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E-filing exemption - Appellate Court Easy Form
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This Easy Form helps you tell the court why you are not able to e-file forms into your appellate court case. It makes a Certification for Exemption from E-filing.

You will have to file the form yourself. You can download the form and instructions at the end of the program.

Learn more about e-filing.

This program will help you make your court forms. It will ask questions for you to answer. At the end of the program, you will get completed court forms and instructions. You can save and print them, or the program can email them to you.

Form completion time: 5 minutes to 10 minutes

You will be able to save your work in the middle of the program.

This program will help you avoid mistakes when filling out the court forms. Your case could be delayed if there are errors on your forms. If you want to download a PDF version, visit the Illinois Courts Standardized State Forms website. Use Adobe Reader to fill in the PDF forms or print the forms to fill out by hand.

The interview and forms are in English.

Can I use this program?

You can use this form if you are filing court papers for an emergency as allowed by local court rules. Check your local court’s website or call the clerk to see if your situation qualifies.

You can also use this form if you do not have a lawyer and at least one of the following statements is true.

  • You do not have the Internet or computer access in your home,
  • You do not have an email account,
  • You do not have a credit card, debit card, or bank account,
  • You have trouble reading, writing, or speaking in English, or
  • You tried to e-file your papers, but you were not able to complete the process because the equipment or help you need was not available.

You are exempt from e-filing, and you do not need to use this form if:

What do I need first?

To complete this form, you will need to know:

  • Information about your trial court case, such as party names and filing county,
  • Information about your appellate court case, such as party names and filing district, and
  • Reasons why you are not able to e-file.

What documents will this create?

This program prepares the following form.

Certification for Exemption from E-filing

Easy Form program opens in a new tab or window.

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Mobile-friendly
Last full review by a subject matter expert
November 29, 2022
Last revised by staff
August 11, 2025

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Worried about doing this on your own?  You may be able to get free legal help.

Apply Online

Forms

Appearance with e-filing Easy Form
This Easy Form makes an Appearance that tells the court and the other parties that you are participating in a court case. It can also make a Jury Request if you want a jury to decide your case. The Easy Form can e-file your forms if you are using a fee waiver.
Petition for rule to show cause - Family law cases Easy Form
This program will create a Petition for Rule to Show Cause to help you enforce an earlier court order. Use it for Illinois family law orders, involving child support, divorce judgments, allocation of parental responsibilities, parenting plans, or joint parenting agreements (custody or visitation).
Vacate default judgment within 30 days Easy Form
This Easy Form helps you ask the court to vacate a default judgment within 30 days of that judgment.