Skip to main content
N I Direct government services

Main navigation

  • Home
  • News
  • Contacts
  • Help
  • Twitter
  • Facebook
  • YouTube
  • RSS

Translation help

Translate this page

Select a language

  • Afrikaans — Afrikaans
  • Albanian — Shqip
  • Amharic — አማርኛ
  • Arabic — العربية
  • Armenian — Հայերեն
  • Assamese — অসমীয়া
  • Aymara — Aymar aru
  • Azerbaijani — Azərbaycan dili
  • Bambara — Bamanankan
  • Basque — Euskara
  • Belarusian — Беларуская
  • Bengali — বাংলা
  • Bhojpuri — भोजपुरी
  • Bosnian — Bosanski
  • Bulgarian — Български
  • Cantonese — 廣州話
  • Catalan — Català
  • Cebuano — Sinugbuanong Binisayâ
  • Chichewa — Chichewa
  • Chinese (Simplified) — 简体中文
  • Chinese (Traditional) — 繁體中文
  • Corsican — Corsu
  • Croatian — Hrvatski
  • Czech — Čeština
  • Danish — Dansk
  • Dhivehi — ދިވެހި
  • Dogri — डोगरी
  • Dutch — Nederlands
  • English — English
  • Esperanto — Esperanto
  • Estonian — Eesti
  • Ewe — Eʋegbe
  • Filipino — Filipino
  • Finnish — Suomi
  • French — Français
  • Frisian — Frysk
  • Galician — Galego
  • Georgian — ქართული
  • German — Deutsch
  • Greek — Ελληνικά
  • Guarani — Avañe’ẽ
  • Gujarati — ગુજરાતી
  • Haitian Creole — Kreyòl ayisyen
  • Hausa — Hausa
  • Hawaiian — ʻŌlelo Hawaiʻi
  • Hebrew — עברית
  • Hindi — हिन्दी
  • Hmong — Hmoob
  • Hungarian — Magyar
  • Icelandic — Íslenska
  • Igbo — Asụsụ Igbo
  • Ilocano — Ilokano
  • Indonesian — Bahasa Indonesia
  • Irish — Gaeilge
  • Italian — Italiano
  • Japanese — 日本語
  • Javanese — Basa Jawa
  • Kannada — ಕನ್ನಡ
  • Kazakh — Қазақ тілі
  • Khmer — ភាសាខ្មែរ
  • Kinyarwanda — Ikinyarwanda
  • Konkani — कोंकणी
  • Korean — 한국어
  • Krio — Krio
  • Kurdish (Kurmanji) — Kurdî
  • Kurdish (Sorani) — کوردی
  • Kyrgyz — Кыргызча
  • Lao — ລາວ
  • Latin — Latina
  • Latvian — Latviešu
  • Lingala — Lingála
  • Lithuanian — Lietuvių
  • Luganda — Luganda
  • Luxembourgish — Lëtzebuergesch
  • Macedonian — Македонски
  • Maithili — मैथिली
  • Malagasy — Malagasy
  • Malay — Bahasa Melayu
  • Malayalam — മലയാളം
  • Maltese — Malti
  • Maori — Māori
  • Marathi — मराठी
  • Meiteilon (Manipuri) — ꯃꯤꯇꯩ ꯂꯣꯟ
  • Mizo — Mizo ṭawng
  • Mongolian — Монгол хэл
  • Myanmar (Burmese) — မြန်မာစာ
  • Nepali — नेपाली
  • Norwegian — Norsk
  • Odia (Oriya) — ଓଡ଼ିଆ
  • Oromo — Afaan Oromoo
  • Pashto — پښتو
  • Persian — فارسی
  • Polish — Polski
  • Portuguese — Português
  • Punjabi — ਪੰਜਾਬੀ
  • Quechua — Runa Simi
  • Romanian — Română
  • Russian — Русский
  • Samoan — Gagana Samoa
  • Sanskrit — संस्कृतम्
  • Scots Gaelic — Gàidhlig
  • Sepedi — Sepedi
  • Serbian — Српски
  • Sesotho — Sesotho
  • Shona — Shona
  • Sindhi — سنڌي
  • Sinhala — සිංහල
  • Slovak — Slovenčina
  • Slovenian — Slovenščina
  • Somali — Soomaali
  • Spanish — Español
  • Sundanese — Basa Sunda
  • Swahili — Kiswahili
  • Swedish — Svenska
  • Tajik — Тоҷикӣ
  • Tamil — தமிழ்
  • Tatar — Татар теле
  • Telugu — తెలుగు
  • Thai — ไทย
  • Tigrinya — ትግርኛ
  • Tsonga — Xitsonga
  • Turkish — Türkçe
  • Turkmen — Türkmençe
  • Twi — Twi
  • Ukrainian — Українська
  • Urdu — اردو
  • Uyghur — ئۇيغۇرچە
  • Uzbek — Oʻzbekcha
  • Vietnamese — Tiếng Việt
  • Welsh — Cymraeg
  • Xhosa — IsiXhosa
  • Yiddish — ייִדיש
  • Yoruba — Yorùbá
  • Zulu — IsiZulu
  • Breadcrumb

    1. Home
    2. Crime, justice and the law
    3. Going to court
    4. Jury service

    Attending court as a juror

    If you get a jury summons for jury service on a certain date, you may be sworn in as a juror on a trial. You need to bring photographic ID to the court on your first day and each day that you need to attend.

    What you need to bring with you

    You must bring your jury summons with you each day. You should also bring identification. Acceptable forms of ID are:

    • UK, Irish or EEA Driving licence (photographic part) (provisional accepted)
    • Passport (any nationality)
    • Home Office Documents confirming UK Immigration status
    • EU National Identity Card
    • An Electoral Identity Card
    • Biometric Residence Permit (UK)
    • Translink Senior SmartPass
    • Translink 60+ SmartPass
    • Translink War Disabled SmartPass
    • Translink Blind Person’s SmartPass
    • UK disability blue badge with photo
    • UK armed forces/military ID card

    Alternatively, you can also bring any two of the following:

    • original birth certificate (issued within six weeks of birth)
    • credit card with three statements and proof of signature
    • cheque book and bank card with three statements and proof of signature
    • three utility bills showing your correct name and address

    Court staff will ask you to show these to confirm your identity when you arrive at court on your first day and any other days you need to be in court.

    Asking to be excused

    If you need to ask to be excused for the first day of your jury service or another day, you need to send your request in writing to the Customer Service Centre, along with any supporting evidence, You need to do this as soon as possible and before your jury panel begins.

    If you are applying for an excusal or deferral, in the week before the date you are needed to attend court, you must send your requests in writing to the court office that you are to attend as the Customer Service Centre are  unable to deal with your applications from this date.

    Travel and parking

    Expenses

    • claiming juror travel expenses

    Public transport

    To get information about bus and train timetables, go to:

    • Translink

    Car-parking

    The juror pack has information about local car parks. If you drive to the courthouse, check how long you can pay for parking in the car park you use. 

    You are not advised to get limited car parking because if you're sworn onto a jury, you won't be able to leave the courthouse to top up your ticket.

    Jurors with disabilities

    If you have a disability and you are worried about access to the court or you need certain facilities during your jury service, you should contact the court office for further information and help.

    • Northern Ireland Courts and Tribunals Service

    On the first day of jury service

    When you arrive at court, you will be:

    • directed to the jury assembly area or courtroom
    • introduced to a court official who will be available to deal with any queries you have
    • shown a jury information video and be able to ask any questions you may have

    If you have been convicted of an offence since receiving your summons, you must tell court staff.

    Each day the court clerk will make a roll call of all jurors in court or in a jury assembly area. This is done in private to make sure that jurors’ identities are protected.

    The court clerk will call your name and jury panel number which appears at the top right-hand corner of your jury summons. You need to respond when the clerk calls your jury panel number.

    Attendance

    You can be fined for not turning up for jury service.  You should arrive on time each day, however if you are delayed or sick, you must contact the juries officer in the court that you are due to attend before 9.30 am that day. 

    The contact number is on your jury summons.

    Length of waiting time before a trial begins

    When you have been summoned to appear as a jury panel member, this doesn't mean that you will be on the jury. You don't become a juror until you have been called into the jury box and ‘sworn’ or ’affirmed’.

    You may be called to serve on a trial immediately or you might need to wait while a court deals with other matters.

    To pass the time, you can bring a laptop, book, magazine or paper to read in the waiting room. However, none of these items will not be allowed in the courtroom and will be stored securely. 

    The judge and court staff usually release the panel members that are not likely to be needed as soon as possible. But a reserve of jurors is often needed.

    Jury panel information

    Usually the jury officer or the judge if you have been sworn as a juror, will tell you at the end of each day if you need to come back.  You should contact the jury line on 0800 032 7080 or check jury panel information online after 5.00 pm each evening to see if you're needed to attend the next day.

    Serving on a trial

    You won’t know which trial you will sit on until you are sworn in.  Trials can last a few days or a number of weeks. A typical jury panel usually remains in place for around four weeks.  Jurors could be selected to sit on more than one trial during this time.  Sometimes the case isn't ready to go to court. Sometimes the defendant pleads guilty and the trial doesn't go ahead.

    • What happens at a jury trial

    Useful links

    Jury Frequently Asked Questions

    Share this page Share on Facebook (external link opens in a new window / tab) Share on X (external link opens in a new window / tab) Share by email (external link opens in a new window / tab)

    Jury service

    • Attending court as a juror
    • Claiming juror allowances
    • Complete a jury notice Form of Return online
    • Exemptions from jury service
    • Receiving a jury notice
    • Summoned to jury service
    • Time off for jury service
    • What happens at a jury trial

    Help improve this page - send your feedback

    What do you want to do?
    Report a problem
    Which problem did you find on this page? (Tick all that apply)

    Messages

    You will not receive a reply. We will consider your feedback to help improve the site.

    Don't include any personal or financial information, for example National Insurance, credit card numbers, or phone numbers.

    What is your question about?

    What to do next

    Comments or queries about angling can be emailed to anglingcorrespondence@daera-ni.gov.uk 

    If you have a comment or query about benefits, you will need to contact the government department or agency which handles that benefit.  Contacts for common benefits are listed below.

    Carer's Allowance

    Call 0800 587 0912
    Email 
    dcs.incomingpostteamdhc2@nissa.gsi.gov.uk

    Discretionary support / Short-term benefit advance

    Call 0800 587 2750 
    Email 
    customerservice.unit@communities-ni.gov.uk

    Disability Living Allowance

    Call 0800 587 0912 
    Email dcs.incomingpostteamdhc2@nissa.gsi.gov.uk

    Employment and Support Allowance

    Call 0800 587 1377

    Jobseeker’s Allowance

    Contact your local Jobs & Benefits office

    Personal Independence Payment

    Call 0800 587 0932

    If your query is about another benefit, select ‘Other’ from the drop-down menu above.

    Comments or queries about the Blue Badge scheme can be emailed to bluebadges@infrastructure-ni.gov.uk or you can also call 0300 200 7818.

    For queries or advice about careers, contact the Careers Service.

    For queries or advice about Child Maintenance, contact the Child Maintenance Service.

    For queries or advice about claiming compensation due to a road problem, contact DFI Roads claim unit.

    If you can’t find the information you’re looking for in the Coronavirus (COVID-19) section, then for queries about:

    • Restrictions or regulations — contact the Department of Health
    • Travel advice (including self-isolation) — contact the Department of Health
    • Coronavirus (COVID-19) vaccinations — contact the Department of Health or Public Health Agency

    If your query is about another topic, select ‘Other’ from the drop-down menu above.

    For queries about your identity check, email nida@nidirect.gov.uk and for queries about your certificate, email covidcertni@hscni.net.

    For queries or advice about criminal record checks, email ani@accessni.gov.uk

    Application and payment queries can be emailed to ema_ni@slc.co.uk

    For queries or advice about employment rights, contact the Labour Relations Agency.

    For queries or advice about birth, death, marriage and civil partnership certificates and research, contact the General Register Office Northern Ireland (GRONI) by email gro_nisra@finance-ni.gov.uk

    For queries about your GRONI account, email gro_nisra@finance-ni.gov.uk.

    For queries about the High Street Spend Local Scheme,  email HSSS.mail@economy-ni.gov.uk.

    For queries about:

    • Car tax, vehicle registration and SORN
      contact the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA), Swansea
       
    • Driver licensing and tests, MOT and vehicle testing
      contact the Driver & Vehicle Agency (DVA), Northern Ireland

    If your query is about another topic, select ‘Other’ from the drop-down menu above.

    For queries about your identity check, email nida@nidirect.gov.uk.

     

    For queries or advice about passports, contact HM Passport Office.

    For queries or advice about Penalty Charge Notices (PCNs), including parking tickets and bus lane PCNs, email dcu@infrastructure-ni.gov.uk

    For queries or advice about pensions, contact the Northern Ireland Pension Centre.

    If you wish to report a problem with a road or street you can do so online in this section.

    If you wish to check on a problem or fault you have already reported, contact DfI Roads.

    For queries or advice about historical, social or cultural records relating to Northern Ireland, use the Public Record Office of Northern Ireland (PRONI) enquiry service.

    For queries or advice about rates, email LPSCustomerTeam@lpsni.gov.uk

    For queries or advice about  60+ and Senior Citizen SmartPasses (which can be used to get concessionary travel on public transport), contact Smartpass - Translink.

    If you have a question about a government service or policy, you should contact the relevant government organisation directly.  We don't have access to information about you.

    Related sites

    • gov.uk
    • nibusinessinfo.co.uk

    Links to supporting information

    • Accessibility statement
    • Crown copyright
    • Terms and conditions
    • Privacy
    • Cookies
    • Twitter
    • Facebook
    • YouTube
    • RSS