FL401A form: apply for a forced marriage protection order
Form FL401A is the application for a forced marriage protection order under Part 4A of the Family Law Act 1996. The order can protect a person from being forced into a marriage or from an attempt to force them, or protect a person who has already been forced into one.
Fill in the FL401A form with Wren
How Wren helps with the FL401A
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 FL401A 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 FL401A. 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
- 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 FL401A 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
- Form FL401A: Application for a forced marriage protection order
- Edition
- 06.26Source: official page (external source, opens in a new tab)
- Who can apply
- The person to be protected or a relevant third party; anyone else with the court's permissionSource: official page (external source, opens in a new tab)
- Service
- An individual applicant must not serve the documents on the person the order is sought againstSource: official page (external source, opens in a new tab)
- Without notice
- Reasons for a without notice application go in a sworn statementSource: official page (external source, opens in a new tab)
Who uses the FL401A
The person to be protected, or a relevant third party such as a local authority. Anyone else needs the court's permission first, on Form FL430. The Forced Marriage Unit gives advice and support on 020 7008 0151. If you are in immediate danger, call 999.
When it is used
When someone is at risk of being forced into a marriage, or has been forced into one. The court can hear the application without notice to the respondent in urgent cases.
Before you start
- Your details, unless kept confidential on Form C8.
- If applying for someone else: their details and your reasons.
- The details of each respondent.
- What you want the order to say, and the facts in support.
- Details of any other family proceedings or orders.
How to fill in the FL401A
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.
Section 1: about you
Whether you are the person to be protected, a relevant third party or someone else, and your details. If you are the person to be protected, you go on to section 4.
Sections 2 and 3
The person to be protected and your reasons for applying on their behalf, for relevant third parties.
Section 4: respondents
Each respondent's details, two on the form and more on a separate sheet.
Sections 5 to 8
The order you want and whether you want it without notice, needs at court, other information and other proceedings.
Statement of truth
Signed on the printed form.
Prepare your FL401A 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 application is served on the respondent and the person to be protected. FPR rule 11.4 says the court serves it if an applicant acting in person asks. You can prepare the form in Wren once it is available in the Forms list. Wren does not file, serve or send anything for you.
Common mistakes
- Serving the respondent yourself.
- Putting confidential addresses on the form instead of Form C8.
- Applying for someone else without first getting permission on Form FL430, when you are not a relevant third party.
Common questions
Is a forced marriage protection order the same as a non-molestation order?
No. It is made under Part 4A of the Family Law Act 1996; non-molestation orders use Form FL401.
Can I apply without the respondent knowing?
You can ask the court to hear it without notice; the form says the reasons go in a sworn statement.
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.
- GOV.UK: Form FL401A (external source, opens in a new tab)
- Form FL401A (06.26) PDF (external source, opens in a new tab)
- Family Law Act 1996, Part 4A (external source, opens in a new tab)
- FPR 2010 Part 11 (external source, opens in a new tab)
- GOV.UK: Forced marriage (external source, opens in a new tab)
- GOV.UK: Form C8 confidential contact details (external source, opens in a new tab)