Summoned for jury service?
Have you received a summons or notice to attend court for jury service? This is the second step in the jury selection process.
What it means
Your summons is a legal document, which you must obey. A summons is usually sent out one month before you are required to attend court. This gives you time to talk to your employer and family and make arrangements for what will happen if you are selected for jury service on the day you report to court.
Your jury summons will inform you about:
- which court you need to go to - District, Supreme or Coroner's Court
- the location of the court, including a street address
- the date and time you are required to attend
- an estimate of the length of the trial, if it is expected to last more than two weeks
- the panel you are on is usually indicated as a number, for example, 60-7,48-15,70-27
- panel attendance information, including a phone number to call to hear attendance information
- recorded message number and web listings
- whether the case will be criminal or civil (the jurisdiction)
- contact details for the Sheriff's office
Around one in ten people who are sent a jury summons actually end up serving on a jury panel.
What to do next
On the last working day before your summons, check that you are still required, by visiting juror.nsw.gov.au or calling 1300 780 199 after 4.30pm. Trials can sometimes change at the last minute, so it's important to check. If the trial is scheduled for a Monday, you can check after 4.30pm on the Friday before.
For your convenience, you can request SMS confirmations and notifications. To set up SMS please log on to juror.nsw.gov.au
Payments for Jury Service are paid by Electronic Funds Transfer. To receive payment please log on to juror.nsw.gov.au and enter your bank details prior to your court attendance
Attend Court if required. You may be selected to serve on a jury. Please bring photo ID and a copy of your banking details.
Am I required tomorrow?
You can obtain information about whether you are required to attend jury service tomorrow, by logging on to juror.nsw.gov.au and following the instructions.
Here, you can setup SMS alerts, enter your banking details, check to see if your applications have been reviewed, check to see whether you are required to attend jury service, and obtain information about the location which you are required to attend.
If you experience any issues in logging on, please call us on 1300 722 574, for assistance.
Make sure that you turn up at the right court on the day you have been summoned to do jury service.
Can you be excused from jury service?
You can only apply to be excused from jury service, if you have "good cause" to be excused. Find more information about Applying to be excused from jury service.
Do you have to turn up at court?
Yes, you must come to court unless you have been excused from jury service.
If you do not attend court you will be sent a letter asking you to explain why you did not turn up.
If your reason for failing to attend court is not accepted a fine of up to $2,200 may be imposed. You may apply to have this fine reviewed by a magistrate at a local court.
However, if the review is unsuccessful the magistrate may impose the maximum fine of $2,200. If the fine is not paid the penalty will continue to increase.
Before going to court for jury service, you must check to make sure that your panel, which is listed on the jury summons, is still needed at the time and date stated.
Phone the recorded information service, which is listed on your summons, any time from 4:30pm the night before you are to go to court, or log on to juror.nsw.gov.au to access your full jury details. The information is available on Friday nights for the Monday court sessions.
When planning your day at court, please be aware:
- parking is not provided
- you cannot leave the court premises to move your car, so do not park in time limited parking (parking fines will not be reimbursed)
- smoking is not permitted in court complexes
- mobile phones may not be used in the court room.
You should dress in neat, comfortable clothes. Do not wear thongs or shorts. As you may be sitting for long periods of time it is important to be comfortable, whilst still showing respect for the court.
Bring your jury summons notice and an accepted form of identification such as a driver's licence or passport. If you do not have photo identification you may be asked to provide other forms of proof or supply particular information to confirm your identity.
Bring your jury summons notice and an accepted form of identification such as a driver's licence or passport. If you do not have photo identification you may be asked to provide other forms of proof or supply particular information to confirm your identity.
You should also bring your bank account details or log on to juror.nsw.gov.au to enter your bank deposit details. Your jury allowance will be paid by electronic funds transfer into your elected bank account.
As it may take a little while for the empanelling process to begin, it is a good idea to bring some personal reading material and a snack with you. Tea and coffee is usually provided.
When entering the courthouse you may be required to pass through security screening, similar to screening conducted at airports, such as personal screening, metal detectors, bag searches and scanning of possessions.
You are not permitted to bring in firearms, knives, prohibited weapons or illegal drugs. You may need to leave some items, such as motor cycle helmets, with the sheriff officers at the security desk. For further information please see security in court.
You must not take photographs or videos or make audio recordings in the court complex.
Publishing juror details and sensitive court materials are not permitted, including on social media.
If you have a disability, please advise the sheriff's office when you receive your jury summons. Not all NSW courts or jury boxes are accessible to people with disabilities.
This depends on many factors, including the number of accused and the complexity of the matter. Trials can continue for days, weeks or months. However, the average length of a trial in New South Wales is seven days. If you have concerns about the trial length, please raise your issue with the sheriff's office staff or the trial judge before you take part in the empanelment process.
Jurors are told at the beginning of the empanelling process how long the trial is estimated to last, and are invited to raise any issues they may have due to the trial length.
If you still need to be excused from jury service, you have an opportunity to make a request to the sheriff's officer or the judge or other judicial official when you report to court. For more details see Applying to be excused from jury service.
Last updated:
28 Mar 2024
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