New Jersey family court forms are published by the New Jersey Judiciary and available for free at njcourts.gov/self-help/forms, with support-specific forms hosted separately at njchildsupport.gov. Every family case runs through the Superior Court’s Chancery Division, Family Part, and the clerk will reject filings that use outdated forms, skip required attachments, or land in the wrong county. Here’s what to download, how to complete it, and where it goes.
Where to Download Official Forms
The Judiciary’s forms catalog at njcourts.gov/self-help/forms is searchable and organized by case type. For common actions like divorce or a custody modification, the Judiciary bundles the required documents into self-help kits, so you can download one packet instead of hunting for individual forms.
Support-only matters have their own home. The NJ Child Support site at njchildsupport.gov hosts initial applications for non-divorce support cases and modification requests for existing orders.1NJ Child Support. Materials and Forms If you don’t need a divorce, start there rather than filing a full complaint.
Always pull forms directly from these official sources. The Judiciary updates them periodically, and filing an outdated version is one of the most common reasons clerks send self-represented litigants’ paperwork back.
Documents That Usually Go With a Family Filing
The specific forms depend on your case, but several attachments show up across most filings. A divorce complaint must include an Affidavit of Verification and Non-Collusion, in which you swear the allegations are true and the case isn’t staged. The first pleading from each side must include an Affidavit of Insurance Coverage listing all known insurance policies covering both parties and any minor children. Complaints involving children must state each child’s name, date of birth, address, and who the child currently lives with.
For non-divorce support actions where paternity was previously acknowledged, file a copy of the Certificate of Parentage or other written acknowledgment along with the complaint. Missing any of these can stall your case before it starts.
How to Fill Out the Forms
Type your forms or complete them in black ink. Every document must be captioned “Chancery Division–Family Part” and show the correct county. If your case already has a docket number, put it on every later filing. Your complaint also needs the street or mailing address of each party (or a statement that the address is unknown), a description of any previous family court cases between the parties, and the facts that establish venue in your chosen county.
Most NJ court forms use a certification section instead of a notary. Under New Jersey Rule 1:4-4(b), you sign a certification reading: “I certify that the foregoing statements made by me are true. I am aware that if any of the foregoing statements made by me are willfully false, I am subject to punishment.” That certification carries the same legal weight as a sworn affidavit.
Make enough copies before you go to the clerk. You need the original for the court, one copy for your own records, and one copy for each opposing party who must be served. The clerk will stamp your copies with the filing date and hand them back.
Redacting Personal Information
Scrub sensitive data before filing. Social Security numbers, financial account numbers, and taxpayer identification numbers should be reduced to their last four digits. Use initials rather than full names for minor children on publicly filed documents. Redaction is your responsibility; court clerks won’t catch what you miss, and once a document is filed unredacted, that information becomes part of the public record.
The Case Information Statement for Divorce Filers
If you’re filing for divorce, the Case Information Statement is the most important financial document in the case, and it trips up more self-represented litigants than anything else. You must file the CIS within 20 days after an Answer or Appearance is filed. Miss that deadline and a judge can dismiss your pleadings.2NJ Courts. Family Part Case Information Statement
The CIS requires a full financial picture: your income and your spouse’s income, a budget of your expenses during the marriage, a budget of your current expenses (including children’s costs if applicable), any support you’re already paying, and a summary of all marital assets with estimated values. Back it up with your most recent tax returns including W-2s and 1099s, your three most recent pay stubs, and documentation of actual spending over the past 24 months such as bank statements or credit card records.2NJ Courts. Family Part Case Information Statement
If either side wants contribution toward college expenses, add enrollment verification, tuition invoices, and documentation of financial aid, scholarships, grants, and student loans. Estimates are acceptable for asset values when you don’t have a formal appraisal, but label them clearly as estimates.
Filing Fees and Fee Waivers
Every new family case requires a filing fee paid to the Clerk of the Superior Court. The current fee schedule lives at njcourts.gov. Payment must accompany your initial documents. If it’s missing, the clerk returns your paperwork unprocessed.
If you can’t afford the fee, apply for a waiver using Form A (Certification in Support of Fee Waiver) and Form B (Order Waiving Filing Fees). There’s no fixed income cutoff. A judge reviews your financial circumstances and decides based on demonstrated need.3NJ Courts. How to File for a Fee Waiver – All Courts
Attach documentation with your application: two months of records for any income sources (welfare, disability, unemployment, Social Security, child support), plus six months of bank statements for every account you hold. Submit the completed forms to the courthouse in the county where you’re filing your case.3NJ Courts. How to File for a Fee Waiver – All Courts
One detail catches people off guard. If you receive a waiver but later recover more than $2,000 in the case, you’ll be required to repay the waived fees as determined by court order.3NJ Courts. How to File for a Fee Waiver – All Courts
Which County to File In
New Jersey’s venue rules depend on the type of case:
- Divorce and dissolution: venue follows Rule 5:7-1, which generally means the county where the cause of action arose or where a party resides.
- Child support and parentage without divorce: file in the county where the child lives, provided New Jersey qualifies as the child’s home state.
- Custody, welfare, and protection of a child without divorce: file in the county where the child was last domiciled, again assuming New Jersey is the child’s home state under the UCCJEA.
Filing in the wrong county won’t necessarily kill your case, but it creates delays while the court sorts out a transfer.
Filing in Person or Through JEDS
You can submit documents two ways: at the Family Division Clerk’s office in the correct county, or electronically through the Judiciary Electronic Document Submission system.
To file in person, bring the original documents, all copies, and your payment. The clerk date-stamps everything, keeps the originals, and returns stamped copies to you. Those stamped copies are your proof of filing.
JEDS is the electronic filing option designed for self-represented litigants.4NJ Courts. Judiciary Electronic Document Submission (JEDS) System Attorneys use a separate eCourts system for cases managed through that platform. Through JEDS, you create an account, upload your documents as PDFs, select the correct court and venue, and pay any fees by credit card or bank transfer. You can also indicate that a fee waiver application is included. Once the clerk’s office accepts your submission during business hours, the filing is processed and new cases receive a docket number.
Getting the Other Party Served
Filing with the court is only half the job. The other party must receive copies of everything you filed. For Family Part summary actions, which include initial complaints and post-judgment applications, the court itself can handle service through its Service by Mail Program.
Under that program, the Family Part mails process by certified mail and ordinary mail simultaneously to the address you provide. The dual mailing counts as effective service unless the certified mail comes back without proof of receipt, or either mailing is returned marked “moved, unable to forward,” “addressee not known,” “no such number/street,” or a similar postal notation. If the mailing goes to the other party’s workplace with instructions to deliver to addressee only, service is effective only if the signature on the return receipt appears to be theirs.
Personal service through a process server or sheriff’s officer is also available, and it’s sometimes necessary when mail service fails. If you can’t locate the opposing party, you’ll need to file an affidavit or certification of diligent inquiry describing the steps you took, including the last known address. The court then decides how to proceed.
Situations That Add Extra Forms
Three common situations bolt additional paperwork onto a standard family filing, and skipping any of them can derail your case.
If your case has any interstate dimension, your petition must include an affidavit disclosing the child’s current address, every place the child has lived during the past five years, and the names and addresses of everyone the child has lived with during that period. Under N.J.S.A. 2A:34-65, a New Jersey court can make an initial custody determination only if New Jersey is the child’s “home state,” meaning the child lived here with a parent for at least six consecutive months immediately before the case was filed.5Justia Law. New Jersey Revised Statutes 2A:34-65 – Initial Child Custody Jurisdiction
If the other party might be on active military duty, federal law requires an affidavit before the court can enter a default judgment. Under 50 U.S.C. § 3931, the filing party must state whether the opposing party is in military service and give the facts supporting that statement, or declare an inability to determine the person’s military status.6Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 50 USC 3931 – Protection of Servicemembers Against Default Judgments Rule 5:4-4(b)(4) reinforces this on the state side, requiring an affidavit or certification of non-military service before any default order on an initial family complaint. You can verify status through the Department of Defense’s SCRA website at dmdc.osd.mil. Filing a false military-status affidavit is a federal crime carrying up to one year in prison.
If English isn’t your primary language, request a free court interpreter when you file or through the self-help resources at njcourts.gov.7U.S. Department of Justice. Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 Don’t rely on a family member or friend to interpret at a hearing; courts require qualified interpreters, and a judge may reject informal translation.