Safety orders and barring orders in Ireland: how to get protection

An interim barring order or emergency barring order made without notice to the other person lasts no more than 8 working days unless confirmed at a full hearing. A safety order made by the District Court lasts up to 5 years and a barring order up to 3 years, and either can be renewed before it expires.

1. Get safe now. If you are in immediate danger, call 999 or 112 and ask for the Gardaí. The Gardaí can remove a person who is committing an offence, and every Garda division has a Divisional Protective Services Unit trained in domestic abuse. Women's Aid (1800 341 900) and Men's Aid run free national helplines and can help with a safety plan, accompaniment to court and refuge places. Gardaí cannot themselves issue a barring order; only a court can, but they can help you get to court quickly.
2. Choose the right order. A safety order is available to a spouse or civil partner, a person who was in an intimate relationship with the respondent (even without living together), a parent against an adult child, an adult living with the respondent in a non-commercial relationship, and the parent of a child the respondent also parented (section 6). A barring order (section 7) is available to a spouse, civil partner, cohabitant in an intimate relationship or a parent against an adult child. Cohabitants and parents cannot get a barring order against someone with a greater interest in the home.
3. Ask for immediate protection if needed. When you apply for a safety or barring order, the court can make a protection order straight away (section 10), which has the same effect as a safety order until the full hearing. If there is an immediate risk of significant harm and a protection order would not be enough, the court can make an interim barring order (section 8), requiring the person to leave. If you are a cohabitant or parent with a lesser interest in the home, an emergency barring order (section 9) can be made for up to 8 working days.
4. Go to the District Court office. Ask for the domestic violence application forms; staff will help you complete them. You swear an information or affidavit describing what has happened, with dates and specific incidents, before the judge. Urgent applications can be heard the same day, often without the respondent being present, and special sittings of the District Court can be arranged outside normal hours (section 24). There is no court fee. You can bring a support worker or another person to court with you (section 26).
5. Collect and bring evidence. Write a dated list of incidents: what was said or done, injuries, threats, damage, and who saw it. Bring medical records or GP notes, photographs, screenshots of messages and social media posts, voicemails, Garda incident numbers and statements from witnesses. Evidence of controlling behaviour, such as monitoring your phone, restricting money or isolating you from friends, is relevant. The court decides on the balance of probabilities whether there are reasonable grounds for believing that your safety or welfare, or that of a dependent person, requires the order.
6. Attend the full hearing. The respondent is served with notice of the full hearing and can give evidence. Hearings are in private. The court can direct that the respondent may not cross-examine you personally, and must do so for a witness under 18, unless the interests of justice require otherwise; the questions are then put by a lawyer, and the Legal Aid Board must grant legal aid for that purpose (section 16). Evidence can be given by video link in some cases (section 25). The judge may hear the views of a child who is affected and must give reasons for granting or refusing an order (section 17).
7. Make sure the order takes effect. An order takes effect when the respondent is notified of it: if they are in court, immediately; otherwise when they are told about it and shown a copy, or when the Gardaí serve it (section 18). The court office sends copies of the order to the local Garda station. Keep a copy of the order with you at all times, and give copies to your children's school or crèche if the order covers them.
8. Report every breach. Breaching a safety, protection, barring, interim or emergency barring order is an offence carrying up to 12 months' imprisonment and a fine (section 33). The Gardaí can arrest without warrant on your complaint (section 35). Report each breach, however minor it seems, and ask for a PULSE incident number. Do not invite the barred person back into the home: that weakens your position and does not cancel the order, which can be varied only by the court.
9. Consider criminal and family proceedings. Abuse may also be a crime, such as assault, coercive control under section 39, stalking or harassment. Prosecutions are taken by the Director of Public Prosecutions, and the Court of Appeal has increased lenient sentences for coercive control, as in DPP v M.G. [2026] IECA 87, where the court identified 5 years as the headline sentence. Separately, ask the District Court to deal with custody, access and maintenance, and see a solicitor about longer-term arrangements for the family home.

• Waiting for physical violence. Threats, intimidation, constant messaging and controlling behaviour can justify a safety order, and coercive control is itself a crime.
• Vague evidence. Saying "he is always abusive" carries less weight than specific dated incidents, messages and medical or Garda records.
• Withdrawing or not attending the full hearing. An interim or protection order lapses if the application is not pursued; if you are frightened about attending, tell the court office and ask about support and video links.
• Allowing contact after a barring order. Letting the person back into the home can lead to confusion about whether the order is still being respected and can be used against you later.
• Assuming a cohabitant can always get a barring order. If the respondent owns the home or has a greater share, only a safety order or a short emergency barring order is available.
• Not linking the order to child arrangements. A barring order does not decide access; if there are children, apply also under the Guardianship of Infants Act 1964 for supervised access or other safeguards.

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Last updated: 03/11/2026 · Sources: Domestic Violence Act 2018 (ss. 6–10, 16–18, 33, 35, 39), Domestic, Sexual and Gender-Based Violence Agency Act 2023, Civil Legal Aid Act 1995, Family Courts Act 2024, irishstatutebook.ie, EUR-Lex

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