Child abduction legal guide

Child abduction is when one parent moves their child from their usual home to another country without the agreement of the other parent or anyone who has parental responsibility (or without a court order allowing it).

Data collected by the Hague Convention shows that child abduction both nationally in the UK and globally has been increasing year on year. This is because there are more international families – more cross-country marriages, more (and cheaper) travel and more opportunities to live and work in other countries. In 2019, the Foreign and Commonwealth Office helped in 260 child abduction cases.

The two priorities are to contact the police and tell them what has happened and then speak to a specialist child abduction lawyer who can advise you on your options.

If there’s an imminent threat of your child being abducted by their other parent, you should call 999. The police can issue a ‘port alert’ which will stop them being taken out of the UK.

If your child doesn’t have a passport, you can attempt to contact the passport office to stop them from issuing one.

Once any immediate steps have been taken, it’s important to get legal advice straight away. You may be eligible for legal aid to help with paying for the legal advice.

If you require information and support, the charity Reunite International offers a confidential advice line on which you can express your concerns.