On the following pages we would like to inform you how the Federal Office of Justice as Central Authority can assist you if you and your child are affected by a cross-border conflict relating to custody or access/contact or international child abduction, or if a risk exists for such conflict to arise. This overview provides initial information on legal bases, cost issues and the States bound by the relevant international and European legal provisions, but also on other options such as, e.g., mediation. A list of links will help you to identify other bodies which might be able to assist you. In addition you can download application forms in German and many other languages if you intend to file an application for the return of a child, for organizing or securing a cross-border right of access or for the recognition of a custody or contact order with the Federal Office of Justice, a foreign Central Authority or directly with the competent court in Germany or abroad.
German youth welfare offices and courts envisaging the placement of a child in an institution or a foster family abroad will find information on the consultation procedure required in numerous States prior to the placement. For foreign authorities and courts intending to place a child in Germany, the details of the consultation procedure in Germany will be explained.
How can we help you?
Notes on the return of abducted children and cross-border cases relating to access and custody
The Federal Republic of Germany is a Contracting State to a number of international conventions which include provisions on how to resolve international custody conflicts. The Federal Office of Justice is Germany’s Central Authority. Here, you will find information on the return of abducted children and on cross-border access and custody matters.
Cross-border cooperation and mutual legal assistance between authorities
The Federal Office of Justice, as Germany’s Central Authority, is in charge of tasks in the area of child protection that involve cross-border co-operation and mutual assistance between authorities. You will find further information here.
If German courts or authorities intend to place a child in a home or with a foster family in another Member State of the European Union (with the exception of Denmark), a consultation procedure must be carried out under Article 82 of the Brussels II b Regulation. You will find further information here.
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 the German Central Authority under the terms of the Hague Convention for the Protection of Adults. It works together with the Central Authorities from other Contracting States. Further to this, it assists the authorities responsible for matters pertaining to the protection of adults in Germany in working together, both with each other and with their counterparts in other Contracting States.
