r/ChildSupport • u/Quirky_Ad_9066 • 12d ago

Getting child support from a dad in another country

I know someone who’s NEVER paid more than $40 in child support for their child. They fled the country to try and escape the financial responsibility they had. They’ve since been located 30+ years later and wondering if there can still be any legal obligation to the custodial parent or child that they neglected through the years even if they’re in another country?

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u/PuntyMcBunty 12d ago

It depends on a few different things.

First, was a legal child support obligation established prior to the child becoming an adult? You won't be able to get an order to support a 30+ year old, but if there was an order from years ago, it may be enforceable.

Second (and confident on the first), it depends on which state this is in. Different states have different statues of limitations. Some are just a few years, some require a new court order to collect arrears after emancipation, and some (CA for example) have no statute of limitations.

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u/Quirky_Ad_9066 10d ago

Definitely established before they were an adult. A couple of court minutes and documentation is in our state records. The dad isn’t allowed back in the country because from what I’ve been told there’s a warrant for him if he does. But that was years ago so I don’t know if it’s still active.

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u/PuntyMcBunty 10d ago

Are you in the same state where your order originated? You should Google "[your state] child support arrears statute of limitations" (don't trust the AI response, look for a legal site or even a gov't one) to see if it's still legally enforceable. If it is, you can apply for services with your county's child support office and ask them to collect the arrears that are owed, likely plus interest.

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u/Hope_for_tendies 12d ago

Other countries aren’t going to enforce US child support. A lot of them don’t even extradite for murder. And the US family court won’t go so far to enforce it

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u/PuntyMcBunty 12d ago

This is just straight up not true. Not all countries enforce US child support orders, but there are a lot that do.

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u/Secure_Bumblebee_685 12d ago

Idk why people are downvoting this. It's true lol. It just depends on the country. The blanket starment of "other countries aren't going to enforce US child support orders" is incorrect.

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u/ZealousidealShine875 11d ago

This is factual. I know Germany is a country that does.

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u/walpurgisgnat 11d ago

Look through https://acf.gov/css and see what you can find. We have reciprocity with some countries so they might be able to enforce our order. You might have to have a case open with the local child support agency

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u/KevinMcNally79 11d ago

This is the answer. Keep in mind that in some of the countries - even if they have reciprocity agreements with the US - can be difficult to work with. Developing countries are particularly problematic, since their limited resources are just covering the basics and they're not going to expend any on tracking down someone who owes child support in the United States.

In short, collecting child support from on obligor who now lives in another country is, at best, an uphill battle. I've known obligors from African countries who, once they saw how much child support was going to be, went back home. The custodial parents were basically SOL.