Remedy
Start free

Section 63C: Applications and other occasions for making orders

Family Law Act 1996 · 1996 c. 27View on legislation.gov.uk

Part 4A: Forced marriage

The court may make a forced marriage protection order—

on an application being made to it; or
without an application being made to it but in the circumstances mentioned in subsection (6).

An application may be made by—

the person who is to be protected by the order; or
a relevant third party.

An application may be made by any other person with the leave of the court.

In deciding whether to grant leave, the court must have regard to all the circumstances including—

the applicant's connection with the person to be protected;
the applicant's knowledge of the circumstances of the person to be protected; and
the wishes and feelings of the person to be protected so far as they are reasonably ascertainable and so far as the court considers it appropriate, in the light of the person's age and understanding, to have regard to them.

An application under this section may be made in other family proceedings or without any other family proceedings being instituted.

The circumstances in which the court may make an order without an application being made are where—

any other family proceedings are before the court ("the current proceedings");
the court considers that a forced marriage protection order should be made to protect a person (whether or not a party to the current proceedings); and
a person who would be a respondent to any such proceedings for a forced marriage protection order is a party to the current proceedings.

In this section—

  • "family proceedings" has the same meaning as in Part 4 (see section 63(1) and (2)) but also includes—

    (a)proceedings under the inherent jurisdiction of the High Court in relation to adults;

    (b)proceedings in which the court has made an emergency protection order under section 44 of the Children Act 1989 (c. 41) which includes an exclusion requirement (as defined in section 44A(3) of that Act); and

    (c)proceedings in which the court has made an order under section 50 of the Act of 1989 (recovery of abducted children etc. ); and

  • "relevant third party" means a person specified, or falling within a description of persons specified, by order of the Lord Chancellor.

An order of the Lord Chancellor under subsection (7) may, in particular, specify the Secretary of State.

About this text

This legislation text comes from legislation.gov.uk. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. These source and reuse terms cover the legislation text, not Remedy's commentary.

Reuse reviewed 21 August 2026 under Open Government Licence v3.0.