PDF requirements for e-filing in the Supreme Court of Virginia and Court of Appeals (VACES)

What the court requires

The limit is 150 MB per document. Each volume of a split brief or appendix needs its own table of contents.

“If the brief or appendix file size is larger than 150 MB, it must be uploaded as separate documents, with each volume containing a Table of Contents for that volume.”

Common reasons filings are rejected

• A brief or appendix is over 150 MB.
• A split volume has no table of contents of its own.
• The PDF is password-protected or has security restrictions.
• The PDF is password-protected or has security restrictions, so the court's system can't open it.

Questions about the Virginia appellate courts's PDF rules

What is the maximum PDF file size for the Virginia appellate courts?

150 MB per PDF.

What should I do if my PDF is too large for the Virginia appellate courts?

Split it into consecutive parts that are each under 150 MB, never cutting a page in half, and file the first part as the main document and the rest as attachments named in order (for example "Exhibit A, Part 2 of 3"). For scanned documents, re-scanning in black and white at 300 dpi often shrinks the file enough to avoid splitting. Docket Prime can split the file for you in your browser.

Does the Virginia appellate courts require text-searchable PDFs?

It is recommended. Documents saved directly from a word processor are searchable and much smaller than scans; for paper documents, OCR adds searchable text.

What page size does the Virginia appellate courts accept?

Letter size (8.5 × 11 inches) is expected. Legal-size or A4 pages may print badly or be refused, so resize them to letter.

Does the Virginia appellate courts require bookmarks in PDFs?

They are recommended. Bookmarks help the judge navigate longer documents.