Form FP6 UK: Certificate of Service in Family Cases

At a glance

• What it is: Form FP6 is the certificate you file to prove a family court document was properly served — who received it, when, where and how (GOV.UK, HMCTS).
• Legal basis: Chapter 3 of Part 6 of the Family Procedure Rules 2010 (rules 6.23–6.39) — service of documents other than the original matrimonial or civil partnership application, which has its own separate rules.
• Five methods of service: personal service, first class post, document exchange (DX) or equivalent next-business-day service, leaving the document at a permitted address, or fax/email (rule 6.23).
• Deemed date of service: first class post and DX count from the second day after posting, provided that day is a business day (rule 6.34). Personal service, delivery to an address, fax and email count from the same day only if completed before 4.30pm on a business day — otherwise the next business day.
• Who serves: a party normally serves documents they have prepared unless a rule, practice direction or court order says the court will serve it, or the court directs otherwise (rule 6.24).
• Statement of truth: FP6 must contain a statement of truth (rule 6.37(2), applying rule 17.2). A false statement can amount to contempt of court.
• Fee: FP6 is not listed separately on HMCTS's family court fees schedule (EX50) — check GOV.UK for the current position if you're unsure.
• Current version: the form was updated 17 April 2026 to add a tick box for service "by email or other electronic means" and a free-text box for service details (GOV.UK update history).

What Form FP6 is, and when it applies

Form FP6 is the standard certificate of service used across family proceedings in England and Wales. Its purpose is straightforward: to give the court clear, signed confirmation that a document reached the person it was meant for. The form asks you to state what was served — an application, a notice of hearing, an order, a statement — who received it, and the exact date, time, place and method of service.

Legally, FP6 sits within Chapter 3 of Part 6 of the Family Procedure Rules 2010, headed "Service of documents other than an application for a matrimonial order or civil partnership order." That heading matters: the original application that starts a divorce or civil partnership dissolution has its own dedicated service regime in Chapter 2 of Part 6, which has been substantially reformed in recent years around the digital service and applicant-led steps. FP6 and the Chapter 3 rules apply more broadly — to Children Act applications, financial remedy proceedings, and the notices, orders, statements and evidence filed once any family case is underway.

For a wider view of where FP6 sits alongside other standardised family court paperwork, see our guide to family law court forms.

Once service is complete, an FP6 is usually needed so the court file shows a proper record. Without it, the judge may be unable to proceed at the next hearing, because the court cannot be satisfied the other party had fair notice of what is happening in the case.

The legal framework: Part 6 of the Family Procedure Rules 2010

Methods of service (rule 6.23)

A document may be served by any of the following methods:

• Personal service, in accordance with rule 6.25.
• First class post, document exchange (DX) or other service which provides for delivery on the next business day, in accordance with Practice Direction 6A.
• Leaving it at a place specified in rule 6.26 (the party's address for service).
• Fax or other electronic means (such as email), in accordance with Practice Direction 6A.

Who is to serve (rule 6.24)

A party to proceedings serves a document they have prepared, or which the court has prepared or issued on their behalf, except where a rule or practice direction provides that the court will serve the document, or the court directs otherwise. Where a court officer is to serve a document, it is for the court — not the party — to decide which method is used. If the court officer is serving a document a party has prepared, that party must provide a copy for the court and for each party being served.

In practice, this means responsibility for service varies by proceeding type and stage. Some applications and notices are served by the court itself; in many other situations — including much of what FP6 is used for — it falls to the applicant or their representative to arrange service and then certify it.

Personal service (rule 6.25)

A document is served personally on an individual by leaving it with that individual. Personal service is only required where another Part of the Rules, another enactment, a practice direction, or a court order specifically calls for it. In other cases it remains one available option, except where the party to be served has already given a solicitor's business address as their address for service — in which case service should normally go to that address instead, unless the court orders otherwise.

Where a party has a legal representative authorised to accept service on their behalf, service should be effected on the representative rather than the party in person, unless the court directs otherwise.

Serving children and protected parties (rules 6.28–6.33)

Documents that would otherwise be served on a child or a protected party are, in most circumstances, redirected rather than handed to the individual directly:

• An application form commencing proceedings that would otherwise be served on a child or protected party is served in accordance with rule 6.14 (see our guide to Form D5, which relates to that rule).
• Other documents that would otherwise be served on or by a child or protected party are instead served on or by their litigation friend, where one has been or will be appointed (rule 6.29).
• Where a children's guardian has been appointed under rule 16.4, documents are served on or by the guardian instead (rule 6.30).
• Where a children's guardian has been appointed under rule 16.3 (a more specific appointment route), documents are served on the solicitor appointed under section 41(3) of the Children Act 1989 and the children's guardian (rule 6.31).

If you are completing FP6 for a document that touches a child or protected party, check who the correct recipient actually was under these rules before certifying — it will usually be a guardian, litigation friend or appointed solicitor, not the child or protected party in person. This is a common area for genuine care proceedings, where you may also need our guide to Form C110A, the application that starts care and supervision proceedings.

Deemed service: when the clock starts running (rule 6.34)

The deemed date of service is the date the Rules treat a document as having been received, for the purpose of calculating time limits, response deadlines and hearing preparation windows. It is not necessarily the day the recipient actually opens the envelope or reads the email — which is exactly why getting the deemed date right on FP6 matters.

Rule 6.34 sets out the deemed day of service for each method:

| Method of service | Deemed day of service | |---|---| | First class post (or other next-business-day delivery service) | The second day after posting, provided that day is a business day; if not, the next business day after that day. | | Document exchange (DX) | The second day after it was left with, delivered to or collected by the service provider, provided that day is a business day; if not, the next business day after that day. | | Delivering the document to, or leaving it at, a permitted address | If delivered before 4.30pm on a business day, that day; otherwise, the next business day. | | Fax | If transmission completes before 4.30pm on a business day, that day; otherwise, the next business day. | | Other electronic method (e.g. email) | If sent before 4.30pm on a business day, that day; otherwise, the next business day. | | Personal service | If served before 4.30pm on a business day, that day; otherwise, the next business day. |

A "business day" for these purposes is any day except Saturday, Sunday or a bank holiday (which includes Christmas Day and Good Friday).

Worked example: service by post

Suppose the papers are sent by first class post on a Thursday. The second day after posting falls on the Saturday — not a business day — so under rule 6.34 the deemed date of service moves forward to the following Monday. Any time limit expressed as running "from service" starts counting from that Monday, not the Thursday the letter was posted.

Worked example: personal service late in the day

Suppose the respondent is personally handed the documents at 6pm on a Tuesday — after the 4.30pm cut-off in rule 6.34. Service is deemed to take effect on the next business day, Wednesday, even though the documents physically changed hands on the Tuesday. If a response deadline runs from the date of service, it starts from Wednesday.

A note on timing: the printed guidance notes on the current FP6 form itself describe a 5pm cut-off for personal service. The text of rule 6.34 as it currently stands on legislation.gov.uk sets the cut-off at 4.30pm across personal service, delivery, fax and electronic service. Where the exact minute matters — for example, a service carried out between 4.30pm and 5pm — check the current wording of rule 6.34 directly rather than relying on the form's summary notes, which are described on the form itself as "only a guide" and "not exhaustive."

Completing Form FP6 step by step

1. Gather the service details before you start. You will need the full name (and position, if a company or organisation) of the person served, the address or location, the exact date and time of service, the method used, and a clear description of every document served — not just the headline application.
2. Identify the correct method of service. Tick the box that matches what actually happened: first class post, document exchange, delivery at an address, personal handover, email or other electronic means, or another method permitted by the court. If you used an agent or process server, their details should go on the form.
3. Record the address or place of service. The current form asks for the full address (including any DX number) where service was effected, and who that address belongs to — the applicant, respondent, their solicitor, or a litigation friend — and the capacity in which it was held (usual residence, principal office, place of business, and so on).
4. State the deemed date of service. Work this out using the rule 6.34 table above, based on the method and time you used.
5. Complete the statement of truth and sign. The person certifying service (or someone authorised to sign on behalf of the applicant or respondent) signs the statement of truth. Read it carefully: the form itself warns that proceedings for contempt of court can follow a false statement made without an honest belief in its truth.
6. Keep a copy, then file with the correct court. Send or deliver the completed FP6 to the court dealing with your case, quoting the case number. Some courts accept filing by email or online portal; others prefer post or in-person delivery — check the court's current guidance on GOV.UK. Where FP6 relates to an application form, rule 6.37(2) requires it to be filed at or before the earlier of the first directions appointment or the hearing, unless a rule or practice direction says otherwise.

Where to serve — who counts as the "right" address

HMCTS's own notes for guidance on the form (based on Part 6) set out the place of service by category of party:

| Party being served | Place of service | |---|---| | Individual | Usual or last known residence | | Legal representative | Usual place of business, or last known place of business | | Corporation (incorporated in England and Wales), other than a company | Principal office of the corporation | | Company registered in England and Wales | Principal office of the company, or any place of business within the jurisdiction with a real connection to the case |

When you might not need to file FP6

FP6 exists to record service that a party (or their representative or process server) has carried out. Where the court itself serves a document — which happens in some proceedings and stages, particularly where a rule or practice direction assigns service to the court under rule 6.24 — the court's own file ordinarily provides the record, and a certificate from the party is not usually expected in addition. Because responsibility for service depends on the specific rule, practice direction or court order in play, don't assume either way: check what applies to the document in question, or ask the court office if it isn't clear who served it in your case.

If you can't serve the other party

Two separate routes exist if the usual methods of service aren't working:

• Service by an alternative method or place (rule 6.35). The court can permit service by a method or at a place not otherwise provided for in the Rules — useful where the respondent is evading service, or their usual address is no longer reliable. This normally requires an application, and the court will expect to see the steps already taken to try to serve the person properly.
• Dispensing with service (rule 6.36). The court has a general power to dispense with service of a document altogether. This is a significant step, given how central proper notice is to a fair hearing, so it is used where the alternative-service route isn't a realistic answer either.

Both applications involve their own procedure and evidence requirements, so it's often worth taking advice before applying — particularly if the case involves children or urgent protective orders.

If service turns out to be defective

Courts take proper service seriously because a party is entitled to fair notice before the court makes a decision that affects them. If the court cannot be satisfied that service was properly carried out, a hearing may need to be adjourned so the other party can be given proper notice, and an order made without proper notice to a party can be open to being challenged later. If you realise, after the event, that service didn't go as your FP6 describes — or wasn't effected at all — it is almost always better to tell the court and correct the record than to let an inaccurate certificate stand.

Fees

FP6 does not appear as a distinct item on HM Courts & Tribunals Service's main family court fees schedule (EX50) — court fees generally attach to making an application, not to filing a certificate that records service you have already arranged. If you are unsure whether any fee applies in your specific circumstances, check GOV.UK for the current fees schedule before filing. Separately, if you instruct a process server or courier to carry out service, their charge is a private cost between you and them, not a court fee.

What to do next

1. Check which rule, practice direction or court order governs the document you need to serve, and confirm whether service is your responsibility or the court's.
2. Choose a method that's actually available to you and, where personal service or a specific method is required, make sure you use it.
3. Work out the deemed date of service using the rule 6.34 table before you rely on it for any deadline.
4. Complete FP6 fully and accurately, including the statement of truth, and file it with the correct court by the deadline that applies.
5. If service hasn't gone to plan — you can't locate the other party, or you've discovered a mistake after filing — raise it with the court promptly rather than waiting to be asked.

This guide provides general information about certificates of service and the service rules in family proceedings in England and Wales. It is not legal advice and is not a substitute for advice tailored to your specific circumstances. The law described was accurate as at July 2026 and is subject to change — always check GOV.UK and legislation.gov.uk for the most current position.

Last reviewed: July 2026 by a non-practising solicitor · Next review due: July 2027 or on legislative change.