Want custody or a visit schedule? Ask the judge, step by step.

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.

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.

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.

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. You can start and see page one of your first document before paying; the whole case is a one time $79 payment for a limited time.

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.

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.

Most cases use custody forms california like Form FL-311, the Child Custody and Visitation Application Attachment. Search terms like custody papers california, custody paperwork california, full custody paperwork california, custody agreement form california, full custody forms california, full custody papers california, and child custody forms california all point to this same set of Judicial Council documents. Virdix determines the exact forms your case needs from your answers and fills them for you.

You can file for custody california, and filing custody in california, on your own. You have the right to self-representation in family court. Filing custody papers in california usually means submitting Form FL-300, the Request for Order, inside an existing case, or a new petition if there is no case yet. If you want to file for custody without a lawyer california, Virdix prepares the same official forms and gives you county-matched filing instructions, but is not a law firm and does not provide legal advice.

Joint custody california means both parents share legal custody, decision-making, physical custody, or both. Joint custody forms california and joint custody papers california are the same FL-311 attachment used for any custody request. There is no automatic 50 50 custody in california rule; state policy favors frequent contact with both parents when it is safe, but a judge sets the actual schedule based on the child's best interest.

Sole custody california gives one parent exclusive legal custody, physical custody, or both, with the other parent typically still entitled to visitation unless a court restricts it for safety reasons. Filing for sole custody in california and sole custody forms california use the same statewide forms as any other custody request; what changes is the order you ask the court to make, not the paperwork itself.

An emergency custody order california form, also called emergency custody forms california, is requested through an ex parte hearing when a child faces immediate risk; courts can grant temporary orders within a day or two, without waiting for a regular hearing date. A temporary custody form california and filing for temporary custody in california outside a true emergency use Form FL-300 to ask for orders that hold until the case is resolved.

Yes. Pet custody california, also called pet custody in divorce california, is addressed by a 2019 state law letting judges assign sole or joint ownership of a pet, considering the animal's care and well-being, separate from the standard property-division rules.

An application for freedom from parental custody california form is a separate, more serious legal action that permanently ends a parent's legal rights, typically to allow a stepparent or relative to adopt. It uses Form FL-825 and is not part of an ordinary custody case; it requires specific legal grounds and its own court process.

A custody schedule california, sometimes called a parenting plan, sets out where the child lives and when each parent has time, including holidays and school breaks. Judges evaluate proposed schedules against the child's health, safety, and welfare, and Virdix's parenting plan builder organizes your proposed schedule into the format the court expects.