Appearance (Form 6A)
UCPR Form 6A is the NSW notice of appearance a defendant files in Supreme, District or Local Court civil proceedings. It puts the defendant on the record with an address for service.
Word document from New South Wales Courts' website.
DraftOur fillable copy of this form has not been through editorial review yet. Check it against New South Wales Courts' current form before you rely on it.
- Format
- Word (DOCX)
- Category
- Court form
- Form number
- Form 6A
- Version
- vbda4f2a0
- Last updated
- 14 October 2026
Supreme Court of NSW · District Court of NSW · Local Court of NSW · Uniform Civil Procedure Rules 2005
For law practices: this form maps to the published matter-field vocabulary, so your practice management system fills it from your matter data - on your own machine. Practice management systems can fetch and assemble it through the document assembly API.
What Form 6A is for
A defendant enters an appearance in NSW civil proceedings by filing a notice of appearance (UCPR r 6.9(1)). Filing a defence also counts as an appearance (r 6.9(2)), so a separate appearance is mainly used where the defendant wants to be on the record without yet filing a defence, or where the proceedings were started by summons. Form 6A (version 1) is the approved form. The time for appearance is the time for filing a defence in statement of claim proceedings (28 days after service, r 6.10(1)(a) and r 14.3), or on or before the return day in summons proceedings (r 6.10(1)(b)). A defendant who intends to take no active part may add a statement submitting to all orders sought, "save as to costs" if wanted, but then cannot file a defence or take other steps without leave (r 6.11). Once entered, an appearance can only be withdrawn by leave (r 12.5).
When you need it
- You have been served with a summons and need to appear before or on the return day.
- You have been served with a statement of claim and want to be on the court record (and receive court correspondence at your address for service) before your defence is ready.
- You do not intend to contest the claim and want to submit to the orders sought (r 6.11).
- You are a new cross-defendant: an existing party who has already appeared need not appear again on a cross-claim (r 9.2).
How to fill it in
- 1
Court details and title
Copy the court, division, list, registry, case number and party names from the originating process you were served with.
- 2
Filing details
Name the party appearing and their role (for example first defendant) and what the appearance relates to (for example the plaintiff's claim or a numbered cross-claim). Lawyers eFiling add representative and contact details.
- 3
Appearance
Complete the statement "[name] [role] appears". If you are submitting to the orders sought, add the r 6.11 statement here.
- 4
Signature
Signed by the legal representative, or by or on behalf of the party if not represented, with capacity and date.
- 5
Details about filing party (separate page)
Give the party's own address and an address for service. The address for service must be in NSW (not a DX address) unless an exception in r 4.5(3) applies, such as a defendant served outside NSW but in Australia. A represented party's address for service is their solicitor's office (r 4.5(2)).
Filing, lodging and service
- File the appearance in the registry of the court where the proceedings are. The NSW Online Registry lists Notice of Appearance (UCPR 6/6A) among the forms that can be filed online, and the address you give is added to the court record and used for correspondence.
- Time limit: within the time for filing a defence in statement of claim proceedings (28 days after service unless the court directs otherwise), or on or before the return day of a summons (r 6.10).
- Serve a copy on the plaintiff and other active parties so they know your address for service.
Common mistakes
- An appearance is not a defence. In statement of claim proceedings you are still in default, and exposed to default judgment, if no defence is filed in time (r 16.2).
- Think before using the submitting statement: after filing it you need leave to file a defence or take any other step (r 6.11(2)).
- Our record and the published file name carry no version number; the form itself is marked version 1.
Frequently Asked Questions
How long do I have to file an appearance in NSW?
For a statement of claim, the same time as a defence: 28 days after service unless the court directs otherwise. For a summons, on or before the return day (UCPR r 6.10).
Do I need an appearance if I file a defence?
No. A defendant who files a defence is taken to have entered an appearance (UCPR r 6.9(2)).
Can I withdraw an appearance?
Only with the leave of the court (UCPR r 12.5).
Checked against the official sources on 26 October 2026
- Uniform Civil Procedure Rules 2005 (NSW)
- UCPR Form 6A Appearance (v1)
- UCPR approved forms list
- NSW Online Registry - Available forms
General information about the form, not legal advice about your matter. Rules and forms change: if anything here differs from the court or agency's current instructions, theirs apply.
Field map
34 boxes on the Appearance (Form 6A) fill from your matter. 7 are for you to complete: ticks, signatures and anything that needs judgement.
- Our Firm
- Firm Postcode, Firm State, Firm Suburb, Firm email, Firm name, Firm phone
- Client
- Client full name(s), Client postcode, Client state, Client street address, Client suburb
- Matter
- Matter / file reference
- Court
- Court file number
- Operator
- User First Name, User Full Name (first + surname)
Matter plans that use this form
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