Winning Through Understanding

International / Interstate Custody

The laws regarding custody vary from state to state and nation to nation, and as such, present unique challenges to families facing custody issues.

The Hague Convention includes most European countries, a few countries in Africa, South America and margins of the Middle East favorable to the Western world. This Convention demands the immediate return of children taken from their country of what is called “habitual residence” when it violates custody rights. The primary concern of the Hague Convention is that children are returned to their primary residence if they were wrongfully removed or retained. If you reside in the US and your child(ren) was/were taken out of the country by the other parent, a “petition of return” must be filed under the Hague Convention. Contact Guajardo Khoury, PC, to handle your international custody matters – we can help you every step of the way with filings, understanding your rights and the procedures to enforce custody arrangements.

Under the Uniform Child Custody Jurisdiction Act (UCCJA) and the Uniform Child Custody Jurisdiction and Enforcement Act (UCCJEA), our firm can assist you with interstate custody violations.

Contact us for a consultation and to learn more about how to handle these complex legal issues.