Form D11 — general applications within family proceedings
REVIEWED BY: Sean McNamara on 2026-09-01
Form D11 is the general application form used to ask the family court for something in the course of existing proceedings — FPR Part 18, rule 18.1 and PD5A (Table 2). It is the "Swiss-army" form of family litigation: an application notice for directions, variation, specific orders, permission, and much else.
When D11 is the right route
- Vary or set aside an order in children proceedings (subject to PD5A ¶3.1(ia)–(iii): use C650 for toxicology-test-error variations; D11 otherwise).
- Ask for directions (e.g. a further hearing, an expert report, disclosure).
- Apply for specific issue or prohibited steps orders within live proceedings (a fresh C100 is only for new applications outside proceedings).
- Enforcement asks (with Part 37 committal applications for breach of orders — check the penal-notice requirements).
- Note the specific exceptions in PD5A: N244 within appeals, FP2 in other High Court cases, D651 for financial-remedy E1-calculator errors.
How to complete one well
1. Heading must match the case exactly (case number, court, parties in order). 2. State the rule you apply under (usually FPR r18.1) and the order sought, in numbered, specific terms — the draft order is attached. 3. Evidence: usually a short witness statement (or the grounds section) explaining why the order is necessary and why now. 4. Service: follow FPR Part 6 — and remember that orders capable of committal must carry a penal notice and be personally served (FPR 37.9(1), 37.5). 5. Fee: many in-proceedings applications carry no fee; check the current EX50 list — and whether a without-notice application is justified (full and frank disclosure is required if so).
Realities for litigants in person
- The court can decide D11 applications on paper without a hearing — so the paper application must stand entirely on its own.
- Keep the draft order narrow and workable; judges dislike (and often refuse) orders they cannot practically supervise.
- If the application relates to a child arrangements case being heard under the 2026 Child-Focused Courts model, expect judicial continuity — address requests to the judge already managing the case.
Independent general information — not legal advice. Check PD5A and the current EX50 fee schedule before filing.