Applying for a family violence intervention order

Last checked: 31 October 2026

The short answer

If you are in danger now, call 000. A family violence intervention order is a court order that sets rules a family member must follow to keep you, your children and your property safe. If you are 18 or over, you can apply to the Magistrates' Court online, or the police can apply for you. If you need protection straight away, ask for an interim order.

Key dates and time limits

• If police give the other person a family violence safety notice, the first court date must be within 14 days.
• An interim order starts when police serve it on the other person, and lasts until the court decides on a final order.
• If you do not agree with the court's decision, you can appeal to the County Court. Get advice quickly, as time limits apply.

Step by step

1. 1

   Check that it is family violence

   Under the Family Violence Protection Act, family violence includes physical, sexual, emotional, psychological and economic abuse, threats, coercion, and any behaviour that controls you and makes you afraid. It also includes a child seeing or hearing that behaviour, or seeing its effects. A family member includes a current or former partner, even a short one, relatives, children and step-children, and people you treat like family. If the person is not a family member, a personal safety intervention order may fit instead.

2. 2

   Decide who applies

   You can apply for yourself if you are 18 or over. A parent can apply for a child, and a young person aged 14 to 17 can apply with the court's permission at the Children's Court. Police can also apply for you, even if you have not asked them to. When police attend an incident and you need protection straight away, they can issue a family violence safety notice, which works like an application and a summons to court.

3. 3

   Apply online or at court

   Apply online at fvio.mcv.vic.gov.au. You do not need to go to court to lodge it. If applying online is not safe for you, call the court about other options, or use the paper form (FVIO1) at your local Magistrates' Court. A registrar will contact you to go through it. Tell them what happened, starting with the most recent event, why you think it will happen again, and if the person has guns or other weapons.

4. 4

   Ask for an interim order if you need it now

   An interim order gives you protection until the court makes a final decision. It can be made before the other person is told about the application, and in urgent cases on the same day. It starts once police serve it. Keep a copy on your phone or on paper, and give a copy to your children's school or childcare if they are covered.

5. 5

   Choose the conditions you want

   Conditions can stop the person contacting you, coming near you, following you, damaging your property, or posting about you online. They can keep the person a set distance from your home, work or school, or require them to leave the home. They can also cover returning your things and handing in guns or weapons. Children who saw or heard the violence can be included. The magistrate decides the final conditions.

6. 6

   Go to the first mention

   The first mention is the first court date for you and the other person. Plan to be at court all day. If the other person agrees, the magistrate can make a final order, sometimes without them admitting anything. If they contest it, there will be more court dates and a contested hearing, and if you have no lawyer, the court can ask Victoria Legal Aid to give you one for the cross-examination.

7. 7

   Use the support at court

   Tell the family violence counter about any safety worries when you arrive. Some courts have separate entrances and safe waiting areas, and you may be able to attend online, so ask the court early. Applicant practitioners give non-legal support and safety planning, and some courts have duty lawyers. Specialist Family Violence Courts sit at 13 Magistrates' Court venues, including Melbourne, Ballarat, Bendigo, Geelong, Shepparton and Dandenong.

Who can help

Forms and the law