International Child Law

When parents separate, making suitable arrangements for children can often prove difficult. That is especially true for international families, where one parent intends to travel or return home with their child.

At IBB Law, we understand how challenging and complex international child law can be. Our specialist international child law solicitors offer a sensitive and practical approach to dealing with various issues, including international custody and abduction.

Our expert team can advise and assist parents and those without Parental Responsibility when travelling with children. We provide tailor made, bespoke forms offering the necessary consent and certificated documentation when travelling with children.

Our expert team have decades of combined expertise and experience, which we use to help secure the best possible outcome for both you and your children.

Meet the team

Amanda Melton
- - Amanda Melton
  - Partner

Complete support for international child law

Our international child law solicitors can assist with matters including:

Travelling with children abroad
Advice if your child has been taken abroad without your consent

Why choose IBB Law for help with international child law?

The Child Law team at IBB Law can offer you:

High level expertise in some of the most complex and challenging legal issues involving children
Independently accredited expertise with our Family Law team being ranked by leading client guides the Legal 500 and Chambers & Partners
Children Law accreditation from the Law Society
Many of our team are members of Resolution, a network of legal professionals committed to removing conflict from family law, reflecting our skills in avoiding unnecessary friction in any disputes

Call today to discuss your case with our international child law solicitors

Our international child lawyers are available in Uxbridge, Beaconsfield, Reading and Ascot. You can call one of our legal offices directly or fill in the enquiry form on our contact page and one of our legal team will call you.

How our solicitors can support you with international child law

Travelling with children abroad

It is important to consider that there are many different aspects to the law regarding the international movement of children to and from the UK. This means, if you intend to travel abroad with your children, even if it is simply for a holiday, you need to be sure that you have taken all the necessary steps to ensure no potential issues arise.

Taking a child abroad without permission (either from the other parent or the court) is child abduction, even if you have parental responsibility for a child. So, it is important to take the necessary steps to ensure that you are able to make your plans without any unexpected complications.

Our international child law solicitors can provide tailor made, bespoke forms which provide the necessary consent and certified documentation when travelling with children. A relevant Child Travel consent letter will provide you with the authority to take your child abroad.

Advice if your child has been taken abroad without your consent

If your child has been taken abroad without your permission or without a relevant court order, you will understandably be concerned about your rights as a parent and what steps you can take to rectify the situation.

Our team can work alongside you in cases of international parental child abduction, supporting you in seeking the relevant court orders or initiating applications for the return of your child.

International law for child custody and international abductions laws, are sensitive matters and may be initially daunting to deal with. Our team will ensure that you understand exactly what actions can be taken, including if you are able to make any arrangements where the other parent has gathered child travel consent through the courts.

How we resolve international child law disputes

We always seek to promote mutually agreed arrangements through methods such as mediation and negotiation. This can result in faster outcomes with lower legal costs and, crucially, is usually much less disruptive to the children involved.

If an agreement cannot be reached, then making an application to court may be the next necessary step. Wherever possible, we aim to represent clients at court ourselves, ensuring that you will have consistency of representation throughout your case. That being said, if we consider it to be in your best interests to instruct a barrister, we can work alongside them to make sure you are well represented.

Our international child law advice fees

We want our international child law fees to be completely transparent. From the outset, we provide clear cost estimates, as well as offering various fee structures to cover the cost of our legal advice.

Initial fixed fee consultation

Our international child law solicitors can offer a fixed fee consultation at a reduced cost, where you can receive initial advice on the legal options available to you. This will also provide you with an opportunity to discuss your situation in detail and our team can then talk through the approaches available and issues you may need to consider.

Fixed fee international child law advice

We may be able to deal with some aspects of international child custody and abduction law on a fixed fee basis. We will agree a price in advance for difference stages of sorting out arrangements for your children. For example, we can agree a fixed fee for each session of mediation or for specific matters, such as creating a document for child travel consent.

Individual charge-out rates for our international child law solicitors

Our team can also work according to a pre-agreed hourly rate. This means that you will be charged for the exact amount of time our team spend on your case. You will have control over the amount of support you receive to get the right outcome for you and your children.

To find out more about our fees, please take a look at our pricing policy.

Common questions about international child law

How does custody work if parents live in different countries?

Custody (a term which is no longer used by family courts in the UK) is used to describe the living arrangements of a child following their parent’s divorce or separation.

Typically, custody is a decision that is made in the best interests of the children. This remains true where parents are living in both countries.

Even if a parent resides with a child, they will not have the jurisdiction to take the child out of the UK without the permission of the other parent or permission from the courts. Doing so can be considered a criminal offence.

It is important to note that you may be able to take a child abroad for 28 days without getting permission if a child arrangement order says that the child must live with you – unless a court order says that you cannot do this.

Can my ex take my child to live in another country?

The short answer is yes, but only under certain circumstances. As discussed above, your former partner can take your child to live in another country, but only if:

You have provided permission by responding to a child travel consent form, or
The courts have provided your former partner with permission to take your child to live abroad

The court will base their decision on what is considered to be in the child’s best interests.

Can a parent commit child abduction?

Yes, it is possible for a parent to commit child abduction. If a parent takes their child abroad without the correct permission from the other parent or the courts, this is considered to be international child abduction.

This is a criminal offence which you could potentially be prosecuted for.

Do I need a consent letter to travel with my child?

To travel abroad with your child, you will need a consent letter. This can either be from the other parent (or anyone with parental responsibility) or from the courts if the other parent does not sign the consent letter.

When making a travel consent letter, you will typically be required to provide information such as:

The other parent’s contact details
A divorce or marriage certificate
Details of the trip
Date of departure
Date of return

Where you are taking a child aboard for an extended period of time, you may need to provide further information, such as the education your child will receive while they are abroad.

Does a child travel consent form need to be notarised?

A child travel document will typically need to be notarised. This will prove its authenticity.