Family law guide
Part of: Your First Family Court Hearing
The C100 form is the application you use to ask the family court in England and Wales to settle a dispute about a child: where the child lives, who they spend time with, or one specific question such as schooling or a trip abroad. It is made under section 8 of the Children Act 1989, the court fee is £270, and in most cases you must attend a mediation meeting (a MIAM) before you apply. You can apply online or send a paper form to your child’s local family court.
GOV.UK publishes Form C100 itself, free. This guide covers what GOV.UK does not: what each section of the current form (version 06.26) actually asks, what a useful answer looks like, and what the form itself warns will hold your application up.
A C100 asks the court to make, change or end one of three “section 8” orders about a child. The GOV.UK C100 form lists them on its first page:
People often search for a “C100 court order”, but the C100 is the application, not the order. The judge makes a section 8 order at the end of the case, and it is that order which binds both parents. To change an order that already exists you also use a C100 — see varying a child arrangements order.
Is the C100 form UK-wide? No. It belongs to the family court in England and Wales, and there is no Scottish or Northern Irish version. GOV.UK notes that what you can do is different in Scotland and Northern Ireland and points parents there to separate guidance.
A C100 application starts new proceedings. The form’s own instructions send you elsewhere in two situations:
Check which of the three fits before you start filling anything in.
Any parent can make a C100 application without permission, whether or not they have parental responsibility. Section 10(4) of the Children Act 1989 gives the same automatic right to a guardian, a special guardian, a step-parent who has parental responsibility by agreement or court order, and anyone named in a child arrangements order as a person the child lives with.
Section 10(5) lets some other people apply for a child arrangements order — but not the other two orders — without permission:
Everyone else must first ask the court for permission, often called “leave”. That most often means grandparents, and step-parents without parental responsibility who want a specific issue or prohibited steps order. You ask for permission on the same C100, at question A1; our guide to contact orders for grandparents covers what the court weighs. If a section 91(14) order bars you from applying without permission, question A2 asks about it.
Before making a C100 application you must attend a Mediation Information and Assessment Meeting (MIAM) with an authorised family mediator, unless an exemption applies. The duty comes from section 10 of the Children and Families Act 2014, in force since 22 April 2014, and Family Procedure Rules rule 3.7 requires the application to carry either the mediator’s confirmation or a claimed exemption.
At the MIAM the mediator explains mediation and other ways of settling the dispute out of court, and assesses whether any of them suit your situation. You can find one through the Family Mediation Council. Most people pay for the MIAM, but the C100’s notes say it is free if you qualify for legal aid, and GOV.UK says you can usually get a voucher worth up to £500 towards the cost of mediation.
The exemptions are listed in rule 3.8. Those that matter for a C100 are:
The bankruptcy exemption that some guides list applies only to financial cases, not to a C100.
An exemption is not a way round the requirement. The C100 warns that the court cannot process your application without a valid exemption, that you must send the evidence the exemption needs, and that if the judge decides the exemption was not validly claimed you will be directed to attend a MIAM before the case goes further.
The C100 court fee is £270. GOV.UK states that it costs £270 to apply for a court order, so older pages quoting a lower figure are out of date. That £270 is the whole C100 form cost payable to the court; a MIAM or mediation is paid to the mediator, not the court.
If you are on certain benefits or a low income, Help with Fees can reduce or remove the C100 application fee. You apply online or on form EX160, then write your HWF reference in the box on the front page of the C100. GOV.UK’s current limits are:
If you have already paid the C100 fee, you can ask for a refund if you paid within the last 3 months and would have qualified at the time.
GOV.UK presents the C100 form online as the main route and the paper form as the fallback for people who cannot apply online.
Whichever route you choose, it is the same C100 form, family court and £270 fee. That is also how to get a C100 form to read before you decide: the C100 form download is free from GOV.UK. Check that the footer reads “(06.26)” — the June 2026 version — because an older copy saved from another website may have different sections.
If you were hoping for an example of a completed C100 form, the table below is more use than a copy of someone else’s answers, because every section turns on your own facts. It follows the C100 application form in order and uses the form’s own instructions. The first of those is simple: answer every question, and if you do not have the information, say so — the form warns that missing information can delay your case.
| Part of the form | What it asks | What a useful answer contains | What the form warns about |
|---|---|---|---|
| Front pages: nature of the application and risk of harm | Which order or orders you want and what exactly you are asking for. Whether the child has suffered, or is at risk of, domestic abuse, abduction, child abuse, drug or alcohol misuse, or other safety concerns. | A plain description of the arrangement you want, such as “the children to live with me and spend alternate weekends with their father, Friday 5pm to Sunday 5pm”. Honest answers to each harm question. | Any “Yes” to a harm question means you must complete form C1A and file it with the C100. |
| Questions A1 to A8 | Whether you need permission; any section 91(14) order; whether you need an urgent or without-notice hearing; earlier or current cases; whether you are formalising an agreement; any Scotland, Northern Ireland or international element; Welsh language needs. | A short answer to each. A1 matters if you are not a parent (see who can apply, above). | Ticking “urgent” commits you to completing Section 6 as well. |
| Section 1: the child(ren) | Each child’s name, date of birth and sex, and your and the respondent’s relationship to each child. | Full details for every child the application is about. | Must be completed by every applicant. |
| Section 2: MIAM requirement | Whether you attended a MIAM, are claiming an exemption, or the requirement does not apply. | One clear route ticked. | Without a MIAM confirmation or a valid exemption the court cannot process the application. |
| Section 3 (3a to 3f): MIAM exemptions | Which exemption you rely on and the evidence for it. | Only the categories that genuinely apply, with the evidence each one requires attached. | Missing evidence, or an exemption the judge finds invalid, means you are directed to attend a MIAM first. |
| Section 4: MIAM provider confirms attendance | The mediator’s confirmation that you attended. | Completed by the mediator who ran your MIAM — the form’s notes tell you to ask them to do it. | Only needed if you attended a MIAM. |
| Section 5: why are you making this application? | Your reasons and what you want the court to order. | The current problem, the arrangement you propose and why it is best for the child, in a few short paragraphs. Leave the full history for any statement the court asks for later. | Must be completed by every applicant. |
| Section 6: urgent and without-notice hearings | Whether you need a hearing quickly, or without the other party being told, and why. | Specific facts and dates showing a real, immediate risk. | Only complete it if you ticked urgent or without notice at A3. |
| Sections 7 to 10: other cases, international element, taking part, attending court | Other court cases about the child and their case numbers; links to Scotland, Northern Ireland or abroad; anything affecting your ability to take part; interpreter, Welsh or access needs at court. | Case numbers taken from earlier court papers; any passport or travel concerns; adjustments you need at hearings. | Must be completed by every applicant. |
| Sections 11 to 14: you, the respondent, others to notify, anyone acting for you | Your details, the other party’s details, anyone else who must be told about the case, and the details of anyone acting for you professionally. | Full names, dates of birth and addresses where known. Leave Section 14 blank if you are applying yourself. | If your address or phone number must be kept from the other party, leave it off the C100 and give it on form C8 instead. |
| Section 15: checklist | Which sections you completed and what you have enclosed. | Every box ticked honestly, with any MIAM-exemption evidence attached. | Evidence is required for some MIAM exemptions. |
| Section 16: statement of truth | Your signature confirming the contents are true. | Sign and date it only once you have checked every answer. | Proceedings for contempt of court can be brought against anyone who signs a statement of truth without an honest belief that it is true. |
The form states that all applicants must complete Sections 1, 2 and 5 to 14. Section 3 is only for people claiming a MIAM exemption, and Section 4 only for people who attended a MIAM.
If you answer “Yes” to any risk-of-harm question on the C100, you must also complete the C1A form and file it with your application. GOV.UK describes form C1A as the way to tell the court about harm that you or a child have suffered or are at risk of suffering. A respondent uses the same form to answer allegations made in an application.
Filing a C1A does not by itself exempt you from the MIAM: the domestic abuse exemption depends on the evidence listed in Practice Direction 3A. Where serious allegations are disputed and could affect the outcome, the court may hold a fact-finding hearing before it decides arrangements for the child.
If the other party must not learn where you or the child live, leave those details off the C100 and give them on the C8 form (confidential contact details), which the C100 itself points you to.
Section 6 of the form is where you ask for a C100 urgent hearing, or for a hearing without notice to the other party. Use it only where there is a real and immediate risk. The urgency exemption in rule 3.8 gives the kind of situation that qualifies: a risk to life or safety, or a risk of the child being unlawfully removed from the UK. Give specific facts and dates rather than general worries.
For situations where a child needs protecting straight away, see our guide to emergency applications about children.
Throughout a C100 family court case, the child’s welfare is the court’s paramount consideration (Children Act 1989, s.1(1)). The usual sequence under the Child Arrangements Programme (PD12B) is:
If the other parent later does not keep to the order, see what happens when a family court order is broken.
It starts a case in the family court in England and Wales, asking a judge to decide where a child lives, who they spend time with, or a specific question about their upbringing. The judge’s decision is a section 8 order under the Children Act 1989.
The form itself is free from GOV.UK. Applying costs a £270 court fee, which Help with Fees can reduce or remove if you are on certain benefits or a low income.
The first hearing is ordinarily in week 5 after the court issues the application, and at the latest in week 6 (PD12B para 14.1). GOV.UK says the whole process takes around 10 months to reach a court order.
The court cannot process a C100 without a mediator’s confirmation that you attended a MIAM or a valid exemption; if an exemption is found invalid, you will be directed to attend a MIAM first. Missing information delays a case, and a C100 is the wrong form if you are already in proceedings (use C2) or enforcing an order (use C79).
Yes. You do not need anyone to act for you, and the form directs applicants to GOV.UK guides CB1 and CB7, which are written for parents applying themselves. Specialist help is most useful where there are safety concerns, a C1A, an international element or an urgent hearing.
The child’s welfare is the paramount consideration, and delay is presumed to harm the child (Children Act 1989, s.1(1) and (2)). The judge works through the welfare checklist in s.1(3): the child’s wishes and feelings, their needs, the effect of any change, their age and background, any harm or risk of harm, each parent’s ability to meet their needs, and the range of orders available.
Only from GOV.UK: either the online application service or the C100 form PDF on the GOV.UK publication page. Both are free.
Yes. Question A5 asks whether you are applying to formalise an agreement, and the form’s notes explain that if both parties agree you can ask the court to approve what you have agreed as a consent order.
Our family law specialists help parents prepare C100 applications and get ready for the first hearing, with offices in Newcastle, York, Northampton, Oxford and London. Contact us to arrange an initial conversation.
Expert Tip:
“The most common reason for a court refusing a C100 application is the requirement to attend mediation. You must therefore ensure you have attended an obtained a MIAM or alternatively if an exception applies ensure you correctly relay this and provide any support evidence. Failure to do this could result in many weeks of delay before your application is issued by the family court.”
Tom Atkinson, Client Team Member
8 of 29 guides — scroll sideways for more
Child Custody Specialists
Sibling Contact Orders: Protecting the Bond Between Brothers and Sisters
Child Maintenance Tribunal
Applying for a Child Contact Order
Article 21 Hague Convention – International Child Access
Reasons To Stop Child Contact
Reasons why a fathers access to children should not be restricted
Short videos from the Kabir Family Law team, explaining family law in plain English.
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