FL-312 is the Request for Child Abduction Prevention Orders, a California form adopted for mandatory use by the Judicial Council of California. You use it to tell the court why you think the other parent or party might take the children without your permission and to ask for specific protective orders. On this page you can fill out the form online on FillingPDF and download or print the completed PDF; the form and its Spanish version are published by the California courts at courts.ca.gov.
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What is FL-312?
Form FL-312, Request for Child Abduction Prevention Orders, is a Judicial Council of California form on which a parent or party explains why the other party might take the children without permission and asks the court for orders to prevent it.
The form states in its heading that it is not a court order. It is a request: the orders exist only if the court grants them. It cites Family Code, § 3048 and 42 U.S.C. § 9001 et seq., and it is marked Form Adopted for Mandatory Use.
Items 1 to 4 describe the risk: where the party might take the children (another California county, another state or a foreign country), and the reasons you believe it, such as past violations of a custody or visitation (parenting time) order, weak ties to California, recent actions that make leaving easy, a history of domestic violence, child abuse or taking the children, or a criminal record.
Items 5 to 14 list the orders you can request:
- supervised visitation (parenting time);
- posting a bond;
- no moving or travel without your written permission or a court order;
- notice to another state of the travel restrictions;
- turning in, and not applying for, passports and other vital documents;
- an itinerary and other travel documents;
- notice to a foreign embassy or consulate;
- a foreign custody and visitation order;
- other orders you specify.
The California courts' self-help page also offers form FL-312 in Spanish.
Who needs to file FL-312?
A parent or other party in a California family court case who thinks the other parent or party might take the children without permission uses FL-312 to ask for protective orders. The California courts' self-help page describes it as the form on which you tell the court why you are worried about abduction and ask for orders to try to prevent it.
The form is written from the point of view of the person making the request. Item 2 lets you name the party the orders are requested against: Petitioner, Respondent or Other Parent/Party. The party filing it can be the petitioner, the respondent or another parent or party in the case.
You also need to fill out the related forms if you choose certain orders. If you ask for supervised visitation in item 5, the person you propose to supervise must meet the qualifications in the Declaration of Supervised Visitation Provider (form FL-324(NP) or form FL-324(P)), and you can attach the specific terms on form FL-311. The form does not say who may sign for someone else; it is signed by the person making the request.
When to file FL-312
You complete FL-312 when you file one of the documents listed at the top of the form and want abduction prevention orders to go with it: a Petition, a Response, a Request for Order, a Responsive Declaration to Request for Order, or another document you specify. The form prints no separate deadline, so its timing is the timing of the filing you attach it to.
The form lists the effective revision as July 1, 2025 on the California courts' self-help page, so use that revision. Item 12 also asks you to state a number of calendar days for the party to give proof of notifying an embassy or consulate, when you request that order.
Documents you need
- Form FL-311 attached to FL-312, only if you check the box in item 5 for the specific supervised visitation terms.
- Declaration of Supervised Visitation Provider (form FL-324(NP) or form FL-324(P)), only if you ask for supervised visitation; the person you request to supervise must meet the qualifications it lists.
- The document you tick at the top of FL-312 (Petition, Response, Request for Order, Responsive Declaration to Request for Order, or other), which the request accompanies.
How to fill out FL-312
Enter case details at the top
Write the Petitioner, Respondent and Other Parent/Party names and the case number at the top of both pages. Check the document the request accompanies in the TO line: Petition, Response, Request for Order, Responsive Declaration to Request for Order, or Other (specify).
Give your name and the party
In item 1, enter your name. In item 2, check whether you request orders against the Petitioner, Respondent or Other Parent/Party.
Say where the children might be taken
In item 3, check all that apply: another California county, another state or a foreign country, and specify each. For a foreign country, check if the party is a citizen of it (item 3c(1)) or explain family or emotional ties (item 3c(2)).
Explain why you are concerned
In item 4, check each reason that applies and explain where the form asks: past violations of a custody or visitation order (4a), weak ties to California (4b), a criminal record (4e) and your answers to item 4d.
Mark recent actions and history
In item 4c, check recent actions such as quitting a job, selling a home, closing a bank account, ending a lease, hiding documents or applying for a passport or school records. In item 4d, check any history of domestic violence, child abuse, not cooperating in parenting or taking the children.
Request supervised visitation or a bond
In item 5, ask for supervised visitation and attach form FL-311 if you use it for the terms. In item 6, state the bond amount you are requesting.
Request move and travel restrictions
Check items 7 and 8 for orders preventing the party from moving or traveling with the children without your written permission or a court order, and mark this county, California, the United States or Other (specify). In item 9, name the state where the order should be registered.
Request passport and document orders
In item 10, check whether the party must turn in the children's passports and travel documents, must not apply for new ones, or both.
Request itinerary and embassy orders
In item 11, check what the party must give you before leaving: itinerary, round-trip tickets, contact addresses and numbers, an open ticket for you or other items. In item 12, name the embassy or consulate and the number of calendar days for proof of notice.
Add foreign order and other requests
In item 13, check the box if you want the party to obtain a foreign custody and visitation order before travel to that country. Use item 14 for any other orders you specify.
Review, sign and download the PDF
Date and sign the declaration under penalty of perjury, then check that every item you want is marked and explained. Download or print the completed PDF from FillingPDF and file it as described under How to submit.
How to submit FL-312
FL-312 is submitted together with the document you check in the TO line at the top of the form, and it carries your case number. The form itself prints no mailing address, portal or appointment rule, so it follows the filing channels of the court handling your case.
- With your Petition, Response, Request for Order or Responsive Declaration: tick the matching box at the top, or write the document in the Other (specify) line, and file FL-312 with it.
- Signature: sign and date the declaration under penalty of perjury under the laws of the State of California before you file.
- Attachments: attach form FL-311 only if you use it for the supervised visitation terms in item 5.
The California courts' self-help page for this form is https://selfhelp.courts.ca.gov/jcc-form/FL-312. The printed form advises pressing the Clear This Form button after you print it, for your protection and privacy. FillingPDF lets you fill out and download the PDF; submission follows the court's channels.
Common mistakes to avoid
- Treating FL-312 as a court order. The form states it is not a court order; it is only a request.
- Leaving the TO line at the top blank instead of checking the Petition, Response, Request for Order, Responsive Declaration or Other box it goes with.
- Not specifying in item 2 whether the orders are requested against the Petitioner, the Respondent or the Other Parent/Party.
- Checking a reason in item 4 (a, b, d or e) without writing the explanation the form asks for.
- Naming a foreign country in item 3c without checking citizenship or explaining family or emotional ties in items (1) and (2).
- Requesting supervised visitation in item 5 without a proposed supervisor who meets the qualifications in form FL-324(NP) or FL-324(P).
- Leaving blanks in orders you want, such as the state in item 9, the embassy or consulate and number of calendar days in item 12.
- Not signing and dating the declaration under penalty of perjury at the end of the form.
Frequently asked questions
What is the FL-312 form?
FL-312 is the Judicial Council of California's Request for Child Abduction Prevention Orders. You use it to tell the court why you think the other parent or party might take the children without your permission and to request orders that reduce that risk. It is a request, not a court order.
Is FL-312 a court order?
No. The form states in its heading that it is not a court order. It only asks the court to make the orders you check in items 5 to 14; they apply only if the court grants them.
What orders can I request on FL-312?
You can ask for supervised visitation, a bond, no moving or travel without your written permission or a court order, registration of the order in another state, turning in and not applying for passports, travel itineraries, notice to a foreign embassy or consulate, a foreign custody order, or other orders you specify.
Can I fill out FL-312 online?
You can fill out the fillable PDF online on FillingPDF and download or print it. FillingPDF is independent of the Judicial Council and does not file the form; you file it with the document it accompanies through the court's channels.
Is there a Spanish version of FL-312?
Yes. The California courts' self-help page offers form FL-312 in Spanish alongside the English form. Use the revision effective July 1, 2025, which is the one printed on this page's PDF.
Do I have to sign FL-312 under penalty of perjury?
Yes. At the end of the form you declare under penalty of perjury under the laws of the State of California that the information is true and correct, then date and sign it. Complete every explanation honestly before signing.
Do I need other forms if I request supervised visitation?
Possibly. In item 5, the person you request to supervise must meet the qualifications in the Declaration of Supervised Visitation Provider (form FL-324(NP) or FL-324(P)). You can attach the specific terms on form FL-311.
Where do I file FL-312?
File it with the document you check at the top of the form, such as a Petition, Response or Request for Order, in the court handling your case. The form prints no separate address or deadline, so it follows that filing.
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