How to Fill In the ECHR Application Form: Completed Example and Seven Steps

If you have already received a final decision in your case and are preparing an application to the European Court of Human Rights, start with two things: check the time limit and download the current application form. You may file the initial application yourself. However, a short letter describing the problem does not replace a complete application form with the required documents.

Download the official application form in Ukrainian

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View the completed sample application form

The sample ECtHR application in this PDF is for training purposes: the example is completed across sections A–I, and all names, facts, and events are fictional. It shows how to connect the facts, the complaint, domestic proceedings, and supporting documents. It accompanies this article and is not the Court's official form: to file an application, you must complete the Court's form with your own information, attach the actual documents, and provide the required signatures.

The official name of the submission is an individual application. In everyday language, it is often called a complaint to the ECtHR; below, we use both terms. The procedure for applying to the ECtHR is set out in seven steps. At each step, we show what the application looks like by reviewing the sample section by section.

Important! The rules were checked as of October 7, 2026.

Step 1. Check Whether You Have the Right to Apply

The ECtHR examines whether a State has violated rights protected by the Convention and its Protocols. It does not rehear a Ukrainian case simply because the applicant is dissatisfied with the outcome. You need to explain three things: which of your rights was affected, why the State is responsible, and what evidence supports this.

Example: In a contractual dispute, the complaint “the counterparty did not return my money” is not, by itself, a complaint against the State. A different question is whether the State's courts ensured a fair procedure. But even then, losing the case does not prove a violation. A specific procedural obstacle, a refusal to address a decisive argument, or another substantiated defect in the proceedings may be relevant.

The applicant may be an individual, a private legal entity, another non-governmental organization, or a group of individuals claiming victim status. Ukrainian citizenship is not required in order to bring an application against Ukraine. Acts of private persons may also raise an issue of State responsibility if the State failed to comply with a relevant positive obligation to protect. That connection must be substantiated.

Before applying internationally, you must use the available effective domestic remedies and comply with the applicable procedural rules. Check not only how many levels of jurisdiction you passed through, but also whether you raised the relevant issue before them at least in substance. If your complaint concerns an argument that a court failed to address, locate that argument in your appeal or cassation appeal and the court's response to it.

Which Applications the ECtHR Does Not Examine

The main conditions are set out in Articles 34–35 of the Convention. Check them before completing the form: they concern whether you can apply at all, not merely the quality of the text. The Court does not examine:

1. Applications where the applicant lacks victim status. You must show how the alleged violation affected the applicant personally; general concern about someone else's case is not enough.
2. Complaints that fall outside the scope of the Convention or the relevant Protocol, or outside the responsibility of the respondent State. The timing of the events and the State's jurisdiction over them are also relevant. A private dispute does not, by itself, establish State responsibility.
3. Complaints filed outside the time limit and complaints where available effective domestic remedies have not been exhausted, unless an applicable exception exists.
4. Anonymous applications. A request not to disclose the applicant's name publicly is a different issue: the Court must still receive the applicant's identity details and the request for confidentiality must be justified.
5. Applications that are substantially the same as a matter already examined by the Court or submitted to another procedure of international investigation or settlement, unless they contain relevant new information.
6. Manifestly ill-founded complaints or abuse of the right of application. Losing the domestic case does not itself establish a violation of the Convention.
7. Applications in which the applicant has not suffered a significant disadvantage, unless respect for human rights requires an examination on the merits. This criterion is not limited to the amount of financial loss.

A separate issue is failure to comply with Rule 47: if required information, documents, or signatures are missing, the application may not be examined even before the Court reaches the question of admissibility. A completeness check does not replace the Article 35 admissibility assessment, and an admissibility assessment does not cure blank fields in the application form.

Assessment of all these conditions depends on the documents; a personal belief that the decision was unfair is not enough.

Step 2. Determine the Time Limit for Applying to the ECtHR

The general time limit is four months after the final decision adopted following the use of effective domestic remedies. The old “six-month” benchmark is outdated for modern cases: the shorter time limit applies to final decisions adopted on or after February 1, 2022.

The starting date is determined by the specific procedure. Where a decision must be served or notified, the relevant date may be when the applicant or representative received it. If the lawyer received the decision earlier and sent it to the client later, that does not create a new time limit. Special rules apply where no effective remedy exists or where the alleged violation is continuing.

Illustrative example: The applicant and the representative received the final decision on July 10, 2026, and no other effective domestic remedy is available. On those assumptions, the last day of the general time limit is November 10, 2026. This is four calendar months, not 120 days. Do not assume that the final day will automatically be extended because it falls on a weekend or public holiday.

Searching for a lawyer, preparing copies, waiting for a response to a request, or pursuing an ineffective remedy do not, by themselves, suspend the time limit. As a rule, compliance with the time limit is linked to dispatch of a complete application satisfying Rule 47, not a letter stating an intention to apply. The date of filing is determined by the postmark. A fax does not interrupt the time limit.

Keep evidence of when you received the final decision and choose a dispatch date that leaves enough time for printing, signatures, and corrections. If the date of notification is disputed or you intend to rely on an exception, that issue should be resolved before the form is finalized.

Step 3. Download the ECtHR Application Form: Use the Current Official Form

Download the PDF from the ECtHR website to your computer. The Court recommends opening it in Adobe Acrobat Reader version 9 or later on Windows or macOS. The browser's built-in viewer and some other programs do not support this form: instead of the fields, you may see the message “Please wait.” This does not mean the file is empty.

Open the saved file in Reader, complete the fields, save your changes regularly, and check that all pages print correctly. Do not replace the Court's form with your own Word document. A separate statement may only supplement a properly completed application form.

An initial application against Ukraine may be submitted in Ukrainian. An important change: applications against Ukraine submitted in Russian after September 16, 2024 are not examined by the Court. Once the application has been communicated to the Government, English or French is generally used unless the Court authorizes otherwise.

Step 4. Complete the Application Form Section by Section

Three parts of the application form must explain the case on their own: the facts, the complaints, and compliance with the admissibility requirements. The reader should understand the problem from the form itself rather than having to search for the explanation in the attachments. Use the space provided and do not reduce the font to an unreadable size.

A. Details of the Applicant

An individual applicant completes Part A.1:

• name;
• date and place of birth;
• nationality;
• address and current contact details.

A legal entity completes Part A.2:

• full name;
• registration details;
• activities and contact details.

Identify the person or entity whose rights were allegedly violated. Do not substitute the owner for the company. If the correspondence address is unusable, you risk not receiving communications from the Court.

B. Respondent State

Identify the State or States Parties to the Convention that are responsible for the alleged violation. In a case concerning the actions of Ukrainian courts, this is Ukraine. Do not name a tax authority, a specific court, or a private counterparty instead of the respondent State.

C. Representative of an Individual Applicant

If you are applying on your own and have no representative, do not invent representative details. If another person represents you, complete the appropriate part: C.1 for a non-lawyer representative and C.2 for a lawyer. Part C.3 requires the original signatures of the applicant and the representative, together with the dates.

Provide the required email address for further correspondence.

Authority for the initial application is recorded in the application form itself. Do not assume that an ordinary power of attorney or a services agreement automatically replaces this section. If obtaining a signature is objectively impossible, an explanation and an assessment of any applicable exception are required; leaving the field blank without explanation is not enough.

D. Representation of a Legal Entity

In Part D.1, identify the officer authorized to act on behalf of the company and attach evidence of that authority. If a lawyer is involved, also complete D.2 and the signature section D.3. A director's status must be supported by documents, and a lawyer's authority must be properly recorded in the application form.

E. Statement of the Facts

Set out the events chronologically: what happened, what the authorities did, how you challenged those actions, and how the proceedings ended. Include only the circumstances needed to understand the complaints and refer to the relevant documents. The three pages in this section are intended for a clear chronology, not for reproducing the case file in full.

In the training sample, the completed ECtHR application sets out the events as follows:

1. the applicant asks the court to obtain bank evidence that she cannot access herself;
2. the court refuses;
3. the claim is dismissed because the evidence is missing;
4. she raises the same argument on appeal and in cassation.

This chronology explains the procedural problem. The phrase “all the courts acted unlawfully” does not.

F. Complaints Concerning Violations of the Convention

For each complaint, identify the specific provision of the Convention or Protocol and explain how the facts set out in the application relate to the alleged violation. Do not list every right you know of “just in case.” Keep the legal assessment in this section so that it is not lost among dates and quotations from domestic decisions.

For example, an allegation that civil proceedings were unfair under Article 6 § 1 should be linked to a specific procedural obstacle and to how that obstacle affected the proceedings as a whole. The ECtHR is not required to reassess every item of evidence or respond to every secondary argument. The significance of the alleged defect should follow from the explanation and supporting documents.

G. Compliance With the Admissibility Requirements

For each complaint, identify the effective remedies used: the authority or court, dates of decisions, case number, and final decision. Explain when the final decision was received and attach proof. If an available remedy was not used, state this and explain why. Writing only “all levels of jurisdiction were exhausted” does not allow the Court to verify the time limit or exhaustion requirement.

H. Other International Proceedings and Previous Applications

Answer truthfully whether you submitted the same matter to another international procedure and whether you previously applied to the ECtHR. If so, identify the body, dates, subject matter, and outcome and attach the relevant decisions; for previous applications to the Court, provide their application numbers. Do not conceal information out of fear of refusal: its legal significance must be assessed.

I. List of Documents

State the title, date, and page numbers of each document in the numbered set of copies. For example: “Cassation appeal dated 15 May 2026, pages 24–28.” The list must match the actual package; do not list documents that you only plan to obtain.

Declaration, Date, and Signature

At the end, provide the date and the original signature of the applicant or duly authorized representative. This is a separate check and is not the same as the authority signatures in C.3 or D.3. Designate one person to receive correspondence and provide the full postal address. The Registry will not conduct parallel correspondence with all participants.

When Additional Explanations Are Needed

You may attach a more detailed statement of the facts, complaints, and arguments to the completed application form, up to 20 pages. The substance of each complaint must already appear in the form; writing “see attachment” does not replace it. Additional explanations may be useful, for example, where the chronology is complex or several documents need to be connected and explained.

The 20-page limit applies to the explanatory text, not to all copies of evidence. For this text, the Court's instructions require A4 pages, margins of at least 3.5 cm, a font size of at least 12 points, 10 points for footnotes, and numbered pages and paragraphs. Do not introduce a new complaint only in the additional explanations.

ECtHR Applications in Civil and Criminal Cases

The application form is the same for both categories. What differs are the facts in Section E, the complaints in Section F, and the remedies and time limits in Section G — the three parts that must explain the case on their own. The difference is illustrated below with two examples.

Important! Do not copy a legal characterization into your application merely because you found a sample with a similar case title.

Application to the European Court of Human Rights in a Civil Case

In Section E, explain which civil right was at issue before the domestic courts and what specifically prevented a fair hearing. In the training PDF, the dispute concerns repayment of money: the applicant asked the court to obtain bank evidence she could not access herself, the court refused, and the claim was then dismissed because that evidence was missing. The sample also shows how she challenged that procedural issue.

In Section F, that connection is framed as a complaint under Article 6 § 1 of the Convention: the application must explain how the refusal affected the fairness of the proceedings as a whole. A request that the ECtHR “recover the debt instead of the Ukrainian court” does not replace this analysis. If State interference with property rights is also alleged, the applicability of Article 1 of Protocol No. 1 and the corresponding arguments must be assessed separately.

In Section G, identify the specific appeals and decisions showing that you raised this issue before the domestic courts, together with the date on which the final decision was notified. Not every civil dispute follows the same route of appeal: in the example, the effectiveness of cassation is expressly assumed, while in your own case it must be established.

Application to the European Court of Human Rights in a Criminal Case

Illustrative example: an accused person alleges that the conviction relied on testimony from a witness whom the defense was unable to examine. In Section E, describe when and in what circumstances the testimony was obtained, whether the defense asked to examine the witness, why that did not happen, what importance the testimony had for the conviction, and how the issue was challenged.

In Section F, the complaint may be argued under Article 6 § 1 taken together with Article 6 § 3(d), which guarantees an accused person the right to examine witnesses against them or have them examined. The mere absence of a witness does not itself prove a violation: the reasons for the absence, the role of the testimony, and the safeguards available to the defense are relevant. Explain how those circumstances affected the fairness of the proceedings as a whole.

In Section G, show which effective remedies you used specifically for this complaint and determine the applicable time limit. If, in addition to challenging the fairness of the conviction, you complain about detention under Article 5 or ill-treatment under Article 3, do not assume that the date of the final judgment is the same starting date for all complaints: the relevant domestic remedies and the start of the time limit may differ. Each alleged violation requires its own explanation and supporting documents.

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Step 5. Prepare the Attachments to the Application

The package should establish three things: the alleged violation, the domestic remedies used, and compliance with the time limit. Before printing, match each complaint to the documents by which it can be verified. The package will usually include:

• decisions of domestic authorities and courts concerning the subject matter of the complaint, including the final decision;
• the statement of claim, appeals, cassation appeals, and other documents showing how the relevant issue was raised domestically;
• evidence that the applicant or representative received the final decision;
• evidence of the events and consequences of the alleged violation; for a company, registration documents and documents confirming authority should also be included;
• documents from other international procedures, if they relate to the case.

Send complete, legible copies and keep the originals. Arrange the copies by date and proceeding, number the pages consecutively, and cross-check them against the list. Do not bind, glue, or staple the documents. If a required document is unavailable, explain the specific reason; whether the Court will accept the package depends on its assessment.

Step 6. Check the Package Before Sending It

Use this checklist with the printed application form and attachments in front of you. A “no” answer means that the issue should be corrected or separately assessed before filing.

1. The current official form has been downloaded, all required fields have been completed, and all entries are visible when printed.
2. The facts, complaints, and admissibility issues are understandable from the application form itself.
3. For each complaint, the final decision, date of notification, and applicable time limit have been identified.
4. The package contains documents showing the domestic proceedings and receipt of the final decision.
5. The list of attachments matches the copies and their page numbering.
6. Authority has been properly documented, and all required original signatures and dates have been provided.
7. The correspondence address and electronic contact details are current, and a complete copy of the package has been retained.

Seven Mistakes That Can Prevent an ECtHR Application From Being Examined

The checklist above verifies completeness. But proper completion and admissibility are two separate assessments. Under Rule 47, an incomplete application is generally not examined; under Article 35 of the Convention, even a complete package may be inadmissible. Before filing on your own, check these seven mistakes: each can affect whether your complaint reaches examination on the merits.

1. Misidentifying the final decision or the date it was received. Counting from the day you personally read the decision may be incorrect if your representative received it earlier. Waiting for an additional review procedure that is not an effective remedy does not restart the time limit. Consequence: the complaint may be inadmissible because the four-month time limit was missed. Compare the decisions with evidence of notification rather than relying only on calendar dates.
2. Sending a letter within the time limit but the complete form later. A description of the problem, a fax, or an incomplete package does not, as a general rule, preserve the filing date. For time-limit purposes, dispatch of an application satisfying Rule 47 is what matters. Consequence: the later complete submission may already be out of time. Check the entire package before the first dispatch.
3. Leaving Sections E, F, or G blank and writing “see attachments.” The Court must be able to understand the facts, the substance of the complaints, and compliance with the admissibility requirements from the form itself. Additional explanations do not replace these sections, and a new complaint should not be left only in an attachment. Consequence: the application may not be examined for failure to comply with Rule 47, and correcting it after the time limit has expired may be too late.
4. Failing to raise the substance of the complaint before the domestic authorities. Decisions from all levels of jurisdiction do not necessarily mean that domestic remedies have been exhausted for every alleged violation. For example, raising a refusal to examine a witness for the first time only in the ECtHR application may be insufficient if the issue could have been effectively raised in Ukraine. Consequence: the relevant complaint may be inadmissible. Check whether its substance appears in the domestic proceedings and whether the applicable procedural rules were followed.
5. Copying the statement of claim or cassation appeal instead of formulating a Convention complaint. Saying “the courts assessed the evidence incorrectly” without explaining which protected right was violated does not give the ECtHR a basis to decide the domestic dispute again. Consequence: the complaint may be declared manifestly ill-founded. In Section F, connect a specific fact with the relevant Convention guarantee and explain its impact on your right.
6. Attaching only the final decision or incomplete copies. Earlier decisions, your appeal and cassation appeal, evidence of the events, and proof of notification of the final decision may be required. Listing missing documents in Section I does not replace them. Consequence: failure to comply with Rule 47 or insufficient support for the complaint and admissibility. Cross-check each listed item against a legible copy and the relevant page numbers.
7. Providing only one signature or failing to prove authority. The signature at the end of the application does not replace signatures in the representation section where they are required. For a company, documents showing that the officer is entitled to act on its behalf are also important. Consequence: the application may not be examined because Rule 47 has not been complied with. Check signatures and authority on the printed package, not only in the electronic file.

Rule 47 provides for exceptions, including where deficiencies are duly explained, but you should not assume that they will be applied automatically. If the Court informs you that the package is incomplete, a new submission does not automatically receive the date of the first letter. Once the four-month period has expired, correcting the package may no longer preserve the possibility of having the complaint examined.

Step 7. How to File an Application With the ECtHR: Send the Package by Post

The initial individual application, with original signatures and copies of the supporting documents, is sent by post to:

The Registrar European Court of Human Rights

Council of Europe

1 avenue de l'Europe

67075 Strasbourg Cedex

FRANCE

The ECtHR does not charge a court fee. Printing, postage, translation, and legal assistance may involve separate costs. Choose a delivery method that allows you to prove the date of dispatch and track delivery. Keep the receipt, tracking number, delivery confirmation, and a copy of the package sent.

An initial application by email or through eComms does not replace the postal package under the general procedure. For later correspondence, the Court may provide an electronic channel; follow the instructions it gives you.

What Happens After Filing

Delivery confirms that the package reached the Court, not that the application has been declared admissible. The Court examines the materials. The assigned application number is used in subsequent correspondence. Respond to requests within the specified deadlines and notify the Court of any change in contact details. There is no guaranteed “three-to-five-year” processing period for every case.

Once you receive an application number, you can use the Court's official State of Proceedings (SOP) service. It shows only non-anonymous cases that have been allocated to a judicial formation and are pending or were completed within the previous two years. Updates to the procedural stage appear with a two-month delay. If the service contains no information, this does not by itself prove that the application has been lost or rejected.

Check the available status of the case by application number

Once the application has been communicated to the Government, representation is generally required under Rule 36 unless the Court decides otherwise. You may need to reply to the Government's observations, participate in friendly-settlement discussions, and submit properly substantiated claims for just satisfaction. These stages depend on the Court's directions; compensation and the setting aside of a domestic decision do not follow automatically from sending the application form.

How a Company Applies to the ECtHR

For a company, the steps are the same; what differs is the applicant and the relevant sections of the form. A private legal entity may protect its own rights, including property rights or fair-trial guarantees where the relevant provision applies. In tax disputes or cases involving sanctions, the applicability of Article 6 must be assessed separately. The owner, director, and company are not interchangeable applicants.

Complete A.2 and D.1 and attach documents confirming registration and the officer's authority: depending on the circumstances, this may include an extract from the register, the charter, an appointment decision, or another document. If a lawyer acts for the company, complete D.2 and D.3. Verify the company name, registration details, and signatory against current documents rather than relying only on an old contract.

What Our Practice Shows

One of our cases illustrates how this works in practice. We prepared an application for a private enterprise concerning a substantial financial sanction, comparing court decisions, technical materials, and responses from public authorities in order to formulate Convention complaints.

The completed package contained the application form, additional explanations, and 179 pages of evidence. The package was sent and delivery was confirmed.

When a Lawyer's Review Is Appropriate

You may file an application yourself. But an instruction cannot determine for you which domestic remedy was effective, whether the dispute falls within a particular Convention right, or whether the Convention argument is sufficient. Particular attention is needed where the date of receipt of the decision is disputed, there are several complaints with different time limits, other international applications have been made, or the package is incomplete.

If the application form is already prepared, you can order a review before sending it: you will receive written comments on completeness, the time limit, the arguments, authority, and attachments. Substantial redrafting of the application or a full analysis of new materials is a different scope of work. For an initial assessment, provide the application form, the set of copies, the final decision, and proof of when it was received.

Need your ECtHR application form reviewed before sending? Submit a request on the service page or call the listed phone number.