Inspection of Document

With effect from 31 October 2024, iCMS has been implemented for the bulk claims of the Small Claims Tribunal. Bulk claims refer to claims filed by claimants who have been approved by the Principal Adjudicator to file claims in bulk for hearing at the same time in the Small Claims Tribunal.

As of now, bulk claims have been initiated by the following parties in the Small Claims Tribunal:

• China Mobile Hong Kong Company Limited
• DSG Energy Limited
• Hospital Authority (only for claims of outstanding medical charges)
• MTR Corporation Limited (only for claims of outstanding surcharges)
• Rating and Valuation Department
• Sun Mobile Limited

Please refer to the implementation notice(s) issued by the Chief Justice currently in force for details. The information can be found on the Judiciary’s dedicated webpage.

No, only the bulk claims commenced on or after 31 October 2024 can be inspected electronically. For the bulk claims commenced before the above-mentioned date, the conventional mode of physical inspection at the Small Claims Tribunal Registry will be maintained.

You may access iCMS through your own electronic devices. Alternatively, you may use the electronic devices at the Small Claims Tribunal Registry or the Self-help Corner during their opening hours.

Opening hours are as follows:

Address of the Small Claims Tribunal Registry:

3^rd Floor, Tower B, West Kowloon Law Courts Building,
501 Tung Chau Street, Sham Shui Po, Kowloon

Address of the Self-help Corner:

1^st Floor, Tower B, West Kowloon Law Courts Building,
501 Tung Chau Street, Sham Shui Po, Kowloon

Yes, there is a prescribed search fee. In order to encourage the use of iCMS, a concessionary rate of $14 (for each register, file or document) is chargeable for a period of three years since 31 October 2024, i.e. 80% of the existing fee level as specified in the Court Proceedings (Electronic Technology) (Small Claims Tribunal) (Electronic Fees) Rules, Cap. 638(I) for the relevant Small Claims Tribunal fee item.

You will be provided with an acknowledgement and a payment receipt after your request for inspection of documents and payment are accepted. Please keep record for reference or enquiry.

Please be reminded that the existing fee of $18 (for each register, file or document) as specified in the Small Claims Tribunal (Fees) Rules, Cap. 338B is chargeable when payment is settled at the Small Claims Tribunal Accounts Office instead of via iCMS.

Subject to the operating hours of iCMS which may be closed due to any necessary system work or as may be specified by the Judiciary from time to time, electronic inspection is normally valid for 7 hours 45 minutes upon payment of the prescribed fee.

In addition, if you are a non-registered user and use the one-time access code obtained from the Small Claims Tribunal Registry or the Self-help Corner to conduct inspection with the aid of the electronic devices provided thereat, your inspection will only last until the end of the opening hours of the Registry or the Self-help Corner. For example, if you obtain the one-time access code at 3:00 pm on a business day, your inspection will only last until 5:30 pm of that business day. Please refer to A11 and A14 below for more information on the use of the one-time access code.

Yes, you may download or print any documents when you are inspecting documents using iCMS.

If you are using the electronic devices at the Small Claims Tribunal Registry or the Self-help Corner and wish to print any documents, you have to settle the required printing charges using an Octopus card. And if you wish to download any documents, please bring your own portable storage devices, e.g. USB drives.

Charges for the self-service printing (and photocopying) services are as follows:

Subject to the fulfilment of any prevailing leave requirements, a party is entitled to search and inspect documents filed upon payment of the prescribed fee.

A party may under normal circumstances conduct a search of and inspect case documents by electronic means via iCMS upon payment of the prescribed fee.

List of documents searchable in iCMS:

• Title to Claim - General Form (Form 1) (first version and amended version, if any);
• Form of Claim (Form 2) (first version and amended version, if any);
• Form of Counterclaim (first version and amended version, if any);
• Form of Award/Order (Form 6) (first version and amended version, if any); and
• Electronic Bundle of Claimant(s) and Defendant(s).

However, it is possible that records of a case may consist of (i) electronic documents that are available for inspection via iCMS, and (ii) physical documents that for operational reasons are not/cannot be converted into an electronic mode or scanning/processing work is in progress, hence inspection via iCMS is not available. If a document is not available for inspection via iCMS, the party should physically approach the Small Claims Tribunal Registry to conduct the search and inspection in conventional mode.

For more information on how to inspect documents using iCMS, please refer to A8 below if you are a registered user and A11 below if you are not a registered user.

To inspect case documents, an IU/OU account holder is required to login his/her registered user account. Select “Small Claims Tribunal” ➔ “Inspection of Document” ➔ “Inspect Filed Document”, then provide the claim number and settle the payment online as appropriate.

Please refer to the following reference materials on the Judiciary’s dedicated webpage for more information:

1. Demonstration video clip on “How to inspect case documents by case party?” (78,013 KB) ”for Small Claims Tribunal; and
2. User guide on “Inspect case documents by case party” (1,043 KB) for Small Claims Tribunal.

While the documents as listed in A7 above are searchable in iCMS, some of them may not be searchable for various reasons, e.g. scanning/processing work is in progress, scanning is impractical for oversized documents, etc.

You will be provided with a list of not searchable documents before making payment.

You may not be allowed access to the case documents for various reasons. Some of the possible reasons are as follows:

1. You are not the party of the case based on the court records.
2. Your account has not been formally linked up with the case concerned. For OU account holder, please check with your PA (or SA) for the proper case assignment. See A8 of the Frequently Asked Questions on “Electronic Filing” for Small Claims Tribunal.

You may visit the Small Claims Tribunal Registry during its opening hours to conduct a search and inspection of case documents.

Subject to identity authentication and payment of the prescribed fee of HK$18 (for each register, file or document) in the Accounts Office, you will be given a one-time access code to conduct the search and inspection of case documents by using the electronic devices provided at the Registry.

A non-party may only conduct the search and inspection of the following documents via iCMS upon payment of the prescribed fee:

1. Title to Claim - General Form (Form 1) (first version);
2. Form of Claim (Form 2) (first version); and
3. Form of Award/Order (Form 6) (latest version which is normally the first version unless having been amended).

If a document is not available for inspection via iCMS, you should physically approach the Small Claims Tribunal Registry to conduct the search and inspection in conventional mode.

If you find the document name of Form 1 and/or Form 2 has been struckthrough, it means the original claim form has been amended and the amended version is not available for inspection by non-party.

Please also note that the document folio number may not be in sequence as some documents are not available for inspection by non-party.

Select “Inspect Filed Document” and provide the claim number and settle the payment online as appropriate.

Alternatively, if you are a registered user, you may select “Small Claims Tribunal” ➔ “Inspection of Document” ➔ “Inspect Filed Document” after login to iCMS.

Please refer to the following reference materials on the Judiciary’s dedicated webpage for more information:

1. Demonstration video clip on “How to inspect case documents by non-case party?” (76,027 KB) for Small Claims Tribunal; and
2. User guide on “Inspect case documents by non-case party” (959 KB) for Small Claims Tribunal.

You may visit the Small Claims Tribunal Registry or the Self-help Corner during their opening hours to obtain a one-time access code after paying the prescribed search fee of HK$18 (for each register, file or document) in the Accounts Office so as to conduct the search and inspection of case documents by using the electronic devices provided at the Registry or the Self-help Corner.

All court users, including those who have not registered for iCMS, may inspect the Register of Claims using iCMS upon payment of the prescribed fee.

Select “Inspect Cause Book/Register of Claims” and provide the required information and settle the payment online as appropriate.

Alternatively, if you are a registered user, you may select “Small Claims Tribunal” ➔ “Inspection of Document” ➔ “Inspect Register of Claims” after login to iCMS.

Please refer to the following reference materials on the Judiciary’s dedicated webpage for more information:

1. Demonstration video clip on “How to inspect register of claims?” (75,753 KB) for Small Claims Tribunal; and
2. User guide on “Inspect register of claims” (880 KB) for Small Claims Tribunal.

See A14 of Part C above.

The Register of Claims (5 000 claims each) of all claims commenced in the Small Claims Tribunal upon the implementation of iCMS for the bulk claims with effect from 31 October 2024 will be maintained in both electronic form and hard copy form as provided for in Rules 4 and 4A of the Small Claims Tribunal (General) Rules, Cap. 338A. Court users may inspect either the electronic form or the hard copy form of the Register of Claims irrespective of whether the claim concerned is an e-proceeding.

Please note that the electronic version of Register of Claims will be updated to reflect the amendments made to the claim forms (i.e. Form 1 and/or Form 2).