International child arrangements

If the international child arrangements order comes from a country that is a signatory to the 1996 Hague Convention, you can apply to the court in England and Wales for it to be registered, recognised or not recognised here.

The Convention is intended to give signatory countries the power to protect children and property across borders, so it will be very rare for a foreign order from a fellow signatory not to be recognised here. Once the international child arrangements order is recognised, the court will enforce it as if the original order were made here too.

If you have an international co-parenting plan and your child has been kept abroad without your consent or permission from the court, this may amount to child abduction or wrongful retention.

You may need to apply under the 1980 Hague Convention for your child’s return. It's important to take legal advice immediately to understand your options and take prompt action.

For more information, see our page on international child relocation.

In England and Wales, the Child Maintenance Service (CMS) is responsible for calculating and collecting child maintenance. However, the CMS can only help if the paying parent lives in the UK or works abroad for certain UK-based organisations (such as the Armed Forces or the Government).

If your ex does not fall into these categories, there’s a possibility that you could claim maintenance by applying under Schedule 1 of the Children Act 1989, but these claims are usually only proportionate if the other parent is wealthy. Even if you obtain a court order, enforcing it in another country can be challenging.

One option is to use the Reciprocal Enforcement of Maintenance Orders (REMO) process. REMO allows a UK court order for child maintenance to be recognised and enforced in another country, provided that country has a reciprocal agreement with the UK. Over 100 countries participate in REMO, including most EU states and many others worldwide. The process involves:

• Applying to your local family court for a maintenance order.
• The court sending the order to the REMO Unit in England and Wales.
• The REMO Unit forwarding the order to the relevant authority in the other country for enforcement.

A good starting point is to use the CMS online calculator to check what might be payable if your ex were in England and Wales, and then try to agree this between you. Mediation, which can be conducted virtually, is often the most practical way to reach an agreement - especially when navigating disputes linked to an international child arrangement order.

Yes, an international child arrangements parenting agreement or order can change - it's not uncommon.

International child arrangements made for a toddler will likely be unsuitable for a teenager. You and your co-parent can agree to vary the arrangements at any time to reflect your child's changing needs and wishes. It is important though to record any changes in writing and, if you have a court order, to formally amend that order.

If you cannot agree on new terms for international co-parenting, either parent can apply to the court to have the order formally amended. In any court application, your child's welfare will remain the paramount consideration.