Address Confidentiality

IMPORTANT:
If you or your child are in immediate danger, call 911.

Any person in Family Court can ask to keep their address confidential from the other person. This means that your address is kept secret and not given to the other person. This is important because all court papers have your address on it and the other person gets a copy of the court papers.

 

How to Apply

There are procedures to help you keep your address confidential. You must get an Address Confidentiality Order or be an approved participant in the NYS Address Confidentiality Program for your address to be kept confidential.

1. Tell the Family Court clerk that you would like to keep your address confidential. The clerk will give you an "Address Confidentiality Affidavit" that must be filled in and signed. If the Court give you an Address Confidentiality Order, then your address will not be printed on any court papers.
2. New York State has an Address Confidentiality Program. This is a free program for victims of domestic violence who have had to move or are planning to move to a new location for safety reasons. If approved for the program, your address is kept secret on court papers, government records, driver's licenses, and applications for services like unemployment insurance and public assistance. You must apply and enroll to use this program.

 

What a Confidential Address Means

If you get an Address Confidentiality Order or are a participant in the NYS Address Confidentiality Program then you address will be listed as "Confidential" in the court file and on all Family Court papers and any papers sent to the other person.

If you have an Address Confidentiality Order, the court papers will be sent to your "designated agent for service." This person can be a lawyer, any person over 18 years of age, or the Clerk of the Family Court. The agent is responsible for getting the papers to you.

If you are participating in the NYS Address Confidentiality Program, the court papers will be sent to the Secretary of State in Albany and it will be forwarded by certified mail to you.