Attending court as a juror

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:

• 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 name and address

Court staff will ask you to show these to confirm your identity when you arrive at court on your first day.

Travel and parking

You should use public transport to get to the courthouse. To get information about bus and train timetables, go to:

• Translink

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.  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.

• 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. If you think you're going to be late or you're sick and can't go, you must contact the juries officer before 9.30 am that day. 

The contact number is on your jury summons.

Jury allowances and claiming

 You could be entitled to travel and food expenses as a juror. You may be entitled to an allowance for financial loss during the period you had to be at court. You’ll get a claim form with your jury summons. You must send your claim within 14 days of completing jury service.

• Claiming juror allowances

Length of waiting time before a trial begins

When you have been summonsed 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 matters that don’t involve the jury. 

To pass the time, you can bring a laptop, book, magazine or paper to read in the waiting room. But you must not read in the courtroom.

The judge and court staff usually release the people 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 to see if you're needed:

• Jury panel information

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