Online case filing ability extended to foreigners and residents of HK, Macao, Taiwan

People from other countries and residents of the Hong Kong and Macao Special Administrative Regions and Taiwan can file cases online, the Supreme People's Court said on Wednesday.

After real-name registration and identity verification through either the WeChat mini program of the China Mobile Micro Court or the court's computer terminal, these people can file cases and enjoy other related litigation services, according to a document on providing online filing services for cross-border litigants issued by the SPC.

The document said courts will provide services including online case filing guidelines, registration and inquiries. The scope of the online filing service includes first-time civil and commercial litigation, it said.

Citizens from the Chinese mainland who have their habitual residences in and enterprises or organizations registered in other countries and Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan can also enjoy the same services.

When applying for online case filing, litigants should submit a statement of complaint, evidence and materials confirming their identities. All materials must be submitted in Mandarin, it said.

The court will verify the identities of those who apply for the first time based on the identity authentication platform of the National Immigration Administration.

If a person's identity cannot be verified online, the court will do the verification manually. Litigants will be notified of the result of the identity check within three working days.

The court will file cases within seven days for successful applicants. If the materials do not meet the requirements, the court will notify the litigants and offer them 15 days to make corrections. The time can be extended up to 30 days after application if necessary.

Litigants can also check the processing progress and filing results online.