To fill out Form FL401, download the current version from GOV.UK, work through the numbered sections that apply to your situation, attach a supporting witness statement describing the respondent’s behaviour, and submit the package to your local Family Court. There is no court fee. If you are in immediate danger, the same form lets you ask for a without-notice hearing so a judge can make a temporary order the day you apply.
Check You Can Use the Form
Form FL401 is only for applications against an “associated person” under Section 62(3) of the Family Law Act 1996.1Legislation.gov.uk. Family Law Act 1996 – Section 62 That covers most family and domestic relationships but not disputes with strangers or casual acquaintances. If none of the following fits, you need a different remedy, such as a restraining order through criminal proceedings or an injunction under the Protection from Harassment Act 1997.
- Spouses or former spouses.
- Civil partners or former civil partners.
- Cohabitants or former cohabitants.
- People who live or lived in the same household, other than as employee, tenant, lodger, or boarder.
- Relatives, including step and in-law relationships.
- People who agreed to marry, even if the agreement ended.
- People who agreed to enter a civil partnership, even if the agreement ended.
- People who had an intimate personal relationship of significant duration, without necessarily living together.
- Parents of the same child, or those with parental responsibility for the same child.
- Parties to the same family court proceedings.
Section 4 of the form asks you to identify which of these describes your connection to the respondent. Pick the single category that fits best.
Gather Your Information First
Pull everything together before you open the form. Going back and forth to look up details slows you down and risks inconsistencies between the form and your statement.
- Your full name, any other names you use, date of birth, address, phone, and email.
- The respondent’s full name, any other names, date of birth, address, and contact details if you have them.
- When your relationship started and ended, and the date of any marriage or civil ceremony.
- Each child’s name, date of birth, relationship to you and to the respondent, and who has parental responsibility.
- Court name, case number, and type of proceedings for any family court case already involving both of you.
- Details and end date of any bail conditions preventing the respondent from contacting you.
- Supporting evidence for your statement: medical records, police incident numbers, screenshots of threatening messages, letters from social services.
Keep Your Address Off the Form if You Need To
If letting the respondent see your contact details would put you or your children at risk, do not write your address or phone number anywhere on Form FL401. Leave those fields blank. Instead, put your contact details on Form C8, the confidential contact details form, and file it alongside your application.2GOV.UK. Apply to Keep Your Contact Details Confidential: Form C8 Only the court and Cafcass see the C8; nothing on it is shared with the respondent. The FL401 itself warns you to do this if confidentiality matters.3GOV.UK. Form FL401 Apply for a Non-Molestation or Occupation Order Make sure any exhibits you attach to your statement also have your address removed.
Working Through the Sections
The form is divided into numbered sections. Complete only the ones that apply to you. If you are asking for a non-molestation order and nothing else, you can skip Section 7 (which deals with occupation orders) entirely.
Section 1: The Orders You Want
Tick the box for a non-molestation order. If you need the court to act before the respondent is told about the application, also tick the without-notice box and explain why. The form lists the reasons the court will accept: risk of significant harm, likelihood that you would be deterred from pursuing the application, or the respondent deliberately evading service.3GOV.UK. Form FL401 Apply for a Non-Molestation or Occupation Order Write your explanation in the space provided. Note any current bail conditions and when they expire. A free-text box lets you add anything else the judge should know.
Sections 2 and 3: Your Details and the Respondent’s
In Section 2, fill in your name, any other names, date of birth, address, and contact details. If you have a solicitor, add their name, firm, address, phone, email, and reference number. Section 3 asks for the same information about the respondent, plus whether they currently live with you. That last point matters if you later decide you also need an occupation order.
Section 4: Your Relationship With the Respondent
Select the associated-person category from the list, and give the dates the relationship started and ended. Include the ceremony date if you were married or in a civil partnership.
Section 5: Your Family
State whether the application is for you alone or also to protect children. For each child, list the name, date of birth, relationship to you and the respondent, and who holds parental responsibility. If there are ongoing family court proceedings involving both of you, add the court name, case number, and type of case.
Section 6: What You Want Stopped
This section tells the judge what prohibitions you want in the order. Describe the behaviours separately for you and for any children. Typical prohibitions include violence, threats of violence, direct or indirect contact (including through third parties), attending or approaching your home or workplace, and harassing or intimidating conduct. A free-text box lets you add anything else specific to your situation. Be concrete: the clearer the behaviour you want prevented, the more precisely the judge can draft the order.
The Statement of Truth
The form ends with a statement of truth. By signing it you confirm you believe the facts in the application are true. The form warns that contempt of court proceedings can be brought against anyone who makes a false statement in a verified document without an honest belief in its truth.4Courts and Tribunals Judiciary. Practice Direction 5B – Statements of Truth You can sign by hand or type your name if you are completing the form electronically.
Writing the Supporting Statement
Your supporting statement is the most important document in the application. The form itself only outlines the situation; the statement gives the judge the detail needed to decide whether an order is justified. GOV.UK publishes a template, Form FL401T, built around what the court needs to see.5GOV.UK. FL401T Template Supporting Statement
The template asks you to describe three incidents: the most recent, the first, and the worst. For each one, give the date, what happened, and how it affected your health, safety, or wellbeing. Name anyone who witnessed it or anyone you told afterwards, whether family, friends, police officers, doctors, or social workers.
There is also a section for patterns of behaviour that do not belong to any single event. Ongoing controlling conduct, repeated threats, persistent monitoring: all of that goes here. Judges look for escalation and pattern, not only an isolated moment.
Attach any supporting documents as exhibits. Medical reports, police crime reference numbers, screenshots of messages, letters from social services: label each one with a separate cover sheet. If you are using a C8 to keep your contact details confidential, check that none of the exhibits reveal your address.
Write factually. “On 14 March 2026, the respondent came to my workplace and shouted threats in front of my colleagues” tells a judge far more than “the respondent is always aggressive.” Dates, locations, and specifics are what support an order.
Filing the Application
There is no court fee for a non-molestation order application.6GOV.UK. Family Court Fees (EX50)
Submit your completed FL401, the supporting statement, the C8 if you are using one, and any exhibits to your local Family Court. You can find the right court through the GOV.UK court finder. You can post the documents, email them, or hand them in at the court counter.7GOV.UK. Apply for a Non-Molestation or Occupation Order: Form FL401 Before you submit, read everything through and check that every name is spelled the same way across the form, the statement, and the exhibits. Mismatches cause administrative delays.
You do not need a solicitor. The form and template statement are designed for people representing themselves. Legal aid is still available for non-molestation applications in most cases regardless of your financial situation, so if you want professional help you may be able to get it at no cost. The Civil Legal Advice helpline or any legal aid solicitor can tell you whether you qualify.
Asking for a Same-Day Order Without Notice
If you are in immediate danger, you can ask the court to make the order before the respondent is told. Tick the without-notice box in Section 1 and explain why. Under Section 45 of the Family Law Act 1996 the court weighs three factors:8Legislation.gov.uk. Family Law Act 1996 – Section 45
- Whether there is a risk of significant harm to you or a child from the respondent’s conduct if the order is not made immediately.
- Whether you would be deterred or prevented from pursuing the application if the order is not made at once.
- Whether the respondent is aware of the proceedings but deliberately evading service, and delay would seriously prejudice you or a child.
If a judge grants a without-notice order it takes effect immediately, but it cannot be enforced against the respondent until they have been personally served with the papers. The court then schedules a return hearing, usually within 14 days and sometimes up to 28 days depending on court workload.9Courts and Tribunals Judiciary. Practice Guidance Non-Molestation Injunctions The respondent gets a chance to respond at that hearing.
After You File
For a standard on-notice application, the court schedules a hearing once the respondent has been served. Both of you attend. The judge reads your application and statement, hears from both sides, and decides whether to make the order. If you are without a solicitor, the judge will usually explain the process before starting.
Once the court makes the order, it is written up as Form FL406 and must be personally served on the respondent before it can be enforced. A process server or court official will attempt to hand the papers over and explain what the order says.10Judiciary of the United Kingdom. Protocol for Process Servers: Non-Molestation Orders Keep your own copy of the order with you, and give one to your local police station so officers can act quickly if the respondent breaches it.
For immediate support while any of this is happening, the National Domestic Violence Helpline runs 24 hours a day on 0808 2000 247. Local domestic abuse services can help you complete the paperwork, come with you to court, and connect you with safe housing if you need it.