Marriages and relationships between couples of different nationalities are becoming increasingly common as people travel around the world for work or holidays. If the relationship breaks down, this can raise challenging issues for both parties, particularly if children are involved.
Securing the safe return of your child
In the traumatic situation of international child abduction – where one parent removes a child from the country where they normally live, or retains the child in a different country – we can give quick, practical advice to help you look after the child’s wellbeing.
We recommend that you take immediate advice in such situations.
Cross-border family problems, from relocation to divorce
We can guide you through a number of issues relating to international aspects of family law:
- Jurisdiction: for example, if a Scots couple are living abroad in the United Arab Emirates, which legal system has jurisdiction for divorce?
- Residence: if an English couple move to Scotland and then the mother returns to England taking the children with her, in which country should a court decide the future residence of the children?
- Relocation abroad: if a father intends to emigrate to Australia, for instance, how can contact and holiday arrangements be structured to allow his children to continue to see him regularly?
We also act for clients based abroad who need advice about issues such as child maintenance, spousal support, separation and divorce.
Helping you access advice in other jurisdictions
We have strong connections with other family lawyers in different countries including England and Northern Ireland. If we cannot help, we will be able to put you in touch with another family solicitor who can.
