Last updated: September 2026
by Jess Knauf, Director of Client Strategy at Mediate UK. Reviewed by Belinda Atkins, Managing Director, Family Legal Ltd. Information reflects current family law and court procedure in England and Wales as of 9 September 2026.
Key Points
- The C100 form download is free from GOV.UK. Nobody should charge you for the blank form.
- You can apply online or on paper. The online service is usually quicker and gives you a receipt.
- The court fee is £270 as of July 2026, and Help with Fees may reduce or remove it.
- Most applications need a MIAM certificate first. Section 4 of the form has to be signed by an authorised mediator unless an exemption applies.
- Form C1A goes with it if you are raising harm or risk. It is a separate form, not part of the C100.
- You need multiple copies. One for the court, one for each respondent, one for yourself.
Quick Answer
You can download the C100 form free of charge from GOV.UK, where it is published as a PDF by HM Courts and Tribunals Service. Downloading it is the easy part. Before the court will accept it you will usually need a MIAM certificate, the £270 fee or a Help with Fees reference, and enough copies for everyone involved.
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Searching for a C100 form download is usually the first practical step a parent takes towards a court application about their children. The form itself is free, and this page explains where to get it, what has to be in place before you send it, and the parts people most often get wrong.
Where to download the C100 form
The official version is published on GOV.UK as Form C100: application under the Children Act 1989. It is free. The full title is long because one form covers three different orders: a child arrangements order, a prohibited steps order and a specific issue order, all made under section 8 of the Children Act 1989.
Always take the form from GOV.UK rather than from a third party site. The form is revised periodically, and courts have returned applications made on a superseded version.
Paper or online?
| Route | How it works | Best for |
|---|---|---|
| Online service | You answer questions on screen, upload the MIAM certificate, pay by card and get a submission receipt. | Most applicants. Quicker, and the service checks for obviously missing answers. |
| Download and print | Complete the PDF, print it, sign it and post or take it to the court with the fee and copies. | People who want to work offline, need a paper trail, or are helping someone else complete it. |
| Download to read first | Read the blank form to see what it asks before deciding whether to apply at all. | Anyone still weighing up court against mediation. This is a good use of an afternoon. |
What you need before you send it
The form is one item in a bundle. Sending it alone is the most common reason an application stalls before it even reaches a judge.
| Item | Needed when | Where it comes from |
|---|---|---|
| The completed C100 | Always | GOV.UK, free |
| MIAM certificate, section 4 signed | Nearly always, unless an exemption applies | An FMC-authorised family mediator. See do I need a MIAM |
| Form C1A | Where you are raising harm or risk to you or a child | GOV.UK, free. See C100 compared with C1A |
| The court fee, £270 | Always, unless you qualify for Help with Fees | Card, or an EX160 Help with Fees reference |
| Copies | Paper applications | One for the court, one for each respondent, one for you |
Need your MIAM certificate?
Most C100 applications cannot proceed without one. Our FMC-accredited MIAM is £138, and we sign section 4 of your C100 within 48 hours.
What the form asks for, section by section
Reading the sections before you start makes the job much shorter, because several of them need information you may have to go and find.
| Section | What it covers | Have ready |
|---|---|---|
| 1 to 3 | Which orders you are applying for, and about which children | Each child’s full name and date of birth |
| 4 | The MIAM. Signed by the mediator, or an exemption claimed | Your MIAM certificate |
| 5 to 6 | Existing or previous court proceedings, and any orders in force | Old case numbers and order dates |
| 7 | Your details and the respondent’s | Their current address, or a C8 if yours is confidential |
| 8 to 9 | Who the children live with, and who else has parental responsibility | Dates of any changes in living arrangements |
| 10 | Harm and safety. If you tick yes here, complete a C1A as well | Dates and specifics, not general statements |
| 11 onwards | Social services involvement, international elements, and your statement of truth | Any local authority contact details |
Our full walkthrough is in how to complete a C100 form, and the errors that cause the most delay are collected in C100 form mistakes.
“People download the form, see forty pages, and put it away for a month. It is not forty pages of writing. Most of it is tick boxes and details you already know. The parts that take real thought are section 4 and section 10, and those are the two we would always talk through first.”
Jess Knauf, Director of Client Strategy, Mediate UK
What it costs
| Item | Cost | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| The C100 form itself | Free | Published by HMCTS on GOV.UK |
| Court fee | £270 | As of July 2026. One fee per application, not per child |
| MIAM | £138 | Free if you qualify for legal aid for mediation |
| C100 completion service | £240 | Optional. We complete and check the form with you |
Court fees are taken from the Ministry of Justice fee announcement for July 2026. Our full breakdown is in family court costs in 2026.
Legal aid for family mediation is means-tested. If you meet the financial criteria, your MIAM and your mediation sessions are free. Legal aid for a solicitor is a separate scheme with its own test. You can check your position using the government’s legal aid checker.
Before you download it, one question worth asking
A C100 starts a court process that typically runs for months and puts the decision in a judge’s hands. It is the right route for plenty of families, particularly where there are safety concerns or where the other parent will not engage at all. It is not the only route.
Mediation is usually quicker, less expensive and less adversarial than a contested application, and you keep the decision between you. Since you will normally need to attend a MIAM before applying anyway, that conversation is going to happen either way. Many people find it settles the point that was actually in dispute.
Frequently asked questions
Where can I download the C100 form?
From GOV.UK, where HM Courts and Tribunals Service publishes it as a free PDF under the title “Form C100: application under the Children Act 1989”. Always take it from GOV.UK so you have the current version.
Is the C100 form free?
The form is free to download. The court fee to issue the application is £270 as of July 2026, and that is separate. If anyone charges you for the blank form itself, go to GOV.UK instead.
Can I fill in the C100 form online?
Yes. There is an online service that takes you through the questions, lets you upload the MIAM certificate and take payment, and gives you a submission receipt. Most applicants find it quicker than the paper route.
Can I print the C100 form and fill it in by hand?
Yes. Print it, complete it in black ink, sign it, and send or take it to the court with the fee and the required copies. Write clearly, because an unreadable answer will be queried.
How many copies of the C100 do I need?
For a paper application, one for the court, one for each respondent, and one to keep. If you are also filing a C1A, the same applies to that form.
Do I need a MIAM before I submit the C100?
In most cases yes. Section 4 of the form has to be signed by an authorised family mediator, unless you qualify for one of the exemptions, for example where there is evidence of domestic abuse or the application is urgent.
What is the difference between the C100 and the C1A?
The C100 is the application. The C1A is the supplemental form where you set out allegations of harm or risk. If you answer yes to the harm questions in the C100, the C1A goes with it.
Where do I send the completed C100 form?
To the family court that covers where the children live. If you apply online it is routed for you. If you are filing on paper and are unsure which court, the court finder on GOV.UK will tell you from the postcode.
In Summary
Download the form free from GOV.UK, read it through before you start, and get the MIAM certificate and the fee position sorted before you fill anything in. The form is not the hard part. Having the right documents with it is what decides whether your application moves or sits in a queue.
Related Guides
| What Is a C100 Form?Read the guide » |
| How to Complete a C100 FormRead the guide » |
| What Happens After You Submit a C100Read the guide » |
| C100 Form Mistakes That Cause DelayRead the guide » |
Three ways we can help
Get the form, get your MIAM certificate, or hand the whole thing over.
| Download the C100 Free, from GOV.UK |
Book a MIAM £138, most popular |
C100 Completion £240, done for you |
About The Author
