How do I number and label my exhibits to file them in court in Quebec?

How do I number my exhibits for court?

Verified 31 July 2026 Law of Quebec Free tool · nothing is transmitted

Short answer

In Small Claims, the Government of Quebec asks the plaintiff to identify each piece of evidence with the letter P followed by a number (P1 for a contract, P2 for an invoice, P3 for a photo) and the defendant with the letter D followed by a number (D1 for a statement of account, D2 for an estimate, D3 for a multimedia item), and to write the court file number on every exhibit. The hyphenated form — P-1, D-1 — is common before the Court of Quebec and the Superior Court. Article 108 of the Code of Civil Procedure adds that exhibits containing identifying information generally held to be confidential must be filed in a form that protects that information, and that any exhibit filed remains in the record.

What this tool does, and what it does not do

This tool numbers and puts things in order. It does not decide whether an exhibit is admissible, relevant or sufficient — that is for the court, and no one else.

Numbering and format vary from one court to another. What you read above is the rule published for Small Claims. Before the Court of Quebec in civil matters, at the Tribunal administratif du logement, or in family matters, the expected form and the way exhibits are filed may differ. Check with the office of the court seized of your case.
This tool calculates no deadline for filing or for sending exhibits to the other party. Those deadlines differ from one court to another, and a wrong date can cost you a right. So we point you to the official source instead of printing a due date for you.
Nothing is sent or kept anywhere else. If you close the page without exporting, everything disappears — unless you tick the local-save box yourself, and that stays on your device.

Nothing leaves your browser. What you type is sent nowhere: no server, no account, no email. Everything is computed on your own device. You can disconnect from the internet before filling the page in: it will work just the same.

The tool: your documents, then three sheets to print

This tool needs JavaScript — because it builds the list inside your own browser, without ever sending anything. Turn JavaScript on, or read How do I identify and number my exhibits?, which gives the same rule and the same sources.

Your role in the case

This decides the letter. The plaintiff is the one who started the case; the defendant is the one the claim is made against.

I am the plaintiff My exhibits will be numbered P1, P2, P3… I am the defendant My exhibits will be numbered D1, D2, D3…

Numbering format

The Government of Quebec writes P1 for Small Claims. The P-1 form, with a hyphen, is common before the Court of Quebec and the Superior Court. We impose neither: pick the one you are asked for.

No hyphen — P1, P2, P3 The format published by the Government of Quebec for Small Claims. With a hyphen — P-1, P-2, P-3 Widely used before the Court of Quebec and the Superior Court.

Court file number Optional, but it has to appear on every exhibit. If you do not have it yet, leave this empty: the labels will keep a blank line for you to fill in by hand. Style of cause Optional. What appears at the top of the list, for example “Tremblay v. 9123-4567 Quebec inc.”

Add an exhibit

One document at a time. You can edit it, remove it or move it afterwards: nothing is locked in.

Short name of the document Required. What you would say out loud: “the lease”, “the plumber's invoice”, “the text message of 3 May”.

Date of the document The date written on the document, not the day you found it again. Optional: with no date, the exhibit goes last.

Where this document came from Optional. Who produced it, or where you got it.

What this exhibit shows Recommended. One sentence, in your own words: “shows the rent was $950”. This is the column the court reads first. Left empty, the list prints a blank line to fill in by hand.

Your exhibits, in date order

The numbering is worked out here: exhibits are sorted by the date of the document, then numbered in sequence. Change a date and every number adjusts on its own.

No exhibit yet. Add the first one above.

Keep my list on this device when I close the page Unticked, everything disappears when you close. Ticked, the list is saved in this browser only: it goes to no server, and the “Erase everything” button deletes it.

What the law and the court office actually ask for

A letter and a number, on every exhibit. The Government of Quebec is explicit for Small Claims: the plaintiff identifies each piece of evidence with the letter P followed by a number, and the defendant does the same with the letter D. The examples given are P1 for a contract, P2 for an invoice, P3 for a photo; D1 for a statement of account, D2 for an estimate, D3 for a multimedia item.

The file number goes on the exhibits too. The same page asks you to write the court file number on your evidence. That is what reconnects a stray sheet to the right record — and it is why sheet 2 of this tool prints one label per exhibit.

Confidential details are filed differently. Article 108 of the Code of Civil Procedure asks the parties to see to it that exhibits containing identifying information generally held to be confidential are filed in a form that protects the confidentiality of that information. In practice: mask what has no business being in the record — a social insurance number, a full account number, a child's date of birth — before you file. The same article is a reminder that an exhibit filed remains in the record: once it is in, it is not quietly taken back.

The order of your account is not the order of the dates. Éducaloi advises writing an outline of what you will say to the judge in chronological order, putting your documents in the same order as that outline, and being ready to explain why each document supports your version. Often the two match. Sometimes they do not — you may want to start with the contract even though it is not the oldest paper you have. That case is exactly why the tool produces a third sheet.

The method: how the tool gets to that result

There is no artificial intelligence and no database here. Three rules, and that is all.

1. Your role picks the letter. Plaintiff → P. Defendant → D. That is the rule published by the Government of Quebec, applied as written.

2. The date of the document picks the number. Exhibits are sorted from oldest to most recent, then numbered 1, 2, 3… An exhibit with no date goes last, in the order you entered it: the tool will not invent a date it was never given. Change one date and every number is recalculated, which is why it is better to finish entering everything before you write the numbers on paper.

3. The order of presentation is yours. It starts from the date order, then you move it one exhibit at a time. The number stays attached to the exhibit: P3 is still P3 even if you speak about it first. That is exactly what a court expects — a stable number, and a free account.

What the tool refuses to do. It does not say whether your exhibit will be accepted, or whether it is enough to prove what you claim: that judgment belongs to the court. Nor does it work out a filing deadline. The deadline is not the same from one court to another, and a wrong due date printed on an official-looking sheet would be worse than no due date at all.

The work happens on your device. The page contains no external script, opens no connection and sends nothing. The “Keep my list on this device” box writes to your browser's local storage and nowhere else; “Erase everything” empties it.

Official sources

These are Quebec government and Éducaloi pages. They are published in French, which is the language of the source that governs.

Evidence — Small Claims (Government of Quebec) — identifying evidence with the letter P for the plaintiff and D for the defendant, numbering examples, and the requirement to write the court file number on the evidence.
Code of Civil Procedure (CQLR, c. C-25.01), art. 108 — exhibits containing confidential identifying information are filed in a form that protects that information; exhibits filed remain in the record — Légis Québec.
8 tips for preparing your Small Claims trial (Éducaloi) — write a chronological outline, place your documents in the same order as the outline, and be ready to explain how each document supports your version.

Going further

How do I identify and number my exhibits? — the rule, its sources and its limits, in one page.
When do I have to file my evidence with the court? — the deadline, which this tool does not calculate.
Small claims: building your evidence file — the full guide, from the first document to the hearing.
All the free tools

What this page is not

This is general legal information about the law of Quebec, dated and sourced, together with a tool that puts documents in order. It is not legal advice, not a strategy, and not a prediction about the outcome of a case. In Quebec, only lawyers and notaries may give legal advice (Act respecting the Barreau du Québec, ss. 128 and 133). Laws and court-office practice change: the official source always prevails over us.