eLicensing and Courts Service Online (CSOL) Frequently Asked Questions

Q. What does CSOL stand for?

A. CSOL stands for Courts Service Online

Q. What internet browser will CSOL work with?

A. CSOL is currently developed to work with Google Chrome. It does not function properly using any other browser.

Q. Where do I go for CSOL support?

A. For general CSOL support please email casu@courts.ie or if appropriate contact your local Court Service office.

Q. What if CSOL is down/not accessible?

A. Please check www.courts.ie for any planned CSOL maintenance/outages or email the helpdesk at casu@courts.ie

Q. What if I am having issues logging into CSOL?

A. Please check that your log in details are correct, as the password is case sensitive and also check that CSOL is being opened in Google Chrome. If you still cannot access your account please email casu@courts.ie

Q. I cannot remember my username for CSOL?

A. Your username is your email address.

Q. I cannot remember my password for CSOL?

A. If you cannot remember your password, just enter your username and click on the red ‘Reset Password’ button. This will bring you to a new page where you enter your username again (this is your email address) and the system will send you an email with a link enabling you to change your password.

Q. What does registering on CSOL mean?

A. Registering on CSOL allows you to add users, manage users and create applications to Courts i.e. Legal Costs Adjudication Licensing, Small Claims and Leave to Appeal Supreme Court. Also any further application types facilitated through the system in the future.

Q. How do I register an account on CSOL?

A. It is imperative that you watch the instructional videos on the Legal firm registration process or on thr Legal Costs Accountant firm registration process

Q. CSOL is telling me my email address is invalid?

A. If you get this message, it is likely that CSOL has recognised this email address as being currently used. Contact casu@courts.ie for assistance in this instance.

Q. How many times do I register my legal firm or legal cost accountants firm?

A. You only need to register your firm once. Each legal firm has a Legal Practice Admin User account. These accounts can create and manage additional user accounts within your individual firm including a second Legal Practice Admin User account. It is recommended for larger firms to create a second Legal Practice Admin User account.

Q. What bank account do I use when registering my firm?

A. When you register your firm on CSOL, you should use your client account details for direct debit payments.

Q. What if the funds are not in my client account?

A. If the funds are not in your client account, you can use the credit/debit card payment option from any account which holds the funds (more than likely your office account).

Q. Can I start submitting applications once I have registered?

A. No, your account must be activated by CASU. CASU will notify you via email when your account is activated to enable you to submit applications.

Q. My firm is not within the Pilot District court areas, can I still register, arrange for my account to be activated by CASU and submit cases?

A. Applications can only be applied for on CSOL in the pilot District Court Areas (Number 1,2 & 6).  If you wish to make an application within the pilot area but your firm is outside the pilot area, then contact CASU to assist you.  Please note, even though your account may be active, you can only make licensing applications to a court within the pilot area (District Court Area 1, 2 & 6)

Q. What is the data covention on CSOL?

A. The data convention is highlighted in the table below which should be of assistance when entering applications on CSOL and also when searching for a licence online.

N.B .All company names should be as per their certificate of incorporation and entered in that format.
Please note that Eircodes should be included as part of any address. If clarification is sought, please contact CASU

Q. How do I search the eRegister for licensing

A. Go to www.csol.ie and select eRegister/Licensing. The searchable data will only search the current or active licences. Enter some details for searching. As with all searches, the lesser information entered, the more results will be returned. The most reliable search fields will be the premises address (part entered) or Revenue Licence numbers. Trading name values may change and therefore are less dependable when searching.

Q. How much is a Licensing Search?

A. Searching for a current licensee is free.  Otherwise, if you wish to see the history from 2009, if relevant, it will cost €35 per premises search (multiple licences on the same premises will be included in the single search fee)

Q. What information can I see for free?

A. Current licence information, that is the licence type, licensee/club name/ nominee, CSOL licence number, Revenue number, current trading name, owner details and the premises address.

Q. What is included on the eRegister for the appropriate search fee?

A. Details from 2009 to date (if relevant) will appear on the eRegister. Any details prior 2009 can be obtained via licensing search though the manual Licensing Registrar in the relevant Court Office.

Q. If I need to attend a court office to carry out a search prior to 2009 on a premises or clarify details of a search, do I have to pay for another licensing search?

A. If you attend the local court office within 2 weeks of the online search and bring your online search printout with you to the court office, you will not be charged again for that search.

Q. How many years will the Register go back?

A. eRegister should display data from 2009 to date, if relevant.

Q. What is a Licence Number?

A. The Licence number is a unique number generated by CSOL, generally not known to most users.

Q. What is a Revenue Number?

A. This is the licence number given to a licence by Revenue and is printed on the physical licence issued by Revenue. Beer, Spirit and Wine Off Licences for the same premises are likely to share the same Revenue licence number.

Q. I cannot find the premises?

A. If data on CSOL does not match with your search data, it is recommended that less data is used in the search fields, as it will return more results. The License might be prior 2009 which requires searching the manual Licensing Register or the license is new and has not been entered on CSOL.

Q. I wish to apply for a licence on a new premises?

A. Please send all relevant premises details, as per table below, to the local office who will arrange for the new premises to be added to CSOL

Q. What licensing Applications can I submit online?

A. Please see Licences on CSOL Online Applications which will guide you to what applications are available on CSOL. Please select only these application types despite the additional options available.
Please see list of licensing applications which must be submitted manually to court offices as they are not part of the online pilot.

Q. Can I see previous cases submitted online?

A. Yes, you can see all applications entered on CSOL either via the court office staff or submitted online by your firm.

Q. I cannot choose a Court date when adding a licensing application?

A. There are a few possible reasons why a court date is not available to you:

1)  It is too close to court date (for District Court licensing applications entered on CSOL, there must be entered at least 2 clear days prior to the court date) i.e. if you have an application for Thursday's Court, you must enter the application on CSOL by midnight on the Monday beforehand.   Please note that the statutory notice periods still apply.

2)  The date has not been allocated by local Court Office as being available to the public (please contact your local court office to enable that date, if appropriate).

3)  There is no court sitting on your requested date.

4)  The court will not hear any licensing applications on your requested date.

Q. I want to make a court application for a new premises, what do I do?

A. If it is a new premises you must provide the local court office with the details of the new premises in writing as per previous FAQ above.

Q. The notice party I wish to serve is not appearing in the list of notice parties?

A. You will need to print the notice of application and notify that specific notice party manually.  You must then lodge a declaration of service on the notice party in the appropriate Court Office.

Q. For Special Exemption applications, what dates and times should be chosen?

A. One of the most common errors on licensing applications is the date/time of a special exemption.  If you choose midnight (00:00) on any given date, this indicates the beginning of that day rather than the end of that day.  For example, If you were applying for a special exemption for what's commonly known as Friday midnight, 11th May 2019, then the date/time you choose should be 00:00 on the 12/05/19 until the end time on that same date, 02:30 on the 12/05/19.  This might seem obvious to some however, it is the source of many queries.

Q. How do I enter an application where the applicant is a nominee of an Organisation/Partnership/Individual or a Secretary of a Club or Organisation?

A. When entering applications on CSOL, it is important to note that the applicant is NOT the Nominee or the Secretary.  Because of this, you must add the Nominee or Secretary using the 'Add Nominee' or 'Add Secretary' buttons.  The applicant details should be entered matching the above data convention.

Q. Where do I go for CSOL support?

A. Go to www.courts.ie for information on CSOL updates, downtime or general information and casu@courts.ie for direct CSOL support. Alternatively, your local court office may be able to assist you with some general queries. The instructional video links attached below are crucial in understanding CSOL and how it works.

Currently, there are several instructional videos covering a variety of modules, posted on the Online eLicensing page.
These videos are slow paced to allow all users to understand the information being portrayed. These videos were created for assistance and are essential for all users of CSOL to view, in order to fully understand the system prior to using CSOL.

Q. Where do I send suggestions for improvements to the pilot system?

A. Please email any suggestions of improvements to casu@courts.ie and participate in any surveys forwarded to you to relation to CSOL