Access to the CMS Portal FAQ

How do I get access to CMS Portal?

If you are a lawyer or law firm with an eDocs account by Friday 23 September 2022, your account will be replicated into CMS Portal. Once this has occurred, you will receive a welcome email, prompting you to accept new CMS Portal Terms of Use and set up a new password (your username will remain the same). 

If you do not have an eDocs account, we will work with you to set up a CMS Portal account. Please contact the CMS Portal Support Team [cms.support@courts.vic.gov.au] for assistance. 

 

What are the password requirements? 

The password requirements are:

  • Password must contain characters of at least 3 different types (lowercase, uppercase, digit or punctuation)
  • Password must be between 13 and 20 characters
  • Password must contain at least 2 letters
  • Password must contain at least one lowercase character
  • Password must contain at least one uppercase character

 

Do I need to use multi-factor/two-factor authentication?

Yes, this is mandatory. Two-factor authentication is a security measure, and all individuals and firms are accountable for security relating to CMS Portal and their associated devices such as phones and laptops. Your first authentication method is the email address associated with your account. The second can be the same email address or OTP Over SMS.

 

Can I use a shared email address to set up an account?

No, all accounts must be linked to an individual email account. However, you can add a secondary email to your account for receiving notifications for filings - this can be a shared mailbox. 

 

What jurisdictions will the CMS Portal be available for?

CMS Portal will be available for all jurisdictions in the future for the Magistrates' Court of Victoria (MCV) and the Children's Court of Victoria (ChCV). This will start with the civil jurisdiction for the Magistrates' Court.

Note: Intervention Orders will be available in future releases. 

 

When will the CMS Portal be available?

CMS Portal will be available for filing of civil documents within the civil jurisdiction of MCV in early October 2022. For other jurisdictions we are using a staged approach, with timings yet to be determined. 

 

How often will I need to log into CMS Portal?

The portal will log you out after 60 minutes of inactivity.

It will also prompt you for your password again after using the portal continuously for 8 hours.

 

Who will have access to the Civil release of CMS portal?

For the civil release, CMS Portal will only be available for legal practitioners and law firms for filing of civil documents for the Magistrates' Court of Victoria. This excludes self-represented parties.

Note: The general public will not have access to CMS Portal.

Who will have access to CMS portal?

Future releases of CMS Portal will be available to external parties across the Magistrates' Court of Victoria and Children's Court of Victoria This will include those who are self-represented.

 

I work for more than one firm. Can I use the same account/log in for all?

No. You will need a separate account for each law firm/legal service that you work for.

 

I am a Solicitor, can law clerks or paralegals lodge forms on my behalf?

Yes, as long as they do so under their own account. This is detailed in CMS Portal Terms of Use.

 

Can we have access to CMS Portal as a Firm, as opposed to individual accounts?

No, all accounts must be linked to an individual email account. However, you can add a secondary email to your account for receiving notifications for filings - this can be a shared mailbox. 

 

Is there a simple way to see who in our organisation has access?

A list of users in your organisation as well as a report of filings and case access for each user is available for Organisational Administrators.

 

Will organisation administration users get access/receive notification for all cases?

Access: Organisation administration users will need to request access to cases that they need access to.
Notifications: A secondary email address can be added to receive notifications for your cases.

 

Will all users within a firm get access to all cases?

Users will automatically get access to the cases they have filed on. If they need access to other cases, they will need to request access.

 

Why is there an extra step between requesting access to cases?

The extra step (the case access 'token') is a security measure to ensure that the person requesting access to the case is both accessing via their account and has access to the linked email.

 

Will counsel be automatically added?

No, but Barristers are able to sign up for the CMS Portal. Their access to cases will be handled via case access requests made to the court.

 

This page was last updated: Tuesday 11 July 2023 - 7:47am