Back to FAQs About Appellate ECF
Registration for Appellate ECF and Overview of Appellate ECF
Tip: Use the Find function (Edit > Find) in your browser to find questions and answers in this page.
- How do I register to be a filer?
- How do I retrieve my login or password?
- How do I update my street address and/or email address with the court?
- I left the firm where I was working, how do I change my email address if I cannot remember my password?
- Can a firm register once for all its attorneys?
- I am a court reporter. How do I register to be a filer?
- I will not be filing documents in Appellate ECF, but I am interested in receiving notification of docketing activities in certain cases. Can I register to receive notification for cases of interest?
- Do I have to register if I have a PACER account and an ECF account in a District or Bankruptcy Court?
- Do I have to register if I have a PACER account and an Appellate ECF account at another Court?
- Do I need a PACER account if I have an Appellate ECF account?
- Do I have to register for Appellate ECF if I registered for electronic noticing in the Ninth Circuit?
- Is Appellate ECF mandatory in the Ninth Circuit?
- Must I register before I can file through Appellate ECF?
- How do I get an exemption?
- How long does it take to register for Appellate ECF?
- Are there any special training or bar membership requirements in order to register and file in Appellate ECF?
- Is there a charge to register or use Appellate ECF?
- What help is available for Appellate ECF?
- How do I register to be a filer?
An Appellate ECF Filer login and password are required to file documents in Appellate ECF. All Appellate ECF registrations are handled by the PACER Service Center. In order to register, go to: Appellate ECF Filer Registration and follow the instructions.
You can reach the Pacer Service Center at 800-676-6856. [Back to Top] - How do I retrieve my login or password?
Do not contact the Court. Instead do the following:- Go to Manage My Appellate Filer Account and click the Forgot your password? link below the Login and Cancel buttons.
- Follow the instructions to retrieve the information.
[Back to Top] - How do I update my street address and/or email address with the court?
Appellate Electronic Filers must update their street addresses or email addresses by using the Manage My Appellate Filer Account at PACER. [Back to Top] - I left the firm where I was working, how do I change my email address if I cannot remember my password?
Contact PACER for assistance at 1-800-676-6856. [Back to Top] - Can a firm register once for all its attorneys?
No. Each attorney in a firm must register separately using his or her own name. [Back to Top] - I am a court reporter. How do I register to be a filer?
You register the same way other filers register and you identify yourself as a court reporter during the registration process. At the Personal Information page, you will see a set of radio buttons labeled "Are you." You will select the a court reporter radio button at this page in the registration process. [Back to Top] - I will not be filing documents in Appellate ECF, but I am interested in receiving notification of docketing activities in certain cases. Can I register to receive notification for cases of interest?
Yes, you can. See the CM/ECF Frequently Asked Questions on the PACER site. [Back to Top] - Do I have to register if I have a PACER account and an ECF account in a District or Bankruptcy Court?
Yes. Your District or Bankruptcy ECF account is an authorization to file in that specific Court, and it is separate from your nationwide PACER account. You must complete a separate Appellate ECF registration for every Appellate Court where you intend to be a filer. [Back to Top] - Do I have to register if I have a PACER account and an Appellate ECF account at another Court?
Yes. Your Appellate ECF account is an authorization to file in a specific Court, and it is separate from your nationwide PACER account. You must complete a separate Appellate ECF registration for every Court where you intend to be a filer.
If you are already registered in another appellate Court, you should log in to your appellate filer account and add the Ninth Circuit. [Back to Top] - Do I need a PACER account if I have an Appellate ECF account?
Yes. To access the docket report for a case and to access filings in that case, you must enter a PACER login and password. If you are not registered with PACER, you can obtain a PACER account here: https://www.pacer.gov/psco/cgi-bin/regform.pl. [Back to Top] - Do I have to register for Appellate ECF if I registered for electronic noticing in the Ninth Circuit?
Yes. [Back to Top] - Is Appellate ECF mandatory in the Ninth Circuit?
Yes. Use of the Appellate ECF system for filing is mandatory for attorney filers and court reporters. It is voluntary for non-attorney filers. [Back to Top] - Must I register before I can file through Appellate ECF?
Yes. You cannot file through Appellate ECF until you register and the Court approves you as a filer. [Back to Top] - How do I get an exemption?
Exemptions for attorney filers and court reporters will be granted for good cause. The Court expects to grant few exemptions. If you believe you cannot participate as an Appellate ECF filer, please complete the Appellate ECF Exemption Form and submit it to the Clerk for review. [Back to Top] - How long does it take to register for Appellate ECF?
Appellate ECF registration will usually be completed within 10 business days. When your registration is complete, you will receive an email from the PACER Service Center confirming your registration. [Back to Top] - Are there any special training or bar membership requirements in order to register and file in Appellate ECF?
You do not have to be a member of the Ninth Circuit bar in order to register for Appellate ECF. There are no training requirements, but the Court strongly recommends that users review the Electronic Learning Modules and the ECF User Guide available on our website. To see available training and documentation, see the Training and Documentation sections on the main Electronic Case Filing page of the Court's website. Note that any attorney who enters an appearance should be a member of the Ninth Circuit bar or should apply for admission simultaneously. See Circuit Rule 46-1. Admission information is available on this Court's website under Attorneys. [Back to Top] - Is there any charge to register or use Appellate ECF?
No. There is no charge to register or to file electronically. Please note that when you access documents through your PACER account, you are subject to the current per page charge. As in the District Court and Bankruptcy Court systems, filers and parties in the case get one free look at all filings when they view them from the Notice of Docket Activity, and we recommend that you print or download the documents at that time. The notice of docket activity is sent to all the email addresses associated with the Appellate ECF account, and the free look applies to each email recipient. [Back to Top] - What help is available for Appellate ECF?
- The Court has worked with the Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts to develop a series of online electronic training modules for Appellate ECF. See the Training (Electronic Learning Modules) section on the main Electronic Case Filing page of the Court's website.
- An ECF User Guide is also available. See the Documentation section on the main Electronic Case Filing page of the Court's website.
- In-Person Training for Appellate Electronic Case Filing is being offered the first Tuesday of each month at 12 noon Pacific Time at San Francisco's James R. Browning Courthouse.
- If you are having difficulty registering for Appellate ECF or have questions about your PACER or Appellate ECF accounts, you should contact the PACER Service Center at 800-676-6856.
- If you need to modify or update either your PACER or Appellate ECF accounts, you can do so at the PACER website at http://www.pacer.gov/. The PACER Service Center maintains extensive lists of FAQs for both PACER and Appellate ECF. You can access them at the PACER website.
- You can submit your questions using this form: http://www.ca9.uscourts.gov/cmecf/feedback/. You can expect a reply from the Court during the Court's business hours, from 8:30 AM to 5:00 PM Pacific Time.
[Back to Top]
If you still have questions about Appellate ECF after reviewing the information in this page, please do the following:
- Check the FAQs on this site.
- Check the Appellate ECF Frequently Asked Questions page at PACER. (link opens in new window or tab)
- Check the PACER Frequently Asked Questions page. (link opens in new window or tab)
- If you still do not have an answer, submit your question using this form: http://www.ca9.uscourts.gov/cmecf/feedback/. You can expect a reply from the Court during the Court's business hours, from 8:30 AM to 5:00 PM Pacific Time. Note: If you submit a question, please do not also send an email, since that will only result in duplicate requests to the help desk.
Last Update: 11 January 2013
