Legal Forms

Asking for a 209A restraining order

Fill out a 209A application on your phone or computer. Answer questions and get all the forms you need that you can email to yourself, an advocate, save as part of your safety plan, send to the court.

Or get the paper forms

209A Restraining Order Application (5 forms)

1. Complaint for Protection from Abuse (G.L. c. 209A) Page 1
2. Complaint for Protection from Abuse (G.L. c. 209A) Page 2 (only required if you have minor children)
3. Affidavit
4. Plaintiff Confidential Information Form
5. Defendant Information Form

• Page 1 is the Instructions to the Plaintiff. You are the "plaintiff." This form tells you how to fill out the other form.
• Page 2 is the Complaint. It has checkboxes and spaces for you to fill in with names and basic information about you, your relationship to the defendant, and what you are asking the court to order.
• Page 3 is the 2nd page of the Complaint. Use this form if you have children under age 18. You use this form to ask for orders about custody, contact with your children, visitation, or child support.
• Page 4 is the Affidavit. When you sign the Affidavit, you swear that what you said in the affidavit and the Complaint is true to the best of your knowledge. See Writing your 209A Affidavit

1. Tell the judge what happened and why you need a 209A order.
2. Write down exactly what happened. Do the best you can. Write down the things the abusive person said or did like, "They told me they would get their gun and shoot me."
3. Start with the most recent incident.
4. Include information about injuries, if children were present or hurt, police involvement, medical treatment, other help you got, or destruction of property

• Page 5 is the Plaintiff Confidential Information Form. Write your name, home address, home telephone number, workplace name, address, telephone number, and school. This information is confidential. The defendant, the defendant’s attorney, and the public are not allowed to see it. Only certain authorized persons who ask for this information can see it. But first they must file a Request for Access to Confidential Information form.
• Page 6 is Defendant Information Form. The court gives this information to the police so they can find the defendant to deliver the order. Include any information that will help the police find the defendant
• Affidavit Disclosing Care or Custody Proceeding Involving a Child This form asks about other family court cases that involve your child. The form tells the court if there are already any court orders about your child. It also tells the court if you are asking the judge to make decisions about your child in the 209A order judge. See sample Affidavit Disclosing Care or Custody Proceedings.

See a Sample 209A Abuse Prevention Order. If the order is granted, the court will type up your order on this form. It is signed by a judge.

Other forms you may also need in a 209A restraining order case

• See Restraining Order Court Forms

Plaintiff’s Affidavit in Support of Request for Child Support Order

You can ask the court to order the defendant to pay child support. This form allows you to fill out basic information about both parents' expenses and income to ask for child support. See a sample Plaintiff's Affidavit in Support of Request for a Child Support Order.

209A Affidavit Seeking Child Support

Defendant's Affidavit in Connection with Request for a Child Support Order: This form is for the defendant to fill out basic information about their work, income and expenses, if the plaintiff asks for child support. See a sample Defendant's Affidavit in Connection with Request for a Child Support Order.

Motion for Impoundment
Use this form to ask the court to keep any information in your application a secret from the defendant, the defendant's lawyer, prosecutor, and court staff. You must explain on the form why it is important to keep this information confidential. Your reasons to keep this information confidential must be more than simply to protect your privacy. The reasons must show that you need the court to keep the information confidential so nobody can use it to harm you.

• If there is anything in your 209A papers that you need to keep from people who are allowed to see it. You might need to keep people who can look at your Plaintiff Confidential Information Form from seeing it.
• If you need to keep other information safe and confidential. 

​ Request for Access to Plaintiff Confidential Information Form: Only certain kinds of people like a prosecutor or a domestic violence counselor can use this form to ask to see the plaintiff's confidential information. See a sample Request for Access to Plaintiff's Confidential Information.

Translation of Affidavit Use this form if you file an affidavit that is not written in English. The person who translates your affidavit writes the English translation on this form. The translator also signs and prints their name at the bottom of the page, where it says, in English “I have provided a written translation into English, complete and accurate to the best of my ability.”

Petition Filed Pursuant to G.L. c. 209A, § 11 Relative To Domesticated Animal(s) Use this form if your pets need protection from abuse.

Plaintiff's Motion to Modify or Terminate Abuse Prevention Order Fill out this form to change or end an abuse prevention order. Also see How do I change or end my 209A Restraining Order?

Defendant's Motion to Modify or Terminate Abuse Prevention Order Fill out this form if you are a defendant and you need to change or end an abuse prevention order. 

Affidavit for Filing Out-of-State Protective Order Use this form to get your protective order from outside Massachusetts enforced in Massachusetts. Also see Protective Orders from Another State.

Sample 209A Complaint form seeking protection at school

Sample 209A Order providing protection at school

Court Fees

Affidavit of Indigency If you cannot afford court fees and costs, ask the court to have the state pay them.

Supplement to Affidavit of Indigency

• Affidavit of Indigency Instructions - for you
• Affidavit of Indigency - Summary of Instructions to court staff, so you know your rights when you file an Affidavit of Indigency with a clerk at court.

Sample Affidavit of Indigency to see how you might fill out an Affidavit of Indigency if you need to complete the Supplement.

Divorce, Separation & Annulment

Certification Vital Statistics Divorce or Annulment Statistical Form to be filed with all Complaints for Divorce or Annulment.

Annulment

Complaint for Annulment

Divorce

Complaint for Divorce

Joint Petition for Divorce under G.L. c.208, Section 1A Use when both spouses want a divorce claiming irretrievable breakdown of the marriage.

Complaint for Divorce under G.L. c.208, Section 1B Use when one spouse wants a divorce claiming irretrievable breakdown of the marriage.

Court Order for Attorney Fee

Defendant's Motion for Attorney Fee

Plaintiff's Motion for Attorney Fee

Divorce Samples

Divorce answer - sample

Complaint for Divorce - sample This form of complaint is used for "fault" divorces where the parties do not file a joint petition.

Complaint for 1B Divorce (Irretrievable Breakdown) - Sample This form of complaint is used for for "no fault" divorces ("1B" divorces) where the parties do not file a joint petition.

Joint Petition for Divorce - sample This court form is used when both spouses participate in seeking a joint "no fault" divorce, called a "1A" divorce. They also file a notarized separation agreement and a sworn affidavit that the marriage has irretrievably broken down.

Separation

Complaint for Separate Support if you want to stay married and you need a custody order, and support or health insurance for your child, and/or support or health insurance for yourself.

Complaint for Support of Spouse or Child

Complaint for Support - Custody - Parenting Time where the parents are not married to each other.

Support

Support Samples

Complaint for Support - sample If you are married you can use this form of complaint to seek a suitable amount of support for yourself and the children, as well as health insurance benefits.

Complaint for Separate Support - sample This form of complaint has provisions for establishing that you are living apart from your spouse for justifiable cause and for custody and support.

Complaint for Support - Custody - Parenting Time - Sample where the parents are not married to each other

Guardianship

Financial

Fiduciary Bond

Medical and Educational Decisions

Caregiver education and health care authorization affidavit also called Caregiver Authorization Affidavit

Temporary Agent Appointment also called Temporary Agent Affidavit

Parents' Right to a Lawyer

 Application for Appointment OF Counsel For Parent of Minor Child Guardianship of Minor For parents to ask for a court-appointed lawyer in guardianship cases.

Removing a Guardian

Petition for Removal of Guardian of Minor

 Sample Petition for Removal of Guardian of Minor Look at this form to see how Susan Smith asks the court to end the guardianship of her daughter, Sarah. On the form she asks the court to return Sarah to her and she shows on her petition that her case has "merit."

Changing a Guardianship

General Probate Petition

 Sample General Probate Petition Look at this form to see how Goodluck Fisherman asks the court to change the guardianship of his daughter, Martha. On the form he asks the court to allow Martha to spend weekends with him and he shows on his petition that his case has "merit."

See more Guardian of a Minor court forms on the Trial Court's website.

Probate and Family Court

Complaint, Petition, and Motion Forms

You can find most Probate and Family Court forms on the Probate and Family Court website.

You can find

• forms,
• instructions for how to complete each form, and
• instructions for filing the forms.

blank Motion form. You can use this form when you need to file a motion.

blank Affidavit form. Use this form to state the facts the judge needs to know about what happened and when. In an affidavit you swear that everything you say is true.

blank Proposed Order form.  Use this form to tell the court exactly what you want it to order.

sample Proposed Order. See how you might use a blank Proposed Order form.

Complaint for Contempt

Complaint for Modification

Sample Contempt Summons

Sample Domestic Relations Summons

Sample Divorce / Separate Support Summons

Motion for an Investigation performed by: Probation Officer, GAL Investigator, or a GAL Evaluator

 Motion for an Investigation performed by: Probation Officer, GAL Investigator, or a GAL Evaluator

Opposition to a Request for Investigation

Opposition of a Request for Investigation

Service of Process by Publication and Mailing

Motion for Alternate Service and Affidavit in Support in one file fillable - neither on court website (2020-08-31)

Sample Service of Process forms

cjd400 Motion for Alternate Service + Affidavit - samples (2020-08-26)

Motion for Alternate Service fillable - not on court website (2020-08-26)

cjd 400 Motion for Alternate Service - sample (2020-08-26)

Affidavit in Support of cjd400 Motion for Alternate Service not on court website (2020-08-27)

Affidavit in Support of Motion for Alternate Service - sample (2020-08-26)

cjd31 Motion for Alternate Service and Affidavit of Diligent Search - sample (2020-08-27)

Sample Order for Service by Publication and Mailing

Sample Summons by Publication and Mailing - divorce

Sample Summons by Publication and Mailing - separate support

Sample Track Assignment Notice

Visitation

Complaint for Modification and Answer - Visitation - sample  These are samples of a Probate and Family Court Complaint for Modification form and an Answer to a Complaint for Modification.

Complaint for Contempt - Visitation - samples  These are samples of a Probate and Family Court Complaint for Contempt form and an Answer to a Complaint for Contempt.

Motion for Visitation - sample forms Here are several samples of forms that are used in motions for visitation: A Motion for Specific Visitation Schedule and a Proposed Order (filled out for a case in which a parent wants the court to issue a very specific visitation with a third party to pick up and drop off). A Supplemental Order - Visitation Issues (an example of a Probate and Family Court form which can be used to propose a specific visitation order for the judge to approve. It give an idea of the options the judge has in ordering visitation. The form may look different from court to court). Agreement of Parties and Temporary Order (an example of a Probate and Family Court form that can be used for writing up an agreement on visitation and other issues. The agreement becomes a temporary order of the court. This form may look different from court to court.).

A Motion for Specific Visitation Schedule and a Proposed Order filled out for a case in which a parent wants the court to issue a very specific visitation with a third party to pick up and drop off.

A Supplemental Order - Visitation Issues- sample is an example of a Probate and Family Court form which can be used to propose a specific visitation order for the judge to approve. It gives an idea of the options the judge has in ordering visitation. The form may look different from court to court).

Agreement of Parties and Temporary Order - sample forms is an example of a Probate and Family Court forms that can be used for writing up an agreement on visitation and other issues. The agreement becomes a temporary order of the court. This form may look different from court to court.

Motion to Suspend Visitation - sample This is an example of a motion you would file if you needed to stop visitation. You must also file a Proposed Order, and a sample is included.

Supervised Visitation

Motion for Visitation at a Supervised Visitation Center

Motion for Visitation Supervised by an Individual

 Proposed Order for Visitation Supervised by an Individual

 Affidavit in Support of Motion for Supervised Visitation