International child support enforcement

The Office of Child Support Enforcement (OCSE) of the United States Department of Health and Human Services has released instructions that 14 forms for international child support cases have been approved for use.

The United States ratified the Hague Convention on the International Recovery of Child Support and Other Forms of Family Maintenance on August 30, 2016.  The Hague Child Support Convention provides a legal framework and administrative procedures for international child support cases, speeds up the enforcement of U.S. orders by limiting the circumstances under which a court can review and object to an order those similar to grounds now allowed under United States law, recognizes United States due process requirements, and provides standardized time frames and procedures for international case processing.  (See OCSE DCL 16-11.)  31 countries have signed the Hague Child Support convention.

Child support agencies must use the approved forms for case processing with convention countries unless the responding countries has different form requirements.  (OCSE AT 17-06, July 11, 2017.)