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EX741 form: questioning in person: form for the person accused of abuse

Form EX741 is for a person in family proceedings who has been accused of domestic abuse. It gives the court information it needs to decide whether one party may question another, or a witness, in person at a hearing, and lets that person ask the court to prevent questioning in person or to appoint a lawyer to carry out the questioning.

Fill in the EX741 form with Wren

How Wren helps with the EX741

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 EX741 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 EX741. 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
A day or more
With Wren
About an hour for most forms
Solicitor for this form
£740 to £1,2403 to 5 hours

A solicitor’s time for the EX741 can run to £1,240. With Wren it is part of £19.99 a month, and it takes about an hour for most forms rather than a day or more.

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
Accused: Apply to the court to consider whether to prevent (prohibit) questioning (cross-examination) in person: Form EX741
When it is completed
When the court directs a hearing where oral evidence may be given, unless the court directs otherwiseSource: para 2.2, 2.3 (external source, opens in a new tab)
Automatic prohibition
Applies where there is a conviction, caution or charge for a specified offence, an on-notice protective injunction, or specified evidence of domestic abuseSource: para 1.4(a); Annex B s 31R (external source, opens in a new tab); para 1.4(a); Annex B s 31S (external source, opens in a new tab); para 1.4(a); Annex B s 31T (external source, opens in a new tab)
Court direction
Where no automatic prohibition applies, the court may still prevent questioning in person if the quality of evidence or significant distress test is met and it is not contrary to the interests of justiceSource: para 3.1, 3.7; Annex B s 31U (external source, opens in a new tab)
Qualified legal representative
If questioning in person is prevented and the person has no lawyer, the court may appoint one to carry out the questioning only, at no cost to the partiesSource: official page (external source, opens in a new tab)
Return
The form says to return it within 14 days, unless the court sets a different timeSource: official page (external source, opens in a new tab)

Who uses the EX741

The person in the case who has been accused of domestic abuse, whether they are the applicant or the respondent. The person making the accusation uses a different form, EX740. GOV.UK says to make sure you use the correct form, as there are different forms for each party.

When it is used

Usually when the court directs that the case be listed for a hearing where oral evidence may be given. The court can also direct that the form be completed at another stage, only by a particular party, or not at all.

Before you start

  • The name of the court and the case number, from a letter or order the court has sent you.
  • The date of the next hearing, if one has been set.
  • Details and dates of any caution, charge or conviction for a specified offence. The form links to the list on legislation.gov.uk.
  • A copy of any protective order made against you, such as a non-molestation order or restraining order, with its case number and date if you know them.
  • Your legal representative's name, firm and contact details, if you have one.

How to fill in the EX741

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: you and the hearing

You give the court name, case number, your name and whether you are the applicant or the respondent, and the date of the next hearing if you know it.

Questions 4 to 6: supporting evidence

You say whether you have been cautioned for, charged with or convicted of a specified offence towards a party or witness in the case, whether any of the listed protective orders have been made against you at a hearing you were told about, and whether there is specified evidence of abuse. Copies of orders and evidence go with the form.

Questions 7 to 9: in court

You say whether being questioned in person by another party would stop you giving your best evidence or cause you significant distress, and whether having to question another party or a witness yourself would cause you significant distress. Brief reasons are asked for each yes.

Questions 10 and 11: what you are applying for

You say whether you want the court to prevent any party from questioning you in person, and whether you want a legal representative to ask questions of another party or a witness for you.

Questions 12 to 18 and the statement of truth

If a legal representative acts for you, you give their details. You then sign the statement of truth on the printed form.

Prepare your EX741 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

GOV.UK says the court will consider the application and tell you and the other party its decision. If it prevents questioning in person, the court tells the party who cannot ask the questions and invites them to arrange a qualified legal representative, and may appoint one. If it does not, you may have to question, or be questioned by, the other party directly. The form can be prepared in Wren once it appears in the Forms list. Wren does not file, serve or send anything: you return the form to the court yourself.

Common mistakes

  • Using form EX740 instead. That form is for the person making the accusation.
  • Forgetting to attach a copy of an order or of specified evidence mentioned in the form.
  • Returning the form late. The form says 14 days unless the court sets a different time.
  • Leaving the statement of truth unsigned.

Common questions

Do I have to fill in EX741 if I have been accused of abuse?

Practice Direction 3AB says the parties must complete EX740 or EX741 when the court directs a hearing where oral evidence may be given, unless the court directs otherwise. The form says the court will let you know if you must complete it.

Will I have to pay for the lawyer who asks the questions?

No. GOV.UK says a legal representative appointed by the court to carry out the questioning only does the questioning, does not represent anyone in the rest of the case, and does not have to be paid by the parties.

What is a specified offence or specified evidence?

They are listed in regulations made in 2022. The form's notes link to the lists on legislation.gov.uk.

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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