To fill out Form D11, the application notice used in divorce, dissolution, and separation proceedings in England and Wales, work through the mandatory questions (1 to 4, 10, and 11), attach a draft of the order you want the judge to make, add any supporting evidence, sign the statement of truth, and file it with the court already handling your case together with the fee or a Help with Fees reference.1GOV.UK. Apply for an Interim Order as Part of Divorce, Dissolution or Separation Court Proceedings: Form D11 The procedure sits in Part 18 of the Family Procedure Rules, and the form itself is downloadable from GOV.UK.
What to Have Ready Before You Open the Form
Gather the following so you can finish in one sitting:
- Your case number, assigned when the divorce, dissolution, or separation application was issued.
- The name of the court or family court centre managing the case.
- Full names of all parties, spelled exactly as they appear on the existing case file.
- A draft of the order you want the judge to make. Rule 18.7 requires this to be attached to the application notice, so write out the specific wording you are asking the judge to approve.2Justice UK. Family Procedure Rules Part 18 – Procedure for Other Applications in Proceedings
- Supporting evidence. A short explanation can go in the box on the form; anything longer should be a separate witness statement with numbered paragraphs.
- Names, postal addresses, and email addresses of everyone who needs to be served.
Filling Out the Form Section by Section
The D11 runs to several pages. Questions 1 to 4, 10, and 11 are mandatory, and the court will not process the form if any of them are left blank.3GOV.UK. General Applications, Alternative Service and Deemed and Dispensed
Questions 1 and 2: Who You Are
Enter your full name, or your solicitor’s firm name if you are legally represented. Then pick your role in the main proceedings: applicant, respondent, solicitor, or other. If you tick “solicitor,” the form asks whom you represent. If you tick “other,” give a short explanation of your connection to the case.
Question 3: The Order You Want and Why
This is the section the judge reads first. State precisely what order you are asking for and why. Useful examples of the level of detail expected are “to adjourn the hearing listed for 15 July because the respondent’s financial disclosure is incomplete” or “to vary paragraph 3 of the order dated 10 March because of a change in employment.” Vague wording slows things down, because the judge may not understand the scope of what you need.4HM Courts & Tribunals Service. D11 – Application Notice
Questions 4 to 9: Paper Decision and Hearing Preferences
Question 4 asks whether there is any reason the application should not be decided on paper, without a hearing. Tick “Yes” and explain if, for instance, there are contested facts that need oral evidence. Question 5 asks the same about telephone hearings. The court will deal with an application on paper only if all parties agree to the terms, all parties agree no hearing is needed, or the court itself decides a hearing would serve no purpose.4HM Courts & Tribunals Service. D11 – Application Notice
Questions 6 and 7 ask for your estimate of how long the hearing will take and whether the other side agrees with that estimate. If a hearing date is already fixed, enter it at question 8. Question 9 lets you request a particular judge or level of judge; leave this as “No” unless your case has a specific allocation or involves a reserved judgment.
Questions 10 and 11: Service and Evidence
At question 10, list the full name, postal address, and email of each person who should be served with the application. At question 11, tick the box that describes the evidence you are relying on: an attached witness statement, the divorce or dissolution application itself, the supporting statement filed with it, or evidence written directly into the box provided. You can tick more than one.
The Statement of Truth
The Statement of Truth sits on a separate page and must be signed and dated. It confirms that you, or the person signing on your behalf, believe the facts in the form are true. The form spells out the warning: proceedings for contempt of court can be brought against anyone who makes a false statement without an honest belief in its truth.4HM Courts & Tribunals Service. D11 – Application Notice
Address for Service and Payment Section
The final pages collect your postal address, email, and phone number for future correspondence. Below that is a payment section where you select how you intend to pay: debit or credit card, cheque or postal order made payable to “HMCTS,” phone payment, fee account (for solicitors), or Help with Fees.
Court Fee and Help With Fees
Filing a D11 carries a court fee. The exact amount depends on the type of application and is set out in the family court fees schedule, form EX50, on GOV.UK.5GOV.UK. Fees in the Civil and Family Courts – Main Fees (EX50) Check the current version of that schedule before filing, as fees are updated periodically.
If you cannot afford the fee, apply for Help with Fees. You can complete Form EX160 and send it in with your D11, or apply online and enter the reference number (beginning “HWF”) directly in the payment section of the D11.6GOV.UK. Get Help Paying Court and Tribunal Fees The court will check your eligibility before processing the application.
How to File the Completed Form
Send the completed D11 to the court managing your case. There are two routes.
By Post
Print the form, sign it, and post it to the court office along with your draft order, any supporting evidence, and either the fee or your Help with Fees application. Include enough copies for the court file and for each person who needs to be served.
Online Through MyHMCTS
If your case is already on MyHMCTS, the courts’ online case management system, a solicitor can upload the D11 as a general application. Download and complete the D11, upload it with the supporting documents, select the application type and fee type, and pay through a fee account, card, or Help with Fees reference.3GOV.UK. General Applications, Alternative Service and Deemed and Dispensed Once submitted, the system confirms receipt with a status of “general application received.”
Serving the Other Party
Most D11 applications are made on notice, meaning the other party receives a copy and can respond before the judge decides. After filing, serve a copy of the D11 and all supporting evidence on the respondent and anyone else listed at question 10. Under Part 18, service must happen as soon as practicable after filing and, in most cases, at least seven days before the court is due to deal with the application. For applications under Rule 9.7, which covers certain financial remedy directions, the minimum notice period is 14 days.2Justice UK. Family Procedure Rules Part 18 – Procedure for Other Applications in Proceedings
In an urgent case you can apply without notice, but the judge will scrutinise why the other party could not be warned in advance. If the judge grants an order made without notice, the other side can apply within seven days of the order for a hearing at which the application will be reconsidered with everyone present.4HM Courts & Tribunals Service. D11 – Application Notice
After You File
The court stamps the application and returns a sealed copy, which is your proof of filing. From there, either the judge decides on paper (typically when both sides agree on the terms) and sends the order to all parties, or the court schedules a hearing and notifies everyone of the date and time. Any resulting order becomes part of the case record, and its directions carry the same weight as any other court order.