CN 11490 at a glance
What it is: The Certification of Diligent Search of the Superior Court of New Jersey, Chancery Division, Family Part, is for use if your case type starts with the letters FD.
Where and when to file: The court must determine that you have made a serious effort to obtain information about the location of the parent or guardian named in your case, and that you have followed up on any information that you have received about their whereabouts. The Certification of Diligent Search form must be completed and returned to the Court along with copies of all letters or forms you have sent and any responses you have received.
What to bring and attach to CN 11490
You must keep copies of the letters you send and any responses you receive so you can submit them to the court as evidence of your attempts to find the parent or guardian.
The signed return receipt card (or electronic receipt) should be submitted to the court as evidence. The Driver History Abstract Application Request form is DO-21.
A filled-in CN 11490 example: a plaintiff certifies the search
How to fill out CN 11490, box by box
Plaintiff, Defendant, County and Docket Number
Enter the Plaintiff and the Defendant, the County of, the Docket Number FD-, the Plaintiff Email and the Defendant Email.
Who you are in the action
After I, enter your name, of full age, to certify that you are the plaintiff or defendant in the action: mark plaintiff or defendant.
Whereabouts and last known address of the plaintiff or defendant
Mark the plaintiff or defendant whose present whereabouts you do not know, and enter the Date since on or about which you have not seen or heard from them.
Mark the plaintiff or defendant whose mailing address you do not know, and enter the last known address of record.
Who you contacted, the Post Office and the motor vehicle agency
Enter the dates and the individual(s) you contacted, whom you believed possessed information about the plaintiff's or defendant's whereabouts, and the Result of search.
Enter the Result of search through the United States Post Office for the current address or any previous address.
Enter the state motor vehicle agency you inquired of and the Result of search.
Department of Defense, other attempts and signature
The Department of Defense website was checked, or letters were sent to the Armed Forces of the United States and their response as to whether or not there is any information regarding the plaintiff or defendant. Enter the Result of search.
Enter your other attempts to locate the other party.
You have kept copies of the letters you sent and responses you received from the individuals and agencies so that they can be submitted to the court as evidence of your attempts to find the plaintiff or defendant.
Enter the Date, mark Plaintiff or Defendant, Print Name and sign the Signature line to certify that the statements made by you are true. “I am aware that if any of the foregoing statements made by me are willfully false, I am subject to punishment.”
More rules for CN 11490
It is important to enclose a self-addressed, stamped envelope with each letter or form to encourage the person or agency to write back to you.
If your situation is different
Find the location of the parent or guardian named in your case
A diligent search is used for a Non-Dissolution (FD) case when the person filing in court does not have an address for the person they are filing against in the case. That parent or legal guardian should receive a notice to appear in court.
This packet includes information on attempting to find the location of the parent or legal guardian named in your case, along with sample letters and forms that can be used to ask for location information. You must send a letter or complete the identified forms for all locations listed on the following pages. If you omit any location, you must explain to the court the reason for excluding that particular place.
Letters to the parent's or guardian's relatives and last known employers who might know their address should be sent by both regular and certified mail, return receipt requested.
The parent or guardian had a New Jersey driver's license
If the parent or guardian had a driver's license in New Jersey, submit a completed “Driver History Abstract Application Request” form to the New Jersey Motor Vehicle Commission (MVC), along with any required fee.
Complete a separate form for each record requested.
SECTION D - Purpose for the Request (required ONLY when requesting another's record). For use in connection with any civil, criminal, administrative or arbitral proceeding in any Federal, State, or Local court or agency or before any self-regulating body, including service of process, investigation in anticipation of litigation, and the execution or enforcement of judgements and orders, or pursuant to an order of a Federal, State, or Local court. Please include the Docket number and a letter from the client confirming that you have been retained.
Certified Complete Driver History Abstract $15 (checked November 8, 2026).
Please note that turnaround time is approximately 3-4 weeks.
If your request does not fall under the listed reasons, number 10 is for use by any applicant, if the applicant demonstrates it has obtained the notarized written consent of the individual to whom the information pertains.
The parent or guardian lived in another state
If the parent or guardian lived in another state, you should contact that state's motor vehicle department to ask them how to request this information.
The U.S. Department of Defense does not provide enough information
If the U.S. Department of Defense does not provide enough information, the Court might ask you to send separate letters to the different branches of the U.S. Military.
If you are required to send additional letters, you can send them by regular mail.
If you have access to the Internet, and you know the parent or guardian's birth date or Social Security number, you can obtain information about active military service from the Department of Defense Manpower Data Center (DMDC) at: https://scra.dmdc.osd.mil/scra/#/home If the Court requires you to send letters to the different branches of the U.S. Military, your letters must contain as much information as you know about the parent or guardian, such as their full name, Social Security number, date, and place of birth, last known military address, service number, rank, or grade, (officer/enlisted), and last duty assignment. The reason for your request must be included.
This process can take several weeks.
The U.S. Post Office where you believe the parent or guardian last lived
Mail the “Request for Change of Address or Boxholder Information Needed for Service of Legal Process” form (also referred to as the “Address Information Request Format - Process Server”) to the U.S. Post Office where you believe the parent or guardian last lived.
There is no fee for providing boxholder or change of address information.
Sources
[1] Form CN 11490 (Revised 03/2024), Family - Chancery Certification of Diligent Search, Superior Court of New Jersey (the Official source link on this page).