President Signs International Child Support Convention

 Posted on September 30, 2016 in Child Support

President Obama recently signed the instrument of ratification for the Hague Convention on International Recovery of Child Support and Other Forms of Family Maintenance. The purpose of this Convention is to establish uniform, simplified, cost-free rules and procedures for processing child support cases on an international level. Ratification of this Convention is groundbreaking; prior to the Convention, there were no standardized and efficient procedures for international child support cases, and each country had different costly and time-consuming procedures to follow. This Convention represents the first global child support treaty ratified by the United States. Now, American children who have a parent living in a foreign country who is party to the Convention will have additional recourse to collect the financial support that they need in a much more timely manner.

Application of the Convention

There are an estimated 15 million child support cases in the United States, with about 150,000 international child support cases. The newly ratified Convention addresses financial obligations that arise from a relationship between parent and his or her child who is under 21 years of age. In addition to child support, the Convention also contains enforcement procedures for spousal support.

The intention of the Convention is to remedy non-support cases in which the support payor lives in a foreign country and owes Court-ordered child support. Aside from the United States, the 31 countries who are party to the Convention include Austria, the Czech Republic, France, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Italy, the Netherlands, Poland, Spain, Sweden, the Ukraine and the U.K., among others.

Provisions Addressed in the Convention

The Convention establishes a comprehensive and cooperative system between the countries who are party to the agreement. The Convention also provides for the establishment, recognition, and enforcement of support and maintenance decisions. The Convention requires effective measures for the prompt enforcement of support and maintenance decisions. All countries who are party to the Convention now must recognize due process protections, as well as firm timelines for the establishment and enforcement of support orders, and standardized forms that will reduce the need for requesting additional information.

Contact Your Illinois Child Support Lawyer for Assistance

At The Law Office of Nicholas W. Richardson, P.C., passionate Palatine family law attorney Nicholas Richardson is devoted to giving you the legal assistance that you need as you deal with your divorce, paternity, or family law case. Nothing about family law cases tends to be easy, and child support is only one of the many stressful issues that you may face in your Court proceedings. Fortunately, he is on your side and knows how to help you handle this difficult time in your life. No matter whether your case involves support on an international or domestic level, Attorney Richardson is here to represent your legal interests while you focus on creating a new beginning for your family.

Resources:

https://www.hcch.net/en/instruments/conventions/full-text/?cid=131

https://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/2016/08/30/statement-nsc-spokesperson-ned-price-hague-convention-international