Children and money

FL403 form: change, extend or end a protection order

Form FL403 is the application to vary (change), extend or discharge (end) an order made under Part 4 of the Family Law Act 1996, such as a non-molestation order or an occupation order. It is made in the existing proceedings, to the court that made the original order.

Fill in the FL403 form with Wren

How Wren helps with the FL403

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 FL403 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 FL403. 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 FL403 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.

Official title: Apply to change or set aside a non-molestation order or occupation order: Form FL403
Edition: 06.26Source: official page (external source, opens in a new tab)
When you can apply: Only while the order is still in forceSource: official page (external source, opens in a new tab)
Which court: The court which made the original orderSource: official page (external source, opens in a new tab)
Confidential details: Leave your contact details off the form and complete Form C8 if you want them kept from the other people in the caseSource: rule 29.1(2) (external source, opens in a new tab)
Hearing and service: The rules on hearings in private and on serving the order apply as they did to the original applicationSource: rule 10.8 (external source, opens in a new tab)
Police: If a non-molestation order is varied or discharged, the court tells the police station and sends them copiesSource: rule 10.10(4)-(5) (external source, opens in a new tab)

Who uses the FL403

Either the person who applied for the original order or the person it was made against. On this form, whoever is applying is called the applicant, and the other person named in the original order is the respondent. If you are in immediate danger, call 999.

When it is used

While the order is still in force, when you want its terms changed, want it to last longer, or want it to end. GOV.UK says you can only make this application if the order is still in force.

Before you start

A copy of the order you want to change, extend or end. The form asks you to attach it if possible.
The date the order was made and the name of the court that made it.
If you want your address or phone number kept from the other people in the case, leave them off the FL403 and fill in Form C8 instead.
What you want the court to do, and your reasons, in a few short paragraphs.
The title, full name and address of each person the application is to be served on.

How to fill in the FL403

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.

The court you are applying to

The form says you must apply to the court which made the original order. There is a space for the court's name at the top of the first page.

Section 1: about you

You give your title, full name, address, phone number and, only if you are under 18, your date of birth. If you do not want your contact details known to the other people in the case, the form says to leave them blank and complete Form C8. If a solicitor acts for you, their details go here too, and you say whether you are already a party to the case.

Section 2: the order

You tick whether you are applying to vary, extend or discharge the order, and give the date of the order. If you want it varied or extended, you set out the order you would like the court to make.

Section 3: your reasons

You state briefly why you are applying, for example what has changed since the order was made.

Section 4: who is to be served

The form says the application is to be served on the respondent and the person to be protected by the order. You give the title, full name and address of each respondent, leaving out any details kept confidential on Form C8.

Statement of truth

You sign the statement of truth on the printed form, tick whether you are the applicant or their legal representative, and date it.

Prepare your FL403 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 deals with the application in the existing proceedings, and any hearing about it is held in private. The form says that if you are an individual applicant you must not serve the documents yourself on the person you are seeking the order against. If a non-molestation order is varied or discharged, the court officer tells the police station and sends them copies. 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

Waiting until the order has ended. GOV.UK says you can only apply while it is still in force.
Sending the application to a different court from the one that made the original order.
Putting your address or phone number on the form when you want them kept private. Use Form C8 instead.
Serving the application on the other person yourself. The form says an individual applicant must not.

Common questions

Can the person the order was made against use FL403?

Yes. Either the person who applied for the original order or the person it was made against can apply to vary, extend or discharge it.

Can I keep my address private on an FL403?

Yes. The 06.26 edition says to leave your contact details blank and complete Form C8. Make sure nothing you send with the form reveals them.

Can I use FL403 after the order has expired?

No. GOV.UK says you can only make this application if the order is still in force.

Who serves the FL403 on the other person?

Not you, if you are an individual applicant. The form says you must not serve the documents yourself on the person you are seeking the order against.

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 7 October 2026. How we check our pages.