Witness statement
Prepare witness statement using your own facts, evidence and verified legal grounds.
Québec small claims only · Open the free official blank SJ-837A PDF ↗. The paid export below remains a preparation worksheet; it is not this official form.
What you will prepare
- Material facts (one paragraph per fact)
- Evidence and exhibit references
Information to have ready
Case reference, court and jurisdiction, party names, author contact details, relevant dates and your supporting exhibits. Provide verified legal grounds where requested; the tool does not invent authorities or facts.
Review before filing
Confirm that this document is appropriate for the proceeding, use any mandatory official form, check confidentiality and redactions, and complete required signatures, swearing and service. A draft export is not a filing or proof of service.
Québec small claims: from worksheet to SJ-837A
The app exports a preparation worksheet, not the official SJ-837A form. A PDF or Word export is not signed, sworn or filed by the app. The official form below concerns only the Small Claims Division of the Court of Québec; check other proceedings separately.
Identify the actual witness, the parties and the court file. For factual testimony, the official form requires precise facts personally known to the declarant. The person preparing the worksheet is not necessarily that witness.
Separate what the witness observed from what someone reported and from an interpretation. Do not rewrite reported information as a personal observation. The court decides expert qualification and the weight of an expert report; this worksheet confers neither.
Review the current official form and transfer only verified content. The actual declarant must review and sign it. Keep a copy. Do not treat a typed name, an example or a downloaded worksheet as a completed signature process.
File the statement with the relevant court office at least 30 days before the hearing, or by the clerk’s deadline for a judgment on the face of the record. The clerk notifies the other parties. Verify the applicable date with the court; exporting here does not file anything.
If a hearing is scheduled, the other party may request the witness’s attendance at least 15 days before it. A written statement does not guarantee that the witness can stay away from court.
Free official blank PDF — SJ-837A (English) ↗
Current Québec instructions for written testimony ↗
This handoff’s sources were checked September 29, 2026: official form dated June 2023 and guidance updated October 20, 2025. Check for updates before use. Other jurisdictions and the rest of the template are not cleared by this review.Fictional examples: observation, report and interpretation
Entirely fictional writing examples, not evidence or testimony. Opening them never adds text to your case. Only the actual witness can supply and confirm their account.
Personally observed
“On 12 March 2026, I saw water dripping from the kitchen ceiling.”
Reported by someone else
“On 13 March 2026, Alex Example told me that a pipe had been replaced. I did not see that work.”
Interpretation, not an observed cause
“I thought the water might come from the upstairs room, but I did not see its source.”
The last two examples show limits of knowledge, not a promise that hearsay or an opinion is admissible. Check relevance and admissibility for the proceeding.