C8 form: keep your contact details private from the other side
Form C8 tells the family court about contact details you do not want shared with other people in the case. The court keeps them for its own use and does not reveal them unless it orders otherwise.
How Wren helps with the C8
Official forms are written for lawyers. With Wren you do not have to decode this one on your own, and you still follow the court’s procedure.
- Plain questions, one at a timeEach part of the C8 becomes short questions in everyday words. Answer at your own pace and come back to it.
- Help beside each questionWhat the question is asking and what the official guidance says about it, in plain English.
- The official form, filled inYour answers go into the official C8. You check it, sign it and send it yourself. Nothing goes to the court for you.
- What comes next, kept with your caseWhat usually happens after you send it, with the dates worked out from the published rules.
Time and money
- On your own
- An hour or two
- With Wren
- 15 to 30 minutes
- Solicitor for this form
- £250 to £4901 to 2 hours
A solicitor’s time for the C8 can run to £490. With Wren it is part of £19.99 a month, and it takes 15 to 30 minutes rather than an hour or two.
Times and hours are Wren’s estimates for a typical case, not quotes. Solicitor costs are those hours at £247 an hour, the courts’ guideline rate for a solicitor with over four years’ experience, outside London (GOV.UK, Solicitors' guideline hourly rates (in effect from 1 January 2026)). The guideline runs from £200 to £295 an hour outside London depending on experience, firms set their own rates, and VAT is added on top.
Key facts
- Official title
- Apply to keep your contact details confidential: Form C8
- Edition
- 06.26 (3 pages)Source: official page (external source, opens in a new tab)
- The rule
- Family Procedure Rules rule 29.1. You need not reveal these details to anyone except the court.Source: rule 29.1(1) (external source, opens in a new tab); rule 29.1(2) (external source, opens in a new tab)
- What it covers
- Your address, phone number and email, a child's contact details, and the name of a non-party a child lives with.Source: rule 29.1(1) (external source, opens in a new tab)
- Who sees the details
- The court, and Cafcass, Cafcass Cymru or a local authority if they are involved in the case.Source: official page (external source, opens in a new tab)
- Where it goes
- Include it with your main family court application, following that application's sending instructions.Source: official page (external source, opens in a new tab)
- One person per form
- Use a separate C8 for each person whose details you want kept private.Source: official page (external source, opens in a new tab)
Who uses the C8
Any party who does not want to reveal their own contact details, or another person's, to the other side. The form gives the example of someone who believes a person in the case could harm them or a child.
When it is used
Usually with your first form in the case, such as a C100, C1, C2 or C7. Many family forms tell you to leave the address boxes blank and complete C8 instead.
Before you start
- The name of the court and the case number, if you already have one.
- The full names of the children in the case.
- The name of the person whose details are to be kept private.
- Whether that person currently lives in a refuge.
- The exact contact details to keep private. The form says to list only details the other people do not already know.
How to fill in the C8
Open each part for what it asks and how to answer it. In Wren, each part is a few plain questions, and your answers fill in the form.
Questions 1 to 3: the case
You give the court name, case number and the children's full names. This links the C8 to the right case.
Questions 4 and 5: whose details, and refuges
You name the person whose details are to be kept private and say whether they live in a refuge. The rules give the court specific duties about serving papers on someone in a refuge.
The omitted contact details
You list the details you want kept private, such as an address, phone number or email. Include only details the other people do not already know.
Statement of truth
You sign to confirm the facts are true. The applicant, the respondent or a legal representative can sign.
Keep the details out of every other document
The form says you must make sure nothing you send to court shows the private details. This includes reports from other people, such as medical or financial reports. Court staff cannot check this for you.
Prepare your C8 with Wren Family
Wren Family turns official forms into short, plain-English questions you can answer at your own pace. You check everything before you send it: nothing goes to the court for you.
Get startedFree for 14 days, no card. Then £19.99 a month, with your money back within 14 days if it’s not right.
What happens after you send it
The court holds the details for its own use and for Cafcass, Cafcass Cymru or a local authority if involved. They are not revealed to anyone else unless the court orders it. If you move home during the case, the rules say you must tell the court. If you are in immediate danger, call 999.
Common mistakes
- Completing C8 but still writing the private address on the main application or a later statement.
- Attaching letters, payslips or medical reports that show the private address.
- Using one C8 for several people instead of a separate form for each.
- Listing details the other side already knows, which the form says not to include.
Common questions
Will the other parent find out my address if I use a C8?
Not from the court, unless the court orders it. The details are kept for the court and, where involved, Cafcass, Cafcass Cymru or a local authority.
Can I keep my child's address private?
Yes. The rules cover a child's address and contact details, and the name of a person the child lives with who is not a party.
When do I send a C8?
GOV.UK says to include it with your main family court application. A respondent can send it with form C7.
What if I move during the case?
The rules say a party who changes home address during the proceedings must tell the court.
Where these facts come from
These are the official rules and pages this page is based on. They are listed so you can check a detail for yourself; you do not need them to use Wren. They are outside Wren and open in a new tab.