The Family Procedure (Amendment) Rules 2025

Made: 20th November 2025

Laid before Parliament: 27th November 2025

Coming into force in accordance with rule 1(3)

The Family Procedure Rule Committee makes these Rules in exercise of the powers conferred by sections 75 and 76(8) of the Courts Act 2003[^f00001], having fulfilled the requirements of section 79(1) of that Act.

Citation, extent and commencement

1

• (1) These Rules may be cited as the Family Procedure (Amendment) Rules 2025.

• (2) These Rules extend to England and Wales.

• (3) These Rules come into force as follows—

• (a) this rule and rules 2 and 3 come into force on 5th January 2026;

• (b) rule 5 comes into force on 2nd March 2026; and

• (c) rule 4 comes into force on 1st June 2026.

Amendment of the Family Procedure Rules 2010

2

The Family Procedure Rules 2010[^f00002] are amended in accordance with rules 3 to 5 of these Rules.

Amendment of rule 16.4

3

In rule 16.4 (appointment of a children’s guardian in proceedings not being specified proceedings or proceedings to which Part 14 applies), in paragraph (1) omit “8.42 or”.

Amendment of rule 29.1

4

In rule 29.1 (personal details), in paragraph (1)—

• (a) after “reveal” insert “to anyone other than the court”; and

• (b) in sub-paragraph (a) for “the party’s” substitute “their own, or another party’s”.

Amendment of rule 30.3

5

In rule 30.3 (permission)—

• (a) in paragraph (1B)(a) for “or costs judge” substitute “, costs judge, a lay justice or a bench of lay justices”;

• (b) in paragraph (3) for “An” substitute “Subject to paragraph (3A), an”; and

• (c) after paragraph (3) insert—

(3A) Where an application for permission to appeal is against a decision— (a) made by a lay justice or a bench of lay justices; or (b) of a type specified for the purposes of this rule in Practice Direction 30A, the application for permission to appeal must be made to the appeal court in an appeal notice.

Signed

Sir Andrew McFarlane, President of the Family Division — Poonam Bhari — Graeme Fraser — His Honour Judge Humphreys — Jennifer Kingsley — District Judge Nelson — Helen Sewell — Her Honour Judge Suh — Rhys Taylor

I allow these Rules.

Signed by authority of the Lord Chancellor

Levitt — Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State — Ministry of Justice — 20th November 2025

Explanatory note

(This note is not part of the Rules)

Explanatory Note

These Rules amend the Family Procedure Rules 2010 (S.I. 2010/2955) (“the FPR”).

Rule 3 makes a minor amendment to rule 16.4 FPR to remove a cross-reference to rule 8.42 FPR, as that rule was omitted by the Family Procedure (Amendment) Rules 2023 (S.I. 2023/61).

Rule 4 amends rule 29.1 FPR. That rule previously enabled a party to indicate to the court that their own contact details should be kept confidential. The amendments clarify that those details should be kept confidential to the court, and enable a party to give such an indication in respect of their own, or another party’s, contact details.

Rule 5(a) amends rule 30.3(1B) FPR to provide that where a person wishes to appeal against a decision of the family court made by a lay justice, a bench of lay justices, or a decision of a type specified in Practice Direction 30A, they must first seek permission to appeal. Rule 5(b) inserts a new paragraph (3A) to rule 30.3 FPR to provide that such an application for permission to appeal must be made to the appeal court (so not to the court which made the decision in relation to which permission to appeal is sought).

A full impact assessment has not been produced for this instrument as no, or no significant, impact on the private, voluntary or public sector is foreseen.

Footnotes

[^f00001]: 2003 c. 39. Section 75 was amended by paragraphs 308 and 338 of Part 1 of Schedule 4 and Part 2 of Schedule 18 to the Constitutional Reform Act 2005 (c. 4), paragraphs 83 and 91 of Part 2 of Schedule 10 to the Crime and Courts Act 2013 (c. 22) and paragraph 3(1) and (2) of Schedule 4 to the Judicial Review and Courts Act 2022 (c. 35).

[^f00002]: S.I. 2010/2955. Relevant amendments were made by S.I. 2013/530, 2014/667, 2014/3296, 2016/891, 2016/901, 2022/44, 2023/61 and 2024/1016.