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Part of Court procedures and hearings

Order a courtroom transcript

How to order a courtroom transcript from Transcript Management Services for Court of Justice, Court of King's Bench, Court of Appeal or Criminal Code Review Board.

Courtroom transcripts

A courtroom transcript is a verbatim record of what was said in a court or a legal proceeding; it can only be ordered online.

Order a transcript online

To order a court transcript online, you must sign up for a Justice Digital user account through the online Transcripts Digital Service platform. It is through this account that you will place your order(s).

A credit or debit card is required to order a court transcript online. The following card types are accepted:

•    Visa credit
•    Visa debit
•    Mastercard credit
•    Mastercard debit
•    American Express

If you do not have a credit or debit card, please email Transcript Management Services to find out how to order a court transcript.

You must place a separate transcript order for each day of a proceeding. 

Please select from the following drop-down list for instructions about what information and documents are required to order transcripts from the different courts:

  • Court of Justice

    All transcript orders

    The following hearing details are required for all Court of Justice transcript orders:

    • Date to be transcribed
    • Start and end times
    • Court location
    • Courtroom number
    • Docket or action number
    • Party names

    Commencing documents are required for all Court of Justice transcript orders. Commencing documents vary based on court type.

    Other documents may also be helpful for Court of Justice transcript orders. While these are listed as optional, it is recommended to include them if they are available to you.

    See below for instructions on which documents are required for specific courts.

    Family court

    The following commencing documents are required for Court of Justice family court transcript orders:

    • Application or Family Law Act Claim
    • Endorsement Sheet

    The following other documents are optional for Court of Justice family court transcript orders:

    • Ban on Publication form
    • Case law and/or list of authorities referred to in court

    If you’re a party to the action, you may already have the necessary documents. If not, you can get them from the appropriate court location by submitting a Search Request – Civil  form.

    Note: For family court actions relating to child welfare or child protection, you must either be party to the action or obtain a court order before you can order a transcript for a hearing or Docket appearance in that action.

    Civil court

    The following commencing documents are required for Court of Justice civil court transcript orders:

    • Civil Claim
    • Endorsement sheet

    The following other documents are optional for Court of Justice civil court transcript orders:

    • Ban on Publication form
    • Case law and/or list of authorities referred to in court

    If you’re a party to the action, you may already have the necessary documents. If not, you can get them from the appropriate court location by submitting a Search Request – Civil form.

    Criminal court (including Youth Criminal court)

    The following commencing documents are required for Court of Justice criminal court transcript orders:

    • Information Sheet
    • Endorsement Sheet or Record of Proceedings

    The following other documents are optional for Court of Justice criminal court transcript orders:

    • Ban on Publication form
    • Case law and/or list of authorities referred to in court
    • Endorsement sheet for co-accused or Record of Proceedings for co-accused

    If you’re a party to the action, you may already have the necessary documents. If not, you can get them from the appropriate court location by submitting a Search Request – Criminal/Traffic form.

    Bail/hearing office

    The following commencing documents are required for Court of Justice bail/hearing office court transcript orders:

    • Information Sheet
    • Endorsement Sheet or Record of Proceedings

    The following other documents are optional for Court of Justice bail/hearing office court transcript orders:

    • Ban on Publication form
    • Case law and/or list of authorities referred to in court

    If you’re a party to the action, you may already have the necessary documents. If not, you can get them from the appropriate court location  by submitting a Search Request – Criminal/Traffic form.

    Traffic court

    The following commencing documents are required for Court of Justice traffic court transcript orders:

    • Violation ticket
    • Endorsement sheet or Record of Proceedings

    The following other documents are optional for Court of Justice traffic court transcript orders:

    • Ban on Publication form
    • Case law and/or list of authorities referred to in court

    If you’re a party to the action, you may already have the necessary documents. If not, you can get them from the appropriate court location  by submitting a Search Request – Criminal/Traffic  form.

    Preliminary inquiries

    The following commencing documents are required for Court of Justice preliminary inquiry court transcript orders:

    • Information sheet
    • Endorsement sheet or Record of Proceedings

  • Court of King's Bench

    All transcript orders

    The following hearing details are required for all Court of King’s Bench transcript orders:

    • Date to be transcribed
    • Start and end times
    • Court location
    • Courtroom number
    • Docket or action number
    • Party names

    Commencing documents are required for all Court of King’s Bench transcript orders. Commencing documents vary based on court type.

    Other documents may also be helpful for Court of King’s Bench transcript orders. While these are listed as optional, it is recommended to include them if they are available to you.

    See below for instructions on which documents are required for specific courts.

    Family court

    If you are not a party to the action or one of the people allowed to access a family file under Court of King’s Bench Family Law Practice Note 10 , then you will need to submit a Request to Access Family Law File, or have a party to the action submit an Authority to Access Family Law File, per the process outlined in Practice Note 10 .

    Once a Request to Access Family Law File has been submitted, the parties to the action have 30 days to bring an Application for Order Restricting Access under Part 6, Division 4 of the Alberta Rules of Court .

    If an Application for Order Restricting Access is NOT brought within 30 days, then the following commencing documents are required for Court of King’s Bench family court transcript orders:

    • Statement of Claim or Originating Application or Family Law Act Claim

    If an Application for Order Restricting Access IS brought within 30 days, then the following commencing documents are required for Court of King’s Bench family court transcript orders:

    • Affidavit of Service
    • Procedure card showing the entry of an Affidavit of Service on the parties by the requestor
    • Statement of Claim or Originating Application or Family Law Act Claim

    If an Application for Order Restricting Access IS brought within 30 days, then the following other documents are optional for Court of King’s Bench family court transcript orders:

    • Application to Restrict Access

    If you’re a party to the action, you may already have the necessary documents. If not, you can get them from the appropriate court location by submitting a Search Request – Civil  form.

    Civil court

    The following commencing documents are required for Court of King’s Bench civil court transcript orders:

    • Statement of Claim or Originating Application

    The following other documents are optional for Court of King’s Bench civil court transcript orders:

    • Ban on Publication form
    • Case law and/or list of authorities referred to in court

    If you’re a party to the action, you may already have the necessary documents. If not, you can get them from the appropriate court location by submitting a Search Request – Civil form.

    Criminal court

    The following commencing documents are required for Court of King’s Bench criminal court transcript orders:

    • Indictment
    • Endorsement sheet

    The following other documents are optional for Court of King’s Bench criminal court transcript orders:

    • Ban on Publication form
    • Case law and/or list of authorities referred to in court
    • Endorsement sheet(s) for co-accused

    If you’re a party to the action, you may already have the necessary documents. If not, you can get them from the appropriate court location by submitting a Search Request –Criminal/Traffic form.

    Interjurisdictional Support Order Hearings

    The following commencing documents are required for Court of King’s Bench Interjurisdictional Support Order Hearings court transcript orders:

    • Notice of Hearing

    The following other documents are optional for Court of King’s Bench Interjurisdictional Support Order Hearings court transcript orders:

    • Ban on Publication form
    • Case law and/or list of authorities referred to in court

    If you’re a party to the action, you may already have the necessary documents. If not, you can get them from the appropriate court location by submitting a Search Request – Civil form.

    Note: If the matter has gone to Family Docket Court and a party is ordering a transcript, the court file or ‘action number’ must be included in the ‘docket/action number’ field.

  • Court of Appeal

    All transcript orders

    The following hearing details are required for all Court of Appeal transcript orders:

    • Date to be transcribed
    • Start and end times
    • Court location
    • Courtroom number
    • Docket or action number
    • Party names

    Commencing documents are required for all Court of Appeal transcript orders.

    Other documents may also be helpful for Court of Appeal transcript orders. While these are listed as optional, it is recommended to include them if they are available to you.

    See below for instructions on which documents are required for which specific types of courts.

    The following commencing documents are required for Court of Appeal court transcript orders:

    • Notice of Appeal or Application for Permission to Appeal
    • Signed Undertaking to the Court of Appeal for Access to Court Transcript – see the Court’s Policy on Access to Transcripts of Oral Proceedings for more information

    Note: If the hearing you are ordering a court transcript of happened before January 1, 2019, then a letter of permission form the Court of Appeal allowing you to order court transcripts is also required. Contact the Court of Appeal for instructions on how to get your letter of permission.

  • Criminal Code Review Board hearing documents

    All transcript orders

    The following hearing details are required for all sealed document transcript orders:

    • Date to be transcribed
    • Start and end times
    • Court location
    • Courtroom number
    • Docket or action number
    • Party names

    Commencing documents are required for all sealed document transcript orders. Commencing documents vary based on court type.

    The following commencing documents are required for Criminal Code Review Board hearing court transcript orders:

    • Disposition
    • Reasons for disposition

    If you’re a party to the action, you may already have the necessary documents. If not, you can get them from the appropriate court location by submitting a Search Request – Criminal form.

You will only be able to download your transcript if you do not owe funds to Transcript Management Services, an Alberta government service.

Order a transcript online

Once your order has been processed, you will be sent an email with a link that will allow you to download a PDF copy of your transcript.  

Timelines, fees and estimates

Service timelines

Fees are based on turnaround time, with higher fees for rush orders. The following turnaround times are available:

  • 2 business days
  • 5 business days
  • 10 business days
  • 30 calendar days

The turnaround time starts the next business day for orders placed after 3 pm. When the due date falls on a weekend or holiday, or a day Government of Alberta offices are closed, the transcript will be delivered on the next business day.

Your transcript will be released by 4:30 pm on the due date.

Service fees as of May 12, 2025

Table 1. Transcription fees

Turnaround timeRate (dollars)
2 business days0.0078/character
5 business days0.0068/character
10 business days0.0058/character
30 calendar days0.0048/character

The transcription fees in Table 1 are outlined in Alberta Rules of Court, Division 4 – Tariff of Fees Payable for Court Reporting Services. Transcript fees cannot be waived by the court. 

Estimating your transcript order's cost

TMS does not provide estimates over the phone or by email.

The following information may help you to estimate your cost:

  • One hour of transcribed court time is approximately 45 pages.
  • The average character count per page is 1,200.

Table 2 shows the estimated transcription costs for one hour of court time based on the requested turnaround time.

Table 2. Transcription costs – for example only

Turnaround timeCourt time transcribedCost estimate
2 business days1 hour$421
5 business days1 hour$367
10 business days1 hour$313
30 calendar days1 hour$259

It is also possible to estimate the cost of your transcript order using the online tool available through your Transcripts Digital Service user account.

Note: If the transcript you are ordering has already been created for a previous order, the cost will be $1.00 per page.

The final cost of your transcript order depends on its character count and may be different from the estimate.

Restrictions on transcript orders

Publication bans or restrictions

Transcripts may be subject to a publication ban or other restriction on use, prohibiting the publication or disclosure of the transcript or certain information in the transcript such as the identity of the party, witness, or victim. Persons who order or use transcripts are responsible to know and comply with publication bans and restrictions. Misuse of the contents of a transcript may result in civil or criminal liability.

Emergency Protection Order transcripts

Court of Justice

You cannot submit an online order for a transcript of an Alberta Court of Justice Emergency Protection Order (EPO) hearing.

Claimants and respondents can request a free copy of their Emergency Protection Order (EPO) hearing through the Court of King’s Bench.

Court of King’s Bench

Transcripts for Court of King’s Bench EPO review hearings can be ordered and paid for online. These orders have the same requirements as orders for transcripts of family court matters heard at the Court of King’s Bench. 

Sealed Documents

There are restrictions for ordering court transcripts related to sealed court files. You may need a court order allowing the release of transcripts.

For young offenders/persons, section 119 of the Youth Criminal Justice Act lists who can access a court file, along with the timeframe for that access.

In child welfare or child protection cases, as well as in early intervention case conferences, only certain people who are not party to the action can order court transcripts. There may also be a timeframe for when those court transcripts can be released. Contact the Court of Justice for more information.

Transcript Management Services does not provide transcripts of Bar Call ceremonies. 

Contact

Connect with Transcript Management Services:

Hours: 8:15 am to 4:00 pm (Monday to Friday, closed statutory holidays)
Email: [email protected] (quickest response)
Fax: 403-297-7034