Can I get a barring order against my violent partner?

What the Law Says

The Domestic Violence Act 2018 gives people in Ireland legal protection from abusive partners through barring orders. These orders require the abuser to leave the shared home and stay away from you and your children.

A barring order is a court order that stops your partner from using or entering your shared home — even if they own or rent it — and from contacting or approaching you or your children. It can also include other protections, like banning them from going near your workplace or children’s school.

You can apply for a barring order if you are a spouse, civil partner, cohabitant (living together for at least 6 months), or parent of a child with the respondent — even if you never lived together. The court must be satisfied there is a risk of harm to you or your children.

The court can make an interim barring order immediately — often on the same day — if it believes there is an immediate risk of harm. This lasts until the full hearing, which must happen within 8 working days.

Statutory Text

The court may make a barring order where it is satisfied that the applicant or a dependent person is at risk of harm from the respondent and that the safety and welfare of the applicant or dependent person requires that the respondent be barred from the family home.

— Domestic Violence Act 2018, s. 7 — Barring orders

What to Do

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