Civil restraint orders
Understand when civil restraint orders (CROs) are issued and view the lists of people with CROs in force against them.
Applies to England and Wales
About civil restraint orders
A civil restraint order (CRO) is a court order issued by a judge.
They’re usually given when a person’s application for a court hearing is refused but they do not accept the judge’s decision.
A CRO then stops that person from reapplying to court.
Types of civil restraint orders
The judge will decide which is the most suitable type of order to issue.
Limited
If a person is issued with a limited CRO, it means they must get the judge’s permission before making any application to the court covered by the order.
Extended
If the person continues to go back to the court, a judge can issue an extended CRO.
This order is limited to a specified group of courts. Extended CROs last 3 years but can be renewed for a further 3 years.
General
In the most extreme cases, the judge will grant a general CRO.
This order applies to all the county courts and the High Court. General CROs last 3 years but can be renewed for a further 3 years.
If this order is ignored, the person will be in contempt of court and may receive a prison sentence.
Help with fees
If you currently have a CRO against you, you can usually apply for help with fees.
However, you cannot apply for help with fees if you’re making an application to ask for permission to either:
-
start a new court case or take further action in an existing case (such as making an application or filing documents) when your CRO requires a judge’s permission
-
apply to amend or discharge the CRO
-
appeal the CRO
For these types of applications, you must pay the full court fee when you apply.
If the court grants permission for one of these applications, you can apply for a refund of the fee. To apply for a refund, you’ll need to:
- complete form EX160
- apply within 3 months of the court’s decision
- include a sealed copy of the court order granting permission
The refund may be full or partial, depending on how much you’re entitled to.
Lists of people with CROs
Updates to this page
-
Updated the guidance for help with fees.
-
Added new information to inform users that a person with a CRO against them is not able to apply for help with fees. Removed list of acronyms
-
First published.