The better way to file for custody.
File for custody in California. Your documents are ready instantly.
Answer plain-English questions and your court forms are produced automatically. No waiting on anyone.
Start free. $79 once, when your documents are ready.
What we do
Everything you need to file for custody is on Virdix.
We make filing for custody accessible, affordable, and less stressful. As you answer plain-English questions about your children and your case, Virdix completes the official California forms your request needs (like the FL-311 custody and visitation attachment), checks them the way a clerk would read them, and hands you county-matched filing instructions, from your first form to your final order. Starting is free: you see every form your case needs, and previews of your completed documents, before you pay anything.
About your children
Do you and the other parent have minor children together?
Let's get your custody filing started today.
Answer a few questions about your children and your case. Your court forms build themselves as you go, and you see previews of your completed documents before you pay anything.
Get startedIf a clerk rejects a document, we fix it free until it's accepted. Learn more
Why people choose Virdix
Documents ready instantly
Your forms are produced automatically as you answer. No waiting days for someone to prepare them, no mail, nothing to chase.
One flat price, upfront
Start free and see everything first. $79 once when your documents are ready. No retainers, no hourly billing, no hidden fees.
Built for contested cases
Custody disputes, support disagreements, high-conflict situations. Most services only take simple uncontested cases. Virdix was built for the hard ones.
All 58 California counties
Filing instructions matched to your county's Superior Court, including the custody mediation step many counties require.
Builders, not blank forms
The guided declaration builder and parenting plan builder organize what happened, in your words, into clear, complete documents a judge can follow.
Accepted by the court, guaranteed
If a court clerk rejects a document we prepared, we fix it for free until it's accepted.
"Virdix created my packet based on my answers and gave me a lot more clarity and confidence in filing the right things… the questions aligned more with what I needed."
Alicia, custody case, Los Angeles County
Real user feedback
How it works
We don't just give you forms. We walk you through the entire family court process, educating you along the way.
About your children
Do you and the other parent have minor children together?
Tell us about your case
Answer simple questions about your situation. We'll determine exactly what documents you need for your county.
About your children
Do you and the other parent have minor children together?
Build your documents
Use our guided builders for declarations, parenting plans, and settlement agreements. Our builders organize what happened into clear, complete documents.
Your words
on march 15 he kept the kids past the 6pm exchange time in our court order again and didn't answer either of my two calls
Court-ready version
On March 15, Respondent failed to return the children at the court-ordered exchange time of 6:00 p.m. and did not respond to my two phone calls.
AI Suggestion
Add the actual return time and any witnesses so your account is complete.
File and serve
Get step-by-step filing instructions for your courthouse. We guide you through serving the other party.
Complete your case
Navigate hearings, responses, and final judgments with guidance at every step until your case is resolved.
Compare your options
Three ways to handle a custody case
- Contested and uncontested custody cases
- Documents produced instantly as you answer
- Guided declaration and parenting plan builders
- County-matched instructions from filing to final order
$79Once, when your documents are ready. Free to start.
Other online services
- Only simple uncontested divorces
- Days, sometimes a week, before your forms come back
- No declaration writing support
- No parenting plan guidance
- Just forms, no process guidance
$400 to $2,000Typical published rates. Most turn custody cases away entirely and handle only paperwork for spouses who already agree on everything.
Traditional attorney
- Retainers up front, then hourly billing
- Conflict escalates through opposing attorneys
- Scheduling delays can stretch for months
- You wait on someone else for every document
$5,000+Attorney-represented California family law cases commonly run $5,000 to $15,000.
File for custody without the $15,000 attorney.
Explore our custody resources
California child custody laws, explained
Read now
How to modify a custody order in California
Read now
Navigating high-conflict custody in California
Read now
Working out support too? Try the free California child support calculator.
Custody questions, answered
Can I file for custody without filing for divorce?+
Yes. In California, custody orders are made inside an underlying case. If you're married to the other parent, that's usually a divorce or legal separation. If you were never married, custody is handled through a parentage (paternity) case. Virdix asks about your situation and prepares the right case type for you.
Do I need a lawyer to file for custody in California?+
No. You have the right to represent yourself in family court, and many parents do. Virdix prepares your documents and gives you step-by-step filing instructions, but is not a law firm and does not give legal advice.
Which forms does a custody request use?+
Most custody requests use Form FL-311, the Child Custody and Visitation Attachment, along with a petition for a new case or Form FL-300, the Request for Order, in an existing one. Virdix determines the exact list from your answers and fills the forms for you.
How much does it cost to file for custody?+
Court filing fees vary by county and request type. If money is tight, the fee can be waived using form FW-001 if you qualify. Virdix itself is free to start; you pay $79 once, when your documents are ready.
What is Family Court Services mediation?+
In many California counties, parents in a contested custody case must meet with a court mediator before a judge will hear the dispute. It's a chance to reach a parenting plan you both accept. Virdix's county-matched instructions tell you how mediation works where you're filing.
How does the court decide custody?+
California courts decide custody based on the best interest of the child, focused on the child's health, safety, and welfare, and on maintaining meaningful contact with both parents where safe. Clear, complete paperwork is how you put your side of that story in front of the judge.
Or browse your county's custody guide+
Bay Area
Central Coast
Central Valley
Eastern California
Northern California
Sacramento Valley
Sacramento region
Sierra Nevada
Southern California
Smaller counties: regional guides
California's smaller, more rural counties are grouped into regional guides that cover every county's local Superior Court and process in one place.
Virdix is a self-help document preparation service, not a law firm, and does not provide legal advice. If your case involves domestic violence or you fear for your safety, call 911 or the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-7233.