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C9 form: tell the court how you served documents

Form C9, the statement of service, records how and when you gave court papers to the other people in a children case. You fill it in when you have served documents yourself.

Fill in the C9 form with Wren

How Wren helps with the C9

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.

  1. Plain questions, one at a timeEach part of the C9 becomes short questions in everyday words. Answer at your own pace and come back to it.
  2. Help beside each questionWhat the question is asking and what the official guidance says about it, in plain English.
  3. The official form, filled inYour answers go into the official C9. You check it, sign it and send it yourself. Nothing goes to the court for you.
  4. 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 C9 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
Certificate of service in child cases: Form C9
Edition
04.26 (3 pages). This edition adds a statement of truth.Source: official page (external source, opens in a new tab)
Deadline
At or before the first directions appointment or hearing, whichever is earlier.Source: rule 6.37(2) (external source, opens in a new tab)
Who serves
In section 8 cases the court usually serves. In other children applications the applicant serves.Source: FPR 12.8(2)-(3) (external source, opens in a new tab); FPR 12.8(4) (external source, opens in a new tab)
What to record
For personal service, the date, time and how you identified the person. For post, the date of posting.Source: rule 6.37(1) (external source, opens in a new tab)
When post counts as served
First class post is treated as served on the second day after posting, if that is a business day.Source: rule 6.34 (external source, opens in a new tab)

Who uses the C9

Anyone who has served documents in a children case. For example, the applicant in a C1 application, such as for parental responsibility, serves the papers and then files a C9.

When it is used

After service. The form says it must be filed on or before the first directions appointment or hearing.

Before you start

  • The court name, case number and the children's full names.
  • The name and address of each person you served, or their solicitor if you served the solicitor.
  • How you served each person, such as in person, by post or by email, and the date and time.
  • A list of the documents you served on each person.

How to fill in the C9

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.

Page 1: the case and the instructions

You give the court, case number and children's names. The page explains that you must cover service on every party and on everyone who must be given notice.

Page 2: the service table

For each person you give their name and address, how, when and where you served them, and which forms you served. If you posted the papers, give the date, time and place of posting.

Page 3: statement of truth

You sign to confirm the facts are true. False statements can lead to contempt of court proceedings.

Prepare your C9 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 started

Free 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 uses the C9 to check that everyone had proper notice before it deals with the case. Before going ahead without a respondent, the court must be satisfied they had reasonable notice of the hearing. If service could not be done the usual way, the court can be asked to allow another method.

Common mistakes

  • Filing the C9 late, after the first hearing.
  • Leaving out people who had to be given notice, not just the respondents.
  • Not listing which documents went to each person.
  • Giving an address that is meant to be kept confidential. The rules let you keep some contact details from other parties using form C8.

Common questions

Do I need to file a C9 in a C100 case?

In section 8 cases the rules say the court serves the application, so usually you do not. If you serve any documents yourself, the C9 records that.

When is a document served if I post it?

By first class post it is treated as served on the second day after posting, if that is a business day. Otherwise it is the next business day.

Can I serve court papers by email?

Only if the person has said in writing that they accept email service and given the address to use.

What if the person is in a refuge?

The court must give directions on how to serve them. Refuge details are not disclosed to the person serving.

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.

Last checked against its sources on . How we check our pages.

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