It can often be difficult for those owed maintenance (sometimes referred to as child support, spousal support, or alimony depending on the context) to recover the money from the person who owes it. This is especially the case when the person who owes the maintenance lives in a different country to the person entitled. In these cases, the Federal Office of Justice, in its role as Germany’s Central Authority under the terms of the Foreign Maintenance Act (Auslandsunterhaltsgesetz) and the UN Maintenance Convention, can help individuals to claim the maintenance they are legally entitled to.

The Federal Office of Justice is Germany’s Central Authority under the terms of the Hague Child Abduction Convention. On this legal basis, the Federal Office of Justice offers support in the return of children, who have been abducted or retained unlawfully, from other Contracting States to Germany, and helps individuals assert their rights of access to children in cross-border cases.