General Form 17 PDF Details

The Petitioner respectfully alleges upon information and belief.

Child: The name, gender, current address and date of birth of each child who is the subject of this proceeding.

Out of state: If a custody or visitation proceeding is pending in, or an order has been issued by, a court outside of the State of New York, use Form UCCJEA-1 instead.

Reasons: It would be in the best interests of the child(ren) for Petitioner to have custody or visitation for the following reasons.

Question	Answer
Form Name	General Form 17
Form Length	6 pages
Fillable?	Yes
Fillable fields	186
Avg. time to fill out	31 min
Edition	4/2025
Other names	General Form 17, GF-17, GF17, GF 17, Petition-Custody, Visitation
Official source	General Form 17 (4/2025), Family Court of the State of New York

How to Fill Out General Form 17

General Form 17 at a glance

What it is: General Form 17 is a Petition for Custody or Visitation in the Family Court of the State of New York. If custody is part of a divorce, our guide to a New York divorce with children explains what changes when parents agree.

Who signs: Under VERIFICATION, Petitioner: enter Signature and Print or type name.

A filled-in General Form 17 example: a mother petitions for custody

General Form 17 example filled out, example: a mother petitions for custody — Jane Ann Sample, a mother, files General Form 17 for custody. Her son Ben, age 7, has lived with her at the same address since birth, so more than two years, and no other proceeding is pending. The picture shows the filled form, and none of its entries is real. She asks for custody only, so Visitation stays empty. She files under Article 6, so Article 4 and Article 5 stay empty. She and John Doe each live at a home address, so is located at stays empty. Because no other proceeding is pending, is pending stays empty. She has taken part in no other litigation about Ben's custody, so nothing goes in paragraph 8. John Doe was married to Ben's mother at the time of the birth, so she checks the box for The father of the child(ren) is, enters JOHN DOE, and checks The father was married to the child(ren)'s mother at the time of the conception or birth. She has made no previous application, so except stays empty. She has no attorney, so Attorney stays empty. Because Ben has lived at the current address with her for more than two years, the paragraph 4 table stays empty. Because she and John Doe are both Ben's parents, paragraph 14 stays empty.

How to fill out General Form 17, box by box

Custody or Visitation under Article 4, 5 or 6

Check Custody or Visitation and Article 4, 5 or 6 of the Family Court Act or Section 240 of the Domestic Relations Law.

Enter the County, the Family File No., the Docket No., the Petitioner's name and the Respondent's name, each with the Relationship to child.

Name, gender, date of birth and current address of each child

For each child who is the subject of this proceeding, enter the name, gender, date of birth, current address and the Name of Person with Whom Child Resides, and for an address specify it or indicate if ordered to be kept confidential pursuant to Family Court Act §154-b(2) or Domestic Relations Law §254.

Petitioner and Respondent: resides or is located at

After Petitioner, check resides or is located at and specify the address or indicate if ordered to be kept confidential pursuant to Family Court Act §154-b(2) or Domestic Relations Law §254.

After Respondent, check resides or is located at and specify the address or indicate if ordered to be confidential, pursuant to Family Court Act §154-b(2) or Domestic Relations Law §254.

Specify the Petitioner's relationship to child; if foster parent, agency, institution or other relationship, so state.

A custody or visitation proceeding concerning the same child(ren)

A custody or visitation proceeding concerning the same child(ren) is or is not pending in New York State: check one box. If pending, give court docket number and status of case.

A custody or visitation proceeding concerning the same child(ren) is or is not pending in a jurisdiction outside New York State: check one box. If pending, specify where, court docket number and status of case.

Best interests of the child(ren), the request

Check custody or visitation and specify the reasons it would be in the best interests of the child(ren) for Petitioner to have custody or visitation.

Petitioner requests an order awarding custody or visitation of the child(ren) to the Petitioner and for such other and further relief as the Court may determine: check custody or visitation.

No previous application

No previous application has been made in any court, including a Native-American tribunal, or to any judge for the relief herein requested, except as written on the line following except.

Signature and verification

Under Petitioner, print or type name. Signature of Attorney, if any. Attorney's Name (Print or Type). Attorney's Address and Telephone Number.

Under VERIFICATION, the Petitioner affirms this day, under the penalties of perjury under the laws of New York, which may include a fine or imprisonment, that the statements before VERIFICATION are true to the Petitioner's own knowledge, except as to those matters stated to be alleged on information and belief and as to those matters the Petitioner believes them to be true.

You understand that this document may be filed in an action or proceeding in a court of law.

Under VERIFICATION, Petitioner: enter Signature and Print or type name.

Common questions about General Form 17

When is this form not the right one?

If a custody or visitation proceeding is pending in, or an order of custody or visitation has been issued by, a court outside of the State of New York, including a Native-American tribunal, the custody/visitation petition for proceedings under the Uniform Child Custody Jurisdiction and Enforcement Act, Form UCCJEA-1 should be utilized instead of this form. If a prior order of custody or visitation had been entered by a Court of this State, the petition for modification or enforcement, General Forms 40 or 41, should be used instead of this form.

Sources

[1] General Form 17 (4/2025), Petition (Custody, Visitation), New York State Unified Court System (the Official source link on this page).

General Form 17: New York Family Court Petition-Custody, Visitation