Map out the situation.
Which nationalities are involved, where everyone lives, where the documents and judgments were issued.
Practice area: International family law
When your family situation crosses several countries.
A marriage celebrated abroad, a spouse of another nationality, children who have to move to another country, a separation begun outside Belgium or a court decision given abroad can all raise complex legal questions. In these situations, it has to be determined which court has jurisdiction, which law applies and how a foreign decision can be recognised or enforced in Belgium.
What this covers
International family law concerns family situations connected with more than one country.
This may be an international divorce, organising a child's residence between two countries, the exercise of parental authority where the parents live in different countries, the recognition of a foreign judgment, a civil status record drawn up abroad, or a nationality question linked to the family situation.
I help you get a clear picture of the situation, so as to avoid procedural mistakes, anticipate the practical difficulties and build the right strategy, taking account of the applicable law: Belgian, European or foreign.
In these cases, the order in which steps are taken is often decisive. The choice of the country in which to act, the moment proceedings are started and the documents produced can have significant consequences for the rest of the case. Where useful, I can also coordinate with fellow lawyers abroad, so that steps taken in different countries support one another instead of colliding.
Common situations
Lives lived between two countries, or more.
In international cases, speed and the order of the steps taken often count for as much as the substance.
International divorce Spouses of different nationalities or living in different countries: determining where and under which law to divorce. Recognition of a foreign judgment Giving effect in Belgium to a divorce judgment, a decision about the children or a decision on maintenance. Children between two countries Parental authority, residence and maintenance contributions where the parents live in different countries. It is the child's residence that determines which court has jurisdiction (a European principle), wherever the parents may be. International child abduction Parental abduction: the wrongful removal or retention of a child, a specific emergency procedure. Foreign civil documents Marriage, birth, divorce: having foreign documents recognised in Belgium.
How I work
Clarify the framework before going to the Family Court.
Determine which court has jurisdiction and which law applies.
Act methodically.
In international cases, the first court where proceedings start keeps the case. After that, it is generally no longer possible to bring the matter before a Belgian court, apart from specific exceptions.
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