are paid directly to the court or provider and are never marked up.
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Uncontested Divorce Navigator
From filing through service, financial disclosure, parenting course, final hearing, and Final Judgment.
$179Non-refundableAdd Navigator for $179 → -
Simplified Divorce Navigator
From filing through the waiting period, hearing scheduling, joint appearance, and Final Judgment.
$99Non-refundableAdd Navigator for $99 → -
Landlord Eviction Navigator
From summons and service through default or hearing, Final Judgment for Possession, and the Writ of Possession.
$129Non-refundableAdd Navigator for $129 → -
Small Claims Navigator
From service through the pretrial conference, mediation, trial preparation logistics, and judgment.
$79Non-refundableAdd Navigator for $79 → -
Child Support Modification Navigator
From service of the supplemental petition through disclosure, mediation, hearing, and the court's order.
$99Non-refundableAdd Navigator for $99 → -
Relocation by Agreement Navigator
From filing the agreement and motion through court approval and certified copies of the order.
$89Non-refundableAdd Navigator for $89 →
Navigator is an add-on to the matching JusticeXpress Florida package and is not sold separately. All Navigator fees are non-refundable once paid. Coverage ends when your final judgment or order is entered, or 12 months after purchase, whichever comes first.
Common questions
Is Navigator legal advice?
No. Navigators are nonlawyers. They give general information about court procedure and prepare the forms you select from the facts you provide. They cannot tell you what to do, what your rights are, or what to say in court.
Do I need Navigator to finish my case?
No. Every package already includes county-specific filing instructions, and our Legal Topics library explains each process for free. Navigator is for people who want reminders, a personal roadmap, and help preparing the follow-on forms.
What if the other side contests my case?
Navigator is designed for cases that stay uncontested or follow the standard track. If yours becomes contested, we'll tell you so and point you to Florida attorneys offering limited-scope services for a fixed fee. The Navigator fee is not refunded.
Why is the fee non-refundable?
We build your case roadmap and set up your deadline reminders as soon as you purchase. Because that work starts right away, the fee can't be returned once paid.
Can I talk to my Navigator by phone?
Navigator works in writing through your secure JusticeXpress Vault, so you have a record of every answer and can reread it when you need it.