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FL401 form: apply for protection from domestic abuse

Form FL401 is the application for a non-molestation order, an occupation order or both, under Part 4 of the Family Law Act 1996. It is filled in by a person who has experienced domestic abuse and wants the court's protection for themselves and any relevant child.

Fill in the FL401 form with Wren

How Wren helps with the FL401

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 FL401 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 FL401. 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 FL401 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
Apply for a non-molestation or occupation order: Form FL401
Supporting statement
Must be supported by a witness statement. GOV.UK publishes a template (FL401T).Source: rule 10.2(1) (external source, opens in a new tab)
Without notice
Can be made without notice to the respondent; the statement must give the reasonsSource: rule 10.2(2) (external source, opens in a new tab); rule 10.2(4) (external source, opens in a new tab)
Service
You must not serve the papers yourself. If you have no solicitor you can ask the court to serve them, free of charge.Source: rule 10.3(1A) (external source, opens in a new tab); rule 10.3(2) (external source, opens in a new tab); Family request for service (fees order 15.1) (external source, opens in a new tab)
On-notice timing
Served on the respondent personally at least 2 days before the hearingSource: rule 10.3(1) (external source, opens in a new tab)

Who uses the FL401

A person asking for protection from someone they are connected to, such as a partner, former partner or family member. The person the order is against is called the respondent. If you are in immediate danger, call 999.

When it is used

It starts a new application. It can be made without telling the respondent first in urgent cases, and the court then holds a further hearing with notice to them.

Before you start

  • If you want your address, phone number or email kept from the respondent, leave them off the FL401 and fill in Form C8 instead.
  • The respondent's name and, if you know them, their date of birth and address.
  • Dates your relationship with the respondent started and ended.
  • Details of any children, and of any other family court cases involving you and the respondent.
  • For an occupation order: the address, who lives there, and any mortgage lender or landlord details.
  • What has happened, for your supporting witness statement. You can use the FL401T template.

How to fill in the FL401

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.

Before you start: your age

Adults continue with the form. The form says someone aged 16 to 18 needs an adult to help and complete form FP9. Under 16s need the court's permission, and the form refers to forms FP2 and FP9.

Section 1: your situation

You choose a non-molestation order, an occupation order or both. You say whether you want the order made without notice to the respondent, and why. You also say whether there are bail conditions.

Sections 2 and 3: your details and the respondent's

You give your details and say whether they can be shared with the respondent. If they cannot, leave them out and use Form C8. If you live in a refuge, the form says to put the address only on the C8. You then give the respondent's details.

Section 4: your relationship

You must show a connection to the respondent, which the courts call being associated. You pick the relationship that best fits and give dates.

Section 5: your family

If there are children, you give their details and any ongoing family court proceedings.

Sections 6 and 7: what you are asking for

Section 6 covers what you want the respondent to stop doing, to you and to any child. Section 7 covers the home for an occupation order: the address, who lives there, adaptations, mortgage or rental details and home rights.

Section 8: going to court

You can ask for an interpreter or help with a disability. You can also ask for special measures, such as a privacy screen, to keep you separate from the respondent.

Statement of truth and what to send

You sign the statement of truth and attach your supporting statement. For hand-completed papers, the form asks for 3 copies for a non-molestation order or 4 for an occupation order. If you have no solicitor, one copy of each is enough.

Prepare your FL401 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 gives you a notice of proceedings with the hearing date and a sealed copy of the application. If the court makes an order, it must be served on the respondent personally, but not by you. The court can arrange service for you if you ask, and a copy of a non-molestation order goes to the police. For an occupation order about the home, the mortgage lender and any landlord must also be served.

Common mistakes

  • Putting your address or phone number on the FL401 when you want them kept private. Use Form C8 instead.
  • Serving the application or order on the respondent yourself. The rules say you must not.
  • Applying without notice but not explaining in the statement why notice was not given.
  • Forgetting the supporting witness statement, which must go with the application.
  • Leaving out the mortgage lender or landlord details in an occupation order application.

Common questions

How much does an FL401 cost?

There is no court fee for a non-molestation order or an occupation order. Bailiff service of the application is also free.

Can I get an emergency non-molestation order?

The court can make an order without notice to the respondent where it is just and convenient. You must explain why. A further hearing is then held with notice to the respondent.

Who serves the non-molestation order on the respondent?

Not you. A solicitor can arrange it, or a person without a solicitor can ask the court to serve it using form D89, free of charge. A professional process server is another option.

Can I keep my address secret on an FL401?

Yes. Leave your contact details off the form and give them on Form C8. The court will not reveal them unless it directs otherwise.

Is there another option instead of FL401?

GOV.UK says a domestic abuse protection order can be applied for instead in some areas, depending on where the respondent lives. RCJ Citizens Advice's CourtNav service can also help prepare an application online.

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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